Cyclists should chip in

It’s great that Spokane is making it easier and safer for people to ride their bicycles. It’s even better that the federal government kicked in some grant money to help us achieve a more “bicycle friendly” community.

My question is, when did the bicyclists in this town/state/country pay the taxes that created the infrastructure that the new pathways are built on? I pay license and registration fees on my vehicles, and pay fuel taxes that help build and maintain the roads. I don’t mind sharing the roads with folks who choose to ride their bicycles, just as long as they obey the same laws I must and help pay for the maintenance and upkeep of the roads.

I’m sure that when cars and trucks were first introduced, there were no roads for them to speak of and I think there was a lot of give and take between the drivers of the “horseless carriages” and the “horse-drawn carriages.” Somehow, they found a way to work it out, and I’m sure it wasn’t where only one side footed the entire bill.

When are they going to start requiring registration and licensing on bicycles? Remember, there’s no such thing as “free ride.”

Kat Fiessinger

Spokane