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Dependable Health Services Physical Therapists Mechanical Komatsu Equipment Co Resident Field Mechanic Trades/Construction RANCHO RESORT MAINTANANCE POSITION Health Care CENTRAL ARIZONA COLLEGE DIRECTOR OF HEALTH INFORMATION MANAGEMENT Administrative & Professional Tucson Urban League CEO/President Construction West-Press Printing Sales and Marketing Everready Glass Sales Reps Tucson RegionRoad Runner by Andrea Kelly: Should cyclists have bike insurance?Tucson, Arizona | Published: 04.07.2008
It's a debate that pops up time and again, here and elsewhere: Cars and bikes must share the road but yield to different standards.
Should bicyclists have to get licenses to make sure they know what they're doing when they get behind the handlebars?
Or register, to pay for their share of the roads they use?
Or have insurance, to protect themselves and others in the event of a crash?
Licensing might be the most difficult piece of that debate because no statute exists allowing such a program, said Matt Zoll, Pima County's bicycle and pedestrian program manager.
"A license may only apply to a vehicle, and in Arizona a bicycle is not a vehicle," Zoll said. If anything, he said a licensing program would likely be informal and not required.
Sure, state law could be changed. But, pragmatically, it might not be worth it.
"It would be a challenge to administer a program like that, and I'm not sure which agency would do so," said Tom Thivener, bicycle and pedestrian coordinator for Tucson.
Who pays is another question that comes up in the community conversation about sharing the road.
Some Roadrunner correspondents suggest the never-ending money shortage could be solved by "simply" requiring cyclists to pay for their use of the road.
Is it really that simple?
Other communities, including Madison, Wis., require owners to register their bikes and pay a $10 fee, good for four years.
But they do it to track down stolen bicycles, not to raise funds or keep track of cyclists.
The University of Arizona, likewise, has a registration program, but again, it's so a stolen bicycle that gets found can get back to its rightful owner.
And local officials say most registration programs wouldn't even bring in enough money to make the program worth it.
How much can you charge for use of such a small piece of the road? Enough to make a difference?
Each mile of bike lanes or shared-use paths costs between $100,000 and $250,000, Zoll said. That number can skyrocket to $1 million per mile if it involves moving utilities, the curb and other more complicated projects, Zoll said.
"It's rare to see it funded unless it's part of a road project," he said.
And to take paying your fair share an extra step, why stop at bikes? How about making pedestrians register to pay their fair share of the sidewalk costs? It just seems silly.
There is something that would let bicyclists pay more of their own way, though. They could carry insurance, if only for their own protection.
Right now, bicyclists in crashes that don't involve an insured motor vehicle have to fall back on their health insurance for their injuries and renter's or homeowner's insurance for their bikes.
But a more formal system of insuring riders and bikes for use on the road could help by making bike-bike, or car-bike crashes more like vehicle crashes. The responsible party's insurance is responsible for repairs.
Insurance companies could include a rider on vehicle policies to cover bike travel, but they'd have to offer bicyclist insurance for those who don't also drive.
At least it's something to think about.
● Road Runner answers road-related questions in this column on Mondays. Find Road Runner plus traffic cams and other transportation news at azstarnet.com/transportation. Send your questions via e-mail to roadrunner@azstarnet.com or to P.O. Box 26807, Tucson, AZ 85726. Please include your first and last name. ● Find traffic updates and other transportation news on the Gridlocked blog, at http://go. azstarnet.com/gridlocked.
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