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@ gregcarmichael I'm guessing you meant that I was assuming that cyclists don't own vehicles or pay their fair share. I don't assume that cyclists don't own vehicles, but I do assume that we, as cyclists, don't fund the roads. I pay all the taxes and fees that you do, except for the Washington taxes to park and ride on private land. I also pay for a license to hunt, to fish, to get firewood, to camp in state owned campgrounds, to have a concealed carry permit, to register canoes, camp trailers and ATVs annually, and I'm sure there are more things that I'm forgetting. The point is, I don't enjoy paying any of the taxes or fees, but since I'm the one using them I should contribute, I don't feel entitled. I have never once paid a fee as cyclist to help fund the road system that I ride on. Have you? As a motorist yes, as a cyclist no, I haven't. People may say it's just semantics, but it's not. If the solution to curbing the amount of bike accidents and deaths is more bike lanes, then why should motorists or property owners be stuck footing the whole bill so we as cyclists can enjoy the road? To me it doesn't make sense. You said that registration and insurance isn't a way to help solve the problem, I don't know if it is either. How would you propose to fund adding bike lanes to the current infrastructure? Also I know that insurance wouldn't help fund the infrastructure, but I personally know of three separate cases locally in the past year where the cyclist broke the law and caused the accident with a vehicle. Guess who ended up paying for the vehicle to get repaired?

@ Aikow I agree that the problem is most of our roads were built with a car centric view point, that's well established. The results are way too many accidents and deaths, so let's talk solutions. How do we make our existing road system cyclist friendly? Widening roads? Adding bike paths separate from the road? Both of those solutions require money? So how do we fund that? Also just to clarify, I never meant that cyclists, such as myself, don't own vehicles. But, as a cyclist I don't pay for road maintence, as a motorist and property owner I do. @ the303kid I agree with you. I think harsher penalties for both cyclists and motorists would act as a good deterrent and help people be more aware while using the roads. As for infrastructure being the problem, what do you think would be an appropriate way to fund the cost of making the roadway safer for cyclists?

I completely agree. The U.S. lacks the infrastructure for safe cycling on most roads. I think the biggest reason for the lack of cycling infrastructure is because motorists fund the roads and cyclists don't. Federal and state fuel taxes as well as other fees that vehicles are assessed pay for the majority of roads. I imagine there are sources of funding that all tax payers pay, but everyone is assessed those taxes even if they don't drive or cycle, so I'm excluding those. Here is some food for thought (I know most people will hate it, I don't even like it) if motorists have to pay registration fees and buy insurance to legally use the road system shouldn't cyclists? I think if cyclists in U.S. cities proposed a plan like this they would be able to more effectively make the argument for building more infrastructure, because they would be helping fund the road system. While I completely agree with this video and I think it is a good thing, it's nothing that we all haven't heard before. In order to change the situation I don't think just talking about it will be enough, I think there needs to be more infrastructure. I would be interested to hear others opinion.

Good article. Let me get this straight, all I have to do to have Simmons take me on a ride is say they're "dumbing down the shore?" Next time I'm in the area I just may do that. I'd have a story that I would someday tell my kids.