Sir, - Alison McDonald suggests (October 5th) that cyclists should pay road tax, like other road users do. I believe that if cyclists are to pay for using roads, then car users should pay the full costs of motoring, which they don't at the moment.
These include: the cost to society of road traffic accidents, estimated to be over £800 million a year (Bacon Report, 1999); hospital costs for sufferers of asthma and bronchial diseases from air pollution; policing of the road network (e.g. monitoring speeding ministerial cars); congestion costs - estimated at over £1 billion a year in Dublin alone; repairing and cleaning buildings damaged by engine emissions.
Other less quantifiable costs include: the destruction of habitats and consumption of agricultural land for road-building; the reduction in the amount of space available for children to play on streets through parking of cars; addition to greenhouse gases.
These costs far exceed the revenue derived from all motor-related taxes.
On the other hand, cyclists save taxpayers millions each year by: not adding to congestion; not causing air or noise pollution; keeping people fit, strong and unstressed, and therefore less likely to suffer from heart disease, obesity, etc., necessitating costly hospital treatment; not crushing and maiming people as cars do daily.
Therefore, there is a very powerful argument that cyclists should be paid for using the roads.
As the body helping to create a safe cycling environment, the Dublin Cycling Campaign looks forward to receiving a cheque from the Minister for the Environment (or from Ms McDonald) in return for all the money saved. - Yours, etc.,
Damien O Tuama, Chairperson, Dublin Cycling Campaign, Millmount Grove, Windy Arbour, Dublin 14.