On May 9, 1:06=A0pm, "Noddy" wrote:
> wrote in message news:d7832579-c009-479a-b04=
d-
>
> > I'll pay my $2 based on GVM. Where do I sign up?
>
> Nice try, but you don't get to set the premiums *you* want to pay :)
>
economists advocate pricing based on the externalities of an activity
or product, i.e. those costs not already incurred.
in the case of cyclists, it would be difficult to justify what those
externalities would be:
1. road wear - negligible
2. congestion/road space - negative cost (societal benefit)
3. health care - negative cost (societal benefit)
4. road building - cost of bike paths, although since they're shared
with pedestrians, so should the cost be - negligible
5. emissions (health care) - negative cost (societal benefit)
the reality is that if you applied a registration cost to cyclists
based on genuine, accepted economic principles, you'd have to pay them
to use the road.
|