Don't think this is going the way they intended...

cfsmtb said:

Looks as if either the populace has had a conversion on the way to
Damascus, or the yoghurt-munching hippies have broadband.

**blows raspberry**

*********

Daily Terror Latest online poll whinge: Do cyclists impede motorists
and ride recklessly? http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/

Yes - and they don't even pay road tax: 23% (1119 votes)

No - we should all cycle. Give them tax breaks: 76% (3615 votes)

Total votes: 4734. This poll started on Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Thanks for the link, I voted No of course.
Actually I like many other cyclists also pay road tax on my car and
motorbike, I just choose not to use them to get to and from work, shops,
uni, library, etc.

cfsmtb said:

Looks as if either the populace has had a conversion on the way to
Damascus, or the yoghurt-munching hippies have broadband.

**blows raspberry**

*********

Daily Terror Latest online poll whinge: Do cyclists impede motorists
and ride recklessly? http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/

Yes - and they don't even pay road tax: 23% (1119 votes)

What's up with this comment? How st00pid do you have to be to assume that
all cyclists don't have a car that they use at least sometimes? In
addition, why pay road tax when your vehicle (bike) has minimal impact on
the roads? Maybe train-trucks and monster trucks should pay more tax (maybe
they do, don't know)

Quoted message said:

No - we should all cycle. Give them tax breaks: 76% (3615 votes)

Yay! I drive my car about three times a month, and most of those are to do
things like take it in for inspection, or take/pick up the wife at work
when she's at the annex (too far from the parking garage). If I didn't
occasionally go on road trips, I'd ditch the car. If we got tax breaks, I'd
consider taking a taxi for groceries - it'd be much cheaper than
maintaining a car.

Quoted message said:

Total votes: 4734. This poll started on Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Cool.

HJJ said:

Quoted message said:

Yes - and they don't even pay road tax: 23% (1119 votes)

What's up with this comment? How st00pid do you have to be to assume that
all cyclists don't have a car that they use at least sometimes? In
addition, why pay road tax when your vehicle (bike) has minimal impact on
the roads? Maybe train-trucks and monster trucks should pay more tax (maybe they do, don't know)

FFS - When is how consolidated revenue *actual works* going to get through to these flaky media types?

http://www.woj.com.au/crankbusters/

" .. If cyclists want to use the road, why dont they pay rego like us?
An all too common comment! Firstly, bikes are traffic. Therefore they should be on the road (unless a nicer alternative is available) Secondly, most cyclists DO pay rego. They just left the car at home and chose a cheaper, cleaner, healthier, less-road-wearing, less-congesting, usually-faster, and downright fun way to travel! Thirdly, and most importantly, is the weakest part of this gripe. Many hold a misconception that their registration funds the road network. This is totally untrue.

Not ONE CENT of your rego pays for roads. A small component goes toward the admin of running the rego system, the greatest element (over 80%) is a TAC insurance premium. This goes toward paying for the carnage (notice it’s not called bikenage!) that vehicles cause on a daily basis where thousands get killed annually. Our road network is paid for through general tax revenue. Currently only 30% of the excise on petrol has gone to funding roads. The balance is paid by you and me. Bike Rego has been costed by countless governments and abandoned for decades as it would cost far more than it could realistically collect. .."

cfsmtb said:

HJJ said:

Quoted message said:

Yes - and they don't even pay road tax: 23% (1119 votes)

What's up with this comment? How st00pid do you have to be to assume
that all cyclists don't have a car that they use at least sometimes? In
addition, why pay road tax when your vehicle (bike) has minimal impact
on the roads? Maybe train-trucks and monster trucks should pay more tax
(maybe they do, don't know)

FFS - When is how consolidated revenue *actual works* going to get
through to these flaky media types?

http://www.woj.com.au/crankbusters/

Oh, yeah. Forgot about that. my bad.

HJJ said:

Oh, yeah. Forgot about that. my bad.

Sorry, wasn't having a go at you, just this stoopid question broached in the Daily Terror poll/whinge. 😉 Seriously though, some of this stuff is so hysterically over the top you'd be forgiven in thinking that News Limited were covertly pushing a pro-bicycle agenda.

Slightly OT - Rupert Murdoch is apparentely on the global warming bandwagon. So maybe these media hacks are having one last burst of vitriol?

http://www.clintonglobalinitiative.org/NETCOMMUNITY/Page.aspx?&pid=628&srcid=348
http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2006/s1750427.htm

cfsmtb said:

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/

Yes - and they don't even pay road tax: 23% (1119 votes)

No - we should all cycle. Give them tax breaks: 76% (3615 votes)

Total votes: 4734. This poll started on Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Which is probably why it doesnt appear to be there any more.

Parbs - Cynical? Me?

"cfsmtb" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

HJJ said:

Oh, yeah. Forgot about that. my bad.

Sorry, wasn't having a go at you, just this stoopid question broached
in the Daily Terror poll/whinge. 😉 Seriously though, some of this
stuff is so hysterically over the top you'd be forgiven in thinking
that News Limited were covertly pushing a pro-bicycle agenda.

Slightly OT - Rupert Murdoch is apparentely on the global warming
bandwagon. So maybe these media hacks are having one last burst of
vitriol?

http://tinyurl.com/fgfkt
http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2006/s1750427.htm

--
cfsmtb

Im 30 and whats a car????? Never had one or a licence.

I need zero tunnels and by links built for me at a 9 Billion dollar expense
:-)

vintage said:

Im 30 and whats a car????? Never had one or a licence.

I need zero tunnels and by links built for me at a 9 Billion dollar expense
:-)

Really? Grow your own food? Make your own clothes? Are you saying you
don't have any requirement for any road transport to provide your daily
needs?

And on a different tack, how is that attitude any different to
non-cyclists saying they shouldn't have to fund bike paths?

DaveB

quote='DaveB'vintage said:

Im 30 and whats a car????? Never had one or a licence.

I need zero tunnels and by links built for me at a 9 Billion dollar expense
:-)

Really? Grow your own food? Make your own clothes? Are you saying you
don't have any requirement for any road transport to provide your daily
needs?

And on a different tack, how is that attitude any different to
non-cyclists saying they shouldn't have to fund bike paths?[/QUOTE]

Hrrmmm, that's a curly one. Virtually every part of our dazzling modern lifestyle requires logistics to get all that stuff from A to B. I've worked in a extremely large transport company and I'd like to think I've got comprehensive grasp on how mass logistics/trade actually function.

Every part of that dazzling modern lifestyle does involve compromise at every level. But you *can* alleviate some of that by scaling back energy consumption, using your house & land footprint in a more sustainable way. We reside on a small-ish inner suburb block and right now we've got more homebrew beer, broad beans, other edible green stuff, apricots and bikes than want we know what to do with. Car? Never held a license, although in 1984 I could of bought a VW from my brother for $200. Clothes? Well I'll admit I love Savers and the local op shops, but I recently lashed out mightly on a Sugino jacket...

cfsmtb said:

Every part of that dazzling modern lifestyle does involve compromise at
every level. But you *can* alleviate some of that by scaling back energy
consumption, using your house & land footprint in a more sustainable
way. We reside on a small-ish inner suburb block and right now we've
got more homebrew beer, broad beans, other edible green stuff, apricots
and bikes than want we know what to do with. Car? Never held a license,
although in 1984 I could of bought a VW from my brother for $200.
Clothes? Well I'll admit I love Savers and the local op shops, but I
recently lashed out mightly on a Sugino jacket...

Yep all for contributing what you can, but to pretend that you (and I
mean that figuratively, don't mean you cfs) live in isolation with no
dependencies on general infrastructure is a joke.

As for growing apricots, I still can't believe I bought a house with an
apricot and a blood plum tree (my two favourites). mmmmmmmm blood plums.

DaveB

vintage said:

Im 30 and whats a car????? Never had one or a licence.

Now THAT's what I like to hear!

You shouldn't have to pay rego either. I'm sure there's also a major
contribution to road maintenance by councils from rate-payer revenue, so
if you live in a house (rent or own) you are contributing to the roads
anyway. If someone can argue that bike riders need to pay rego then the
same argument can be used for old grannies crossing the roads!

--
Bean

Remove "yourfinger" before replying

DaveB said:

As for growing apricots, I still can't believe I bought a house with an
apricot and a blood plum tree (my two favourites). mmmmmmmm blood plums.

I have a new cherry tree growing out the back. Assuming it survives its
first two years, I'm looking forward to eating the fruit. (It actually
has a single, lone cherry growing right now. Must make sure the birds
don't get to it before I do ...)

Next year, I'll probably pull down the tree in the front yard, and
replace it with a couple of other fruit trees. Apricots, apples,
oranges, limes, whatever I can get my grubby mitts on. Mmmm.

--
My Usenet From: address now expires after two weeks. If you email me, and
the mail bounces, try changing the bit before the "@ to usenet".

DaveB said:

And on a different tack, how is that attitude any different to
non-cyclists saying they shouldn't have to fund bike paths?

DaveB

As I mentioned in another post, much of this infrastructure (roads,
bike-paths - which are also walked on I might add - and footpaths) is
paid for by tax-payers AND ratepayers. That pretty much covers anyone
with a taxable income and or living in a house. Some of us will use
roads and paths for riding on. Some of us will just ride on paths.
Some of us will just drive on roads. Some of us will sit on our bums
and watch TV. The vast majority of the population is paying for
infrastructure they may not even use... and frankly IMHO I think that's
the way it should be. It then comes down to a question of what rego
gets spent on. It's not necessarily roads.

--
Bean

Remove "yourfinger" before replying

kanangara said:

cfsmtb said:

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/

Yes - and they don't even pay road tax: 23% (1119 votes)

No - we should all cycle. Give them tax breaks: 76% (3615 votes)

Total votes: 4734. This poll started on Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Which is probably why it doesnt appear to be there any more.

wot.. like the democrats?

It's probably too late now for this year. But last year's apricot
harvest was bugger all and the ones we did get were covered in dry
crappy peel. The year before we had a magnificant harvest (so much we
had to learn how to make jam). Anyone with suggestions on apricot tree
maintenance?

DaveB "vainly searching for a way to make this bike related"

"DaveB" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

vintage said:

Im 30 and whats a car????? Never had one or a licence.

I need zero tunnels and by links built for me at a 9 Billion dollar

expense

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

:-)

Really? Grow your own food? Make your own clothes? Are you saying you
don't have any requirement for any road transport to provide your daily
needs?

And on a different tack, how is that attitude any different to
non-cyclists saying they shouldn't have to fund bike paths?

Ha!! Good one DaveB. I am glad *someone* can see the holistic picture
rather than take the holier than thou attitude that some cyclists take.

That said - the road transport system wouldn't need the tunnels if there
weren't all these cars in the way of my goods :-)

Gemma

DaveB said:

DaveB "vainly searching for a way to make this bike related"

Easy! Apricots can be used as cycling fuel!

--
My Usenet From: address now expires after two weeks. If you email me, and
the mail bounces, try changing the bit before the "@ to usenet".

DaveB said:

It's probably too late now for this year. But last year's apricot
harvest was bugger all and the ones we did get were covered in dry
crappy peel. The year before we had a magnificant harvest (so much we
had to learn how to make jam). Anyone with suggestions on apricot tree
maintenance?

DaveB "vainly searching for a way to make this bike related"

I'm pretty sure apricots produce good crops every othert year, Just don't quote me on that.🙂

cfsmtb said:

....Yes - and they don't even pay road tax: 23% (1119 votes)

No - we should all cycle. Give them tax breaks: 76% (3615 votes)

Wotz truly alarming about this poll is that 1119 voted YES :eek:
I have to share the road with these turkeys every day and they have the power of life and death over cyclists 😠