After hearing about a plan in which the state of Oregon created a special excise tax for bicycles sold for more than $200, a Colorado lawmaker was quick to chime in, saying the time is ripe for this state to get money from the state’s cyclists.

Sen. Ray Scott, a Republican from the Grand Junction area, stated in a social media post following the Oregon tax story that because cyclists use the roads, they should face a tax.

In a state where funding is limited for road maintenance and construction – and in which the legislature has declined to refer a measure to voters that would increase the taxes or allow the bonding authority to make a dent in the backlog – it seems curious that cyclists are so quickly singled out. After all, the roads they ride on weren’t built for them, and they don’t create damage on the road like trucks, cars and especially snowstorms.

However, cyclists are easy political foils because a very small percentage of them go riding in places where it might be difficult for a car to pass them for a few seconds. Another small subset of cyclists ignore traffic signs or signals, but at their own risk because getting struck by a vehicle almost always creates injuries for the rider but not the driver.

Read more at the Loveland Reporter-Herald