bikeseattle.org

A great article from the Seattle Weekly

Maybe it was the most recent $50 fill-up for your supposed economy car that did it. Or the most recent price increase in the downtown parking lot you use. Or you went to see Al Gore’s global-warming movie and came out feeling like you ought to do something. Maybe all of the above.

But suddenly you’re noticing all those people who are commuting to work on their bikes these days—and it seems that there are a lot more of them. And you notice that a lot of them nowadays are just normal schlubs like yourself.

…

So briefly, a reality check: There have been several studies (including one in 1995 from the Bicycle Transportation Alliance) that have established that bicycle riders actually subsidize the roadways for people in cars, and the logic for this is fairly simple. Nearly all bicycle riders also contribute, whether as property owners or renters, to the property-tax systems that underwrite most of our roadways, as well as other taxes—federal and state— that do so as well. Most also own cars, so they’re also paying licensing fees and other associated charges that contribute to roadway construction. The only tax they’re not paying—when they bicycle, anyway—is the gas tax, which only contributes a portion of the cost of roadway construction. In contrast, the amount of road wear that bicycles cause is insignificant next to that produced by cars and trucks. So bicyclists wind up paying significantly more in road costs than automobile drivers.

update:
Be sure to read their other recent articles as well:

Can’t we all just get along

Tips for Beginning Bike Commuters