Rumble strips, Amish buggies, and road taxes

Unbelievable — some stingy residents in St. Joseph County, Michigan say the Amish shouldn’t have a say in how road maintenance is done because they don’t pay road taxes and vehicle registration fees. State fuel and vehicle registration taxes cover 57% of the Michigan Department of Transportation budget. This is, of course, immaterial regarding access — public roads are open to the public, no matter your ability to pay, and all stakeholders should be considered in road design.

(If the video doesn’t work, you can read some of the edited text here.)

Cyclists are often opposed to rumble strips because of the hazard they pose. I once nearly killed myself when I drifted left to avoid trash in the shoulder and into the nearly invisible rumble strips alongside US Highway 66 near Lyons, Colorado. The Amish in Michigan don’t like them because rumble strips are positioned perfectly for the left buggy wheel, resulting in a very unpleasant ride.

Via Spokes Rider and RJ on the CABO discussion list.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.