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Bikes should be registered and cyclists taxed and insured

53 Comments 21st April 2015

Cyclists should have to pay road tax and insurance like everyone else.
Give them a number plate, so they can tracked when they cause accidents.
Force them to be insured so they can pay if they cause the injury and death of others through their poor cycling
Catch them on camera and issue fines if they run red lights or cycle on the pavement
Too many times we have elderly people and children injured by cyclists hurtling along pavements

The same should apply to mobility vehicles – they need number plates and should be taxed and insured. My wife was injured in a shop by being run into with one by an elderly person who used it as a battering ram. Who will enforce the law against speeding at over 3mph by mobility vehicles on the pavement if they are not taxed and registered? It is impossible without knowing who the driver is, and their address.

Why does this matter?

Many cyclists have little respect for the highway code.
They see it as a right to run red lights and cycle dangerously fast on narrow pavements.
There will never be enforcement of the law against cyclists unless cyclists are insured bikes are registered and taxed.
I am in favour of cycling, but only responsible safe cycling by cyclists who respect pedestrians and other road users.

This is becoming increasingly important as there are now electric bikes which can move at 25mph, and this speed limit may be relaxed in future.

There will be so many people using bicycles, mobility vehicles and novel electric vehicles in the future that this area needs proper regulation quickly


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53 Responses to Bikes should be registered and cyclists taxed and insured

  1. Denise says:

    I totally agree about the cyclists, they made me really mad, one today nearly clipped me when I was crossing, the lights were read and traffic stopped, cyclist didnt, because they know they can get away with murder they do.

    • keran-against says:

      why should cyclist pay taxes when they saving us from global warming. it is car owner that have no respect as i seen driver that horn other cars and break the law more often. stop polluting co2.

      • Michael says:

        Why should we have to pay for you to be on the road your a danger to yourselves it’s a joke with the new super cycle highway in London we should be moving forward in times with modern technology not backwards

      • Dr PERERA says:

        Most law are there to protect most people and there MUST be a law for all cyclists and disabled Mobil unit… , I have seen many accidents caused by cyclists because there are no stricter laws in place to deter the cyclists from cycling anywhere they feel like, I have seen cyclist go into a coffee shop without dismounting and hitting a three year old child and the cyclist had the at the cheek to say wasn’t his fault’, if you have a big or small dog, by law you ask to keep the dog on a leash, so why not do the same to cyclists by having them to take out insurance and tagged by have a number pleated to identify who the cyclists is by the police… Regardless of the environmental issues…
        No exception to the rule…

      • John says:

        Im cyclist and i agree that cyclist should pay for insurance yeah we might be saving the world but there are some cyclist who dont know what they are doing or there care free. Im a good cyclist and if i had to,pay insurance i would do it. But i do agree some drivers are twats and dangerous and have no respect but to be fair so are cyclist.

      • Mike says:

        Because when a bike idiot swerves in front of two cars causing them to hit and bike twat gets away with causing a collision they should be tracked and charged as anyone else would be . Also made law if a cycle path is available must be used and get these arseholes off the road

      • Paul says:

        Although I agree it’s great to get more people out there on their bicycles there should be some kind of policing.
        I am a cyclist and a driver so understand the rules of the road and would never dream of riding through a red light, partly due to self preservation.

        But it does anger me when other cyclists do not follow simple rules of the road, for example I was crossing the road on a pedestrian crossing last week on the green man and was hit by a cyclist because she did not stop at the red light, she didn’t even stop when she hit me, she just looked back and gave me the finger when I shouted at her. I am now off work which is unpaid with a swollen knee

        As with everything else in this world, the minority spoil it for the majority. Some cyclists are a danger to any other highway user including themselves because they just don’t care about fellow human beings and they should be held responsible.

        If not insurance then a proficiency test and licence at least similar to a CRB for motorbikes.

      • Jamie says:

        any propelled vehicle has to have some sort of Insurance, i think its time for cyclist and horse owners to have insurance to cover incidents arising from them using the public highway’s.

      • rupert bear says:

        they need to obey the road laws like everyone else, seems fair to me as a cyclist myself, if the cyclist hits a car while running a red light who pays for the damage when the cyclist rides of? the CAR, and thats not fair to anyone.

    • Dr PERERA says:

      Cyclists LAW

      I feel it\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s time to make it compulsory for all cyclists and disability mobile units to have insurance and registration number plates so they can be identified if they put the public at risk and without discrimination… There should be NO exception to this rule and it is imperative it is made law immediately… It is a MUST…
      If a disabled person with a Zimmer frame is crossing the road when it is safe to do so and along comes an impatient cyclist contravening a red light, who turns left and hits the disabled person; it is clear who is at fault and has caused the injury, who pays for the medical care as result of the cyclist hitting the disabled person? Regardless of how friendly cyclists are for the environment, the disabled person crossing the road or walking on the pavement might disagree as to how friendly the cyclists are, In fact it is now considered all cyclists are a nuisance on the road and tend to cause accidents as they do NOT cycle with due consideration; and if the rest of the world is worried about global warming, might I suggest a total ban on combustion engine driven vehicles and implementing electric vehicles as this would contribute towards bettering the environment… And for those already with a combustion car to have trade in deals equal to the luxury level of their car…
      We know this would be hard for the governments of the world as they are driven by profits and how much they can get, but long term benefit out weigh the short term gains….
      And remember it was the electric car that was initially approved by the government all those years ago, but things didn\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’t go as to plan as we know…
      In my opinion it is fair and just to implement a legislation to pass as a law by the house of parliament… As it did so for vehicles many years ago…

      By Dr PERERA

      • Dr PERERA says:


        No exception to the rule

      • Carl Morris says:

        Who’s going to get it done , instead of just talking about it
        Let’s get it passed quick. Eight cyclists on busy country A road two abreast and blatantly refused to give way and share the road .they were lucky not to have been run down

  2. d florenzo says:

    An absolute must that cyclists should have a minimum of third party insurance, my vehicle was damaged by a cyclist to the tune of £940 and I am in the process of trying to recover my losses. A friends Bentley was damaged to the tune of £3000, the incident was caught on CCTV, cyclist going down a one way street then trying to mount the pavement losing control with the bike going up in the air and come crashing down on the wing and bonnet of a very expensive car. Cyclist gets up and rides off so basically no law to punish them. Is this acceptable? I think not, so yes cyclists should have insurance and they should contribute to cycle lanes and pay for using the road and be fined for using the pavements and any other laws they break.

    • colin says:

      Why should cyclists pay for the cycle lanes and roads that are payed for through council tax?

    • Bruno says:

      Well it’s a law that applies for that damage of private property will be just hard to catch him I agree with number plates and registration but being forced to pay Road tax and insurance it’s just ridiculous.

  3. Glenn says:

    Road tax is paid by cars depending on the CO2 Emission. Cars in Band A do not pay ‘Road Tax’ because they produce the lowest amount of CO2. Bicycles produce ZERO emissions, which is why they pay ZERO road tax. When you pay for your “road Tax”, the money doesn’t go straight into the roads. It gets added to the local taxes where all the income tax and VAT goes and get spent on MPs second house/Defence/Education and Roads etc etc.

    • john says:

      Of course there isn’t a “road tax” at all; there is a vehicle excise duty which does not directly go towards upkeep of the roads. You pay VED according to the emissions your vehicle is deemed to generate – a cycle would be exempt.

      • Mike says:

        Yes but should be insured when the cause collisions as I witnessed today.. a number vest or something will catch these arseholes

      • hermione says:

        I was run over by a cyclist knocked unconscious. Taken by ambulance to A&E – CT scan, had 7 stitches in my head, concussion black eyes and bruising. I am still unable to travel on that bus. I’m still anxious on the super highways. The cyclist was sent x2 police forms that he never replied to. It is not against t he law and as I was helped at the scene by passers by that did not see the accident I am angry and upset. Cyclist should be held accountable and take responsibility for their actions.

  4. owen says:

    in the 1960s and early seventies I used to pay 100 Belgian francs every year for tax and had to display on my bicycle a little metal tax plate.

    • john says:

      ok-did you pay the 100 francs when you were under 5 years old and riding a little bike with stabilisers?

      • Bruno says:

        Lol I don’t think applies to off road cycling I have a blur idea that I have hard at some point that back home in Portugal you need number plates to ride on Road never heard of paying Road tax or have to have insurance.

  5. colin says:

    I’m fine with cyclists paying road tax as long as car drivers, pedestrians, horse riders and anything else that uses the road pays for road tax too.

  6. Kieran says:

    I was hit by a cyclist and over a grand of damage done to the car. Cyclist picked up his bike and left before anything could be done.
    Police say that they are very unlikely to find the person since they don’t have licence plates for identity purposes so my insurance is going to go up or I will have to pay for the damage myself – either way I’m out of pocket because cyclists are above the law…I can’t help but think if I hit him, there would be a man hunt for me!
    All we ask is if you are using the road, you have insurance and something to identify yourself. Even horses need insurance if they are riding on the roads!

    • john says:

      As a cyclist I would be happy to pay a compulsory third party insurance premium. It would be very low because (a) I do not ride my bike that often (b) I do not take part in cycle races or time trials on the public roads and (c) the type of event to which you refer is very rare indeed and the insurance company underwriters would know this; in most similar circumstances the rider would be injured or his bike badly damaged so he would be unable to ride away. Moreover it would be the exception for the motor vehicle to be damaged to any great extent.

      I would also be happy to carry a certificate to say that I was insured to use a cycle on the road.

      Legislation to make insurance compulsory and to give police powers to inspect an insurance certificate, with penalties for failing to be insured or produce the certificate would be possible, but probably not a quick fix.

      However, a registration system for the Bikes per se would need far more than legislation; it would involve an expansion of the DVLA operation which runs counter to the current trend to cut public service costs.

      More pressing, in my view, is the need to bring in a law to make the wearing of helmets to an approved standard compulsory to protect the cyclists. Motorcyclists have to wear helmets by law, so why not cyclists?

      Back to your original point, it is not only cars that can be damaged by careless/dangerous cycling; there was the recent case of the lady cyclists who rode into the wife of the landlord of the pub in Coldharbour, causing her considerable injury, and riding off without stopping to assist. I have no sympathy for the rider in that case who should have been arrested for failing to stop after an accident and possibly for reckless riding.

  7. john says:

    To sum up my view:

    Tax and registration – NO

    Third party Insurance – YES

    • Thomas E Handforth says:

      Tax and registration, yes, yes, yes. I voluntarily gave up driving some years ago. Some cycling clubs do not obey simple rules of the road by riding two or three abreast. THEY SHOULD BE FINED.

  8. rob lester says:

    original post is ridiculous,
    people walking commit more crimes than any other group; so would you not also make people on foot (dont like term pedestrians it dehumanises) wear number plates on their heads? and charge a footpath tax?
    on insurance: road traffic is a contact sport, as is walking down the footpath, going on a train, etc. there is always going to be contact at some point:
    if i stood on a footpath with an expensive painting, the law of averages says it would eventually get damaged, the same applies to expensive paintwork on a car, you simply need to accept occasional losses as the result of you having such things out in a public place

    • george says:

      people walking do not cause harm by virtuae of their NEGLEGENCE as a cyclist

      People who commit crimes do it with INTENT, (or in some cases RECKLESSLY for lesser offences). nether of these things have anything to do with the way they walk.

  9. Dafydd says:

    Agree, that all cyclists should be insured and in order to keep track of them they should be registered, with a clear registration ID displayed, small children exempt. Also all bicycles should be compelled to have an audible warning, a bell or similar.
    It wouldn’t be a bad idea for them to have to undergo a bit of road safety training.

  10. Wolfcastle says:

    The road tax was abolished in 1937. Drivers pay car tax based on their emissions, zero emission vehicles like electric cars pay nothing. Bicycles do not create emissions.

    Right to the road is not dependent on the amount of tax paid otherwise 4×4 drivers would be act like they had more legal right to the road than mini owners, oh hang they do anyway.

  11. Antonio says:

    The UK is always to late compared with the rest of European Countries.

    In Portugal since 70’s road bikes should have a Number plate and the cyclist a licence.
    about 5 years ago became law that any road bicycle needs insurance.

  12. Seamus Henry says:

    I drive in London on a daily basis. Cyclists think they are above the law. I get punished for the slightest infringement beit having a wheel in the bus lane, a wheel in a yellow junction box etc etc. I have seen so many near misses with both pedestrians and vehicles it is unbelievable. It’s about time someone took cyclists to task and made them pay, be insured and registered like the rest of us.

  13. Stephen Marshall-Rees says:

    All cyclists should have to pass a proficiency test and have a licence plate on their bikes to cycle on the roads.

    Children under the age of 11 should not be allowed on the road.

    If you drive a car then you should be able to put your bike on that insurance for free.

    I do not agree that cyclists should pay road tax.

    There should be more money put into cycle tracks and lanes.

  14. Stephen Marshall-Rees says:

    Also all cyclists bikes should have some kind of annual MOT system.

  15. Suzanne says:

    The government should take a firm stance on cyclists. They get away with all laws that apply to road users – tax, insurance, registration and responsibility (driving with due care and attention). I have seen so many cyclists who think that they are above the law. It’s time that they should conform to the laws that all other road users have to adhere too.

    • Martyn hill says:

      There is also no hundreds of car users that also break the law and have no respect for the law for example driving and using the phone or breaking the speed limit not all cyclists are the same and many of us highway code and watch Out for other vehicles I agree with we should pay some type of insurance to cover ourselves whilst on the road but disagree on paying tax as we have zero emissions and there are plenty of cars that don’t pay tax to have zero or little emissions.

      • Matt says:

        Those cars which are zero rated or exempt still have to apply for tax even though it doesn’t cost anything, it does prove it has mot and insurance.

    • Martin says:

      There is no law on cyclists paying tax.
      There is no law on cyclists being insured
      There is no law on cycles being registered

      So which laws are being broken? Which laws are not being conformed to? You can’t be ‘above the law’ if there isn’t one.

      As for ‘due care and attention’…. Any road user can be prosecuted for failure to exercise it.

  16. Dave says:

    As a cyclist and a driver there’s a few points here I agree with and disagree with.

    My views are as follows:

    1. I don’t believe cyclists should pay for a road fund licence (road tax), bicycles don’t produce emissions.

    2. Cyclists should follow the highway code just as other vehicles should, most cyclists do but I’m seeing more and more cyclists who don’t – a few recent examples are cyclists that cycle the wrong way down the street (this is becoming common where I live), cyclists that don’t stop for red lights or don’t know they have to give way to vehicles coming from the right on roundabouts. Maybe proficiency tests should be compulsory for anybody who takes a bicycle on the road (it’s compulsory for cars).

    3. Helmets should be compulsory and some form of hi-viz clothing should maybe be too.

    4. Where there is a cycle lane, the cyclist should use it rather than cycle on the road next to the cycle lane. Some (not all) cycle lanes were put in place for safety reasons.

    5. A registration plate of some kind for bicycles has it’s pros and cons but were would it be placed on a bicycle? It would also be a handy way of tracking down a cyclist that has an accident and cycles away (I’ve seen it happen).

    6. Insurance of some kind should be compulsory.

    7. If a car has a collision with a pedestrian, another vehicle or cyclist the driver is held accountable and any damage is done then the driver pays through their own insurance and depending on how the accident happened the driver will be punished. If a cyclist has a collision with a pedestrian or other vehicle then some cyclists will accept responsibility but a lot will cycle away and nothing will be done to pay for any damage caused (I’ve seen it happen). The cyclist should be held to the same responsibility as other road users.

  17. Leon says:

    I’m happy to pay VED for my bicycle as, like thousands of cars on the roads, it falls into the zero emissions category and will therefore be free of charge 🙂

    As for insurance, there’s a good reason why no government or financial services industry on the planet has a compulsory cycle insurance requirement. It’s either because they’ve somehow all collectively made a huge oversight which Patricia Haywood, unacknowledged genius and maverick outside-the-box thinker has revealed…or it’s because the risk of a cyclist causing death or serious injury to anyone but themselves is so small as to be negligible (as backed up by every source of RTA statistics you can find) and thus insuring cyclists would be only slightly less absurd than insuring pedestrians (and if you think that pedestrian negligence doesn’t cause some serious accidents, you’re wrong).
    Now I’m not a betting man but I know which of the two my money is on and let’s just say I don’t think Patricia will be getting a call from MENSA anytime soon…

  18. Steve says:

    Leon,I agree you can’t tax bicycle as they only run on as much power as the rider can prouduce. IE zero emissions. As for cyclists causing death it’s rare as well,but what about the damage they cause to parked cars,I had a cyclist ride up the outside of my van,catch a pot hole which cause her to hit the van and damage the door. All she said was sorry and rode off,in traffic. Who ends up paying for this… Me of course because I couldn’t take down a recognised number on her bike to hand over to my insurance company. Every day in central London I see cyclists not stopping at red lights,one even made a on coming car stop at a green light so the bike ride could jump the red light. As for the not useing the bike lanes that from a van drivers point of view a great idea,I just think that’s mad.

  19. Martyn hill says:

    Cyclists should not have to pay road tax as they do not produce any CO2 emissions as many electric cars and reduced CO2 emission cars do not pay tax either why should someone who cycles and produces no CO2 emissions have to pay tax I agree that they should have to pay for insurance just in case they Cause an accident but I disagree with paying tax when many other vehicles on the road Do not.

  20. Roger Bates says:

    Insurance yes. Please check your facts on the main statement as the electric bike by law are restricted to 15mph and the assistance given by the motor assistance is cut off above this speed.
    You will always get people that will break the law but no more than any other of the road users.
    There are good and bad cyclists pedestrians and motorists but until we get out of this vehicle rat race way of driving there will be no escape from the dangers on the roads.
    (57 years of driving motor vehicles and riding bikes)

    • Mick Hall says:

      You are right Roger and I would endorse insurance for cyclists to take effect immediately but I don’t think they should be taxed.
      Changes to our local road junctions are utterly ridiculous. The changes =priority for cyclist occurred within a week of notification. A motorist cannot adequately see
      cyclists that are now incited by the so called Road Safety management Nottingham to go straight across the path of vehicles accessing the main ring road.
      All these junctions are virtually blind and the cyclists are seen more than ever going straight over not looking or slowing since the give way to cyclists double lines appeared.
      The designer and his men must have known about the visibility problem but rode roughshod
      over doing what is right.

      For years in the past and to date, cyclists have misbehaved on this shared footpath and if it were not for the motorists approaching these junctions with perception of the fact that the odd cyclist was seen to not look and go straight over without slowing or stopping now after these alterations far more do not look and ride straight over. These militant cyclists will cause accidents. Many are not vehicle drivers because they show an absolute disregard for safety. (see you tube K Morgan2015 road safety conference cyclist).
      £6 mil to spend from local investment!

  21. Jim says:

    Firstly I’m amazed at all the awful spelling on this site. All the talk about cyclists getting insurance in one way is right, but then someone walking along could easily trip, hit a car and cause damage. Who pays then? Should everyone have insurance just in case? What about all the uninsured drivers on the roads? I’m sure these cause more damage than cyclists.
    As you can tell, I’m a cyclist who also drives.

  22. 90% man says:

    I hear 90% of cyclists are drivers. Fact is, if they’re on their bikes rather than in their cars they use less space on the road, produce less noise, don’t waste a finite resource, don’t pollute, don’t emit Co2, don’t take up parking space, don’t cause traffic jams, don’t kill people pedestrians and children as often as cars do, don’t suffer the same level of cardio vascular disease costing the NHS, don’t wear and tear the roads as much as cars do. Fat-bellied, selfish and agressive drivers with and without poor spelling should gratefully pay every cyclist for their labour. Insurance for cyclists makes sense, through the car if they are one of the 90%

  23. TS says:

    Ya’ll need to fuck off. If you’ve ever cycled then you have some idea how insane this is. Bikes do not cause the wear to roads that cars do. That’s what road tax is for. I’ve never heard of a bike killing anyone. Cars are fast and heavy, they can cause significant damage and death. That’s what insurance is for. A bike will likely not do more than scratch paint unless you hit them pretty hard with your car. Drivers need to get used to driving around bikes.

  24. James says:

    Yes they must be accountable and have insurance not fair to have one rule such as health and safety the laws should apply to everyone no get out clause.
    That’s a fact only to be fair to everyone.

  25. Mad max says:

    Road cyclists should be insured with an IV number or registration as people can borrow bikes or use bikes at the station which does not guarantee a person riding it to be accountable.Address the situation of cyclists as you would do if you had road insurance.

  26. John Steele says:

    I am a cyclist and I am insured.

    I am also a driver and pay road tax.

    Regardless of if I cycle or drive I have the right to use the public highway and be respected by other road users and treated as an equal.

    I find drivers who dislike cyclists also dislike other drivers. It’s a state of mind, it’s how they think (or not in most cases).

  27. Dan says:

    Cyclists should not pay tax or insurance end of.

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