Free-lunching bicyclists

I know this is an old debate but why are bicyclist not held to traffic standards? Why are they not licensed vehicles paying for the pavement we all drive on? Why don’t they have insurance?

I literally cannot recall the last time I saw a bicycle stop at a stop sign or a red light. They run a light right in front of a police officer and no response. Are bicycles like property crime, police aren’t required to respond? Can I pretend my electric car is a bicycle and just ignore traffic controls because I don’t want to waste the energy required to stop and start?

I pay a premium for my vehicle tags as punishment for being environmentally friendly. Since I don’t burn gas, the state needs to pay for the roads. Bicycles use the roads, ignore traffic controls with impunity and pay nothing for pavement they ride on. Washington should require a bicyclist to register, carry insurance and be held to the same standard as anyone else using the road system to commute. There is no free lunch, unless, it appears, you are a bicyclist.

Stan Gilmore

Spokane