One thing to note is that the cycling zealots seem to feel that the road infrastructure in the city was designed exclusively for personal motors vehicles, and as such the responsibility to pay for said road infrastructure rests entirely with motorists. Cyclists bear no responsibility for maintenance of this infrastructure whatsoever.
I think it should be pointed out that even if personal motor vehicles suddenly disappeared as if by magic tomorrow, that the road infrastructure would still be there, still be necessary, and still need to be maintained.
The road network is necessary for a functioning economy, including deliveries by van and truck, and public transit by busses. Every single house in HRM will still need to have a road passing by it's front door, otherwise how would you move into your house when you take up residence, or get your furniture out when you choose to move? How will your latest iPhone get delivered by Amazon if the delivery van can't get near your house? How about mail delivery, or getting fuel delivery or getting your air conditioning unit serviced? Presumably your kids will still be getting to school via school bus.
It will be interesting to see the paradigm shift in 20 years time when virtually all vehicles are electrics, and as such, there will be no gas taxes to be paid. Where will the funds come from to pay to maintain the infrastructure? Presumably there will be some form of GPS based road toll based on usage. Who will pay this toll? Will it be only the drivers of electric cars? How about electric motorcycles? What exactly is the dividing line between an electric motorcycle and an electric bicycle? If electric bicycles are paying road tolls, then why not conventional bicycles too???
There will be a slippery slope down the road, mark my words. Once the politicians have successfully slain the personal motor vehicle, and killed the goose that laid the golden egg, then the money to maintain the roads will have to be found somewhere. Oh, you will pay, mark my words, you will pay. Bicycle road taxes are inevitable.
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