The Registration Chestnut

This one just keeps coming up in cycling on the roads debates/discussions. "You don't pay rego, so you've no right to be there" or some similar variation. Every cyclist will be able to regale you with similar tales from their own cycling experiences. And unfortunately it gets used as a justification for some pretty shabby treatment of cyclists by some drivers.

Here are a few points well worth making on the topic:

• Taxes largely pay for our roads, not registration. The numbers are quite clear – Road construction and maintenance currently costs $14 billion annually across Australia, registration reaps $3.5 billion. A $10.5 billion dollar gap, a gap met by ALL taxpayers. And registration largely covers insurance and the wear and tear on the roads the cars cause. Bikes weigh almost nothing, so cause close to zero wear and tear. As such it is entirely to fair to say the cyclists contribute their bit.
• Most cyclists own a vehicle (our research indicates 85%+), and thus already pay rego. An equally high percentage also have a drivers licence.
• Registration will not fix/eliminate poor cyclist behaviour. Drop down to the police station and report the licence plate of the car you saw run the red or merge without indicating. Nothing will happen as the police weren't there to see it. And it's not like registering cars has eliminated illegal driving. So sticking a small rego plate on the back of a bike will address nothing

Even if the above doesn't swing your thoughts on the whether cyclists should pay rego rebate, there is a rather simple closure to the debate. The Law. Under the laws of the day cyclists are allowed to ride on the roads, irrespective of whether the driver considers it unsafe or inconvenient or that they should be paying fees to do so.

And even if a cyclist wants to pay rego on their bike, they can't. You can't pay a fee that doesn't exist. Seems more than a tad harsh to treat cyclists badly for not paying a fee that doesn't exist

NOTE: The Qld state government parliamentary committee drawn together to look at Cycling, cycling safety, cycling laws, the relationship with other road users, and making sure government policy was instep with the evolution of the sport, handed down their report today. The full report can be found here, but they specifically looked at bicycle registration and I quote:

The Committee is concerned that the continuing debate over whether bicycles should be registered is not in the interests of improving interaction between cyclists and other road users and that the reasons bicycles are not subject to registration is little understood by motorists. The Committee is also concerned that the debate takes the focus away from the real issues and improvements that are required to make cycling a mainstream activity, thereby improving the interaction between cyclists and other road users. 
The Committee is therefore recommending that the Minister for Transport and Main Roads make a public statement clearly outlining the reasons the Government has decided not to introduce bicycle  registration.