Madam, – I would like to clarify the issue of “road tax” raised by a number of contributors to the Letters page topic of “Encouraging more cyclists”.
There is no such thing as road tax. Motorists pay motor tax, which is based on either engine size or engine emissions. Bicycles are human powered and have no emissions. In addition, road development and maintenance is paid for from the general taxation pool, including VAT, PAYE, motor tax etc. Everyone pays for our roads, everyone has a right to use them. – Yours, etc,
GAVIN O’GORMAN,
Rathasker Heights,
Naas,
Co Kildare.
Madam, – Concerning your very interesting debate on plans to encourage bicycling, and the indignant reaction of some motorists to the assertive behaviour of cyclists, may I make a few points.
The degree of enforcement of the Road Traffic Act should be commensurate to the threat which the vehicle in question poses to other road users. HGVs kill lots of other road users, so it makes sense to restrict them in all kinds of ways.
However, almost no pedestrians in Ireland are killed by cyclists, and this explains why they are allowed to flaunt the traffic laws with virtual impunity.
Secondly, the payment of motor tax in no way represents an entitlement on the part of drivers to claim a priority on the use of road space. In fact, motor tax does not even cover a fraction of the social and economic (never mind environmental) costs to the country of tearing around in what is in effect a steel-coated weapon.
But the most heinous aspect of our car culture is surely the way in which it converts public space into private space. We have come to accept as the norm that 95 per cent of all public space is given over to the exclusive use of private motor vehicles.
Car dependency has truly stolen from us our beautiful country and enslaved us in little steel boxes. How sad. – Yours, etc,
GRAHAM STULL,
Chaussée de St Job,
Brussels,
Belgium.
Madam, – I have cycled to work in various countries. The biggest hindrance in Ireland is not the weather, the motorist, or the state of the roads. It is the lack of adequate shower facilities in office blocks. Large blocks often have a derisory one or two showers; small ones none at all. Only the few who don’t sweat or don’t care about their co-workers can ignore this factor. Adequate showers should be mandatory for the granting of planning permission. – Yours, etc,
JOE STYNES,
Sussex Road,
Dublin 4.