Is the bicycle sticker coming?!?
The mobility revolution does not come for free. That's why it was only a matter of time before attempts were made to demand money from cyclists. After all, more and more paths are being created for bicycles, charging stations for electric bikes are being set up and parking spaces are being built.
E-cars are also part of the mobility turnaround. But these cars do not finance anything, on the contrary: per electric car, the treasury loses 20,000 euros in revenue due to the tax exemption of the vehicles, which must somehow be replaced. While drivers of combustion cars have to pay ever higher vehicle taxes and parking fees and are also asked to pay more and more at the petrol station, e-car drivers and cyclists have not yet had to pay for the use of the infrastructure. This could change in the future. For there are voices that do not believe that bicycles and electric cars should be treated equally. In Switzerland, the Swiss People's Party (SVP) has now launched an initiative to charge 19 francs (20 euros) per bike per year. This would bring 100 million Swiss francs into the coffers and considerably benefit the expansion of the infrastructure.
There are also corresponding considerations in Germany. In Coburg in Upper Franconia, there was already a proposal to charge ten euros per bike and year. Among other things, this was to finance two planned bicycle bridges over the railway tracks. But the ADFC Coburg argues that the resulting costs for control, administration and organisation exceed the income. In addition, the amount would make the switch to cycling unattractive for many and slow down the mobility turnaround.
Incidentally, the city of Freiburg im Breisgau has treated the topic of bicycle stickers as an April Fool's joke: On 1 April, it was announced that a sticker would be compulsory as early as May. Depending on the type and size of the bicycle, different annual fees between 17 and 30 euros were to be due. However, this hoax has already been denied again.
Nevertheless, the joke could serve as a template for the future. Brave new world ...