,The tax doesn’t have to be based on vehicle emissions and could be called anything we want - just tax the blighters for being on the roads and keep tabs on them. I forgot to say that they should also be obliged in law to be insured.
It’s not always quite that straightforward to thank others when cycling Twink.
If I’m static having pulled over then it’s safe for me to wave and indeed doff my helmet.
If I’m riding I’d rather not take my hands off the bars unless necessary (indicating) and stay safe.
A nod of the head , a smile can work wonders, it’s a people thing, discretion and common sense 
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It might seem like a lead balloon to cyclists but not to motorists, IMO. I fail to see why it would be a disaster. It seems to me that cyclists want to continue to be a law unto themselves where the roads are concerned. IMO also before cyclists are let out on the roads they should take a test just as motorists do.
We have a cycling club here who take to the roads in their droves usually on a Sunday. Our wee single track roads are not made for a bunch of 20plus bikes with a big line of cars trying to get past. Plenty of passing places on the roads but do the cyclists let you past? Not them. 
You can be stuck behind them for miles.
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Do you speak for all motorists?
Another thing is that they are all too up themselves to use a bell ( it’s not cool, macho or what have you
) sO on a shared pedestrian / cycle path or by way you only know they are there when they are in your back pocket .
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I said IMO - apart from the motorists I come across who speak about cyclistd, I don’t know - hence the IMO in my post
Then it’s the cyclists fault entirely that they get such a bad name.
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Some motorists cycle too
I also think cyclists should at least be insured and have their cycle identifiable much like motorcycles which pay more VED than some cars
I agree with that. 
Personally I have no problem with cyclists on the road, they are allowed to ride two abreast and I have never been held up for more than a few seconds. They are not holding up the traffic, they are traffic after all.
Let’s face it every cyclist is one less car on the road.
Wollongong police are looking for a cyclist after an assault:
Police are appealing for information from the public as they investigate the assault of a female truck driver in the state’s Illawarra yesterday.
About 4.30am (Tuesday 9 August 2022), a Pantech truck was parked on the side of Appin Road, near the Cataract Dam turn off, when the driver – a woman aged 21 – was confronted by a man riding a bicycle, who reached through the open window and pulled her hair.
The driver – who was not injured – drove away and contacted officers attached to Wollongong Police District, who have commenced inquiries into the incident.
I don’t understand the resistance to licence plates or insurance
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Bruce if we had a population of under 300k we probably wouldn’t have any problem with cyclists either!
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I don’t have a problem with insurance whatsoever.
As for license plates I have no Idea how that might work at a practical level, given the number of bikes around it would surely be a mammoth task to administer.
It sounds a simple idea at first but the more you think about it…wow!
It wouldn’t be so complex if they only introduced it for e-cycles and e-scooters which are causing the most problems and are relatively new. These vehicles can be modified to override speed limiters and that’s a danger to both pedestrians and motorists, particularly when they contravene basic road & pavement safety laws.
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I fear the genie is well and truly out of the bottle as far escooters and ebikes are concerned Annie.
If the authorities had clamped down on people riding them illegally in the first instance then perhaps we wouldn’t have the issues we have now, prevention being better than cure.
But the police have a lot of very serious issues to deal with and very limited resources alas!
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Ah Mr spittie silence is golden heh??
It’s not too late to stick licence plates on them though. It’s a funny thing though. You need eye tests and a licence & be registered for medical conditions with DVLA to drive a car but you can be sight impaired or speeding and not be caught on one of these new devices which can be illegally modified to go up to 40mph or more in some cases. You can also be a child or very old, there’s no regulation. So all the rules in terms of road safety fly out of the window.
They can be lethal at speed and it’s not just the societal burden of danger to others, but danger to self in NHS and other agency costs. There have been countless accidents where the individual riding such a device has been seriously injured.
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I agree entirely.
In my opinion there is no place for them on the pavement whatsoever…licensed or not.
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