There's no specific taxes on cyclists to help pay for the lanes I think is the reasoning. But it's silly regardless, by cycling you help improve streets in other ways - reducing need for maintenance, reducing traffic, freeing up parking etc. Cyclists and pedestrians are good for cars, too. It's just driving a car makes most people irrationally angry for some reason so all the benefits are lost on them.

I would love to get to Copenhagen. I spent a month in Berlin last summer and the sheer volume of cyclists stunned me. Compared to the last time I was there the rate of cycling was through the roof.

So many people were moving things on bikes and it was great. The city has also strongly discouraged downtown driving along Unter den Linden so even during work days it has lots of empty street at times. It has made the city much nicer to walk around in.

I've been trying to move to Europe for a couple of years now. Once I work out family issues I'll be there like a shot. It's a much more humanist place to be and I am ready for that kind of life.

I wonder what tax could be limited to just bikers? Like all bike sales in the city? A tag system? Bike tolls? Personally property taxes of places connected by the lanes make the most sense to me. If its from a public transport stop maybe include that in that transport cost structure?