As city cycling grows, so does bike tax temptation

Chicago is so serious about accommodating cyclists that it deploys mini-snow plows to clear snow out of an ever-expanding web of bike lanes.

The attention city leaders have lavished on cycling raises a question that keeps popping up around the country: Who is paying for all this? And shouldn’t cyclists be kicking in?

A city councilwoman’s recent proposal to institute a $25 annual cycling tax set off a lively debate that eventually sputtered out after a lukewarm reception from the mayor.

Chicago isn’t the only place tempted to tax bicyclists, only to run into questions of fairness and enforceability.

This year alone, Georgia, Oregon, Washington and Vermont considered taxing cyclists. But in other places, including Hawaii and Colorado Springs, Colo., bike registration laws have been in effect for decades.