Bicycle registration and fees

[Lakegeezer]

I have mixed feelings on this pending bill in the NH house. While raising money to create and maintain bike trails sounds interesting, registering and charging $50/year per bike seems excessive and unnecessary. Also, when the state gets involved, volunteer donations and efforts for existing trails could be impacted if not managed correctly.

NH HB1703 is relative to establishing a registration fee for bicycles and electric bicycles using state or municipally funded bike paths, trails, or roadways. It is sponsored by Rep. Thomas Walsh, Rep. Gregory Hill and Rep. Ted Gorski.

The fee for registration of a bicycle or electric bicycle shall be $50 per year. All fees shall be collected by the division of motor vehicles and immediately transferred to the commissioner of the department of transportation to be used for the creation and maintenance of bicycle routes, lanes, paths, or trails, pursuant to RSA 230:75, XI.

https://legiscan.com/NH/bill/HB1703/2026

[John Mercier]

Built all the infrastructure, and now don't have enough funding to cover it.

We knew this was a problem back in 2005.

[tis]

NH must be desperate coming up with all these new fees and taxes for everything.

[John Mercier]

The general population no longer wants to subsidize it.

[tis]

John, that's true. How did we ever live before without being babied by the government. Everybody wants something but doesn't want to pay for it.

[Descant]

Especially in the second year of the session, there are many bills that will be ITL, or held for Interim Study (death with dignity) There are a few common reasons to file some of these bills.

1. "This is filed at a constituent's request"
2. I'm up for re-election and I need to demonstrate to voters trhat I achieved sometrhing, or at least trtied very hard, but those idiots in the other party fought me all the way.
3. Sometimes there is a popular issue and there are several bills with different apprtoaches to a solution. The most weird ones stand out on various forums and trigger alarmist conversations, while everybody in Concord jsut smiles and votes "Nay".

[John Mercier]

Originally Posted by tis

John, that's true. How did we ever live before without being babied by the government. Everybody wants something but doesn't want to pay for it.

I don't know.
It has been going on since the 80s. Maybe longer than that.

[TomC]

When i was a kid in Massachusetts we had to register our bikes and mount an oblong green and white plate to them. There is a Taxachusetts joke in there somewhere, but I will leave that to the reader...

[John Mercier]

Laconia had that also.
I think it was a one time fee for a couple bucks to register the bicycle in case it got stolen.

The LPD could trace the number back to the rightful owner.

This seems to be about trail funding.

The only issue that I remember with the non-motorized groups was that the NRTP 30% to non-motorized (and 40% to mixed) created a bit of an issue with the minimum grant ($5000 ?), and the 20% match. Volunteer labor could be used at a set hourly rate for the 20% match.

But with all the new miles, it may be that these legislators are concerned that enough money may not be available in the future.
Public comment at the hearing will tell.

[Descant]

Tom C--Yes, I remeber those green plates; we paid 25 cents, once, and I think I used the same plate as I grew into bigger bikes. There would be 40-50 bikes in most school racks and, rare, but once in awhile somebody had a lock. Never had any thefts that I recall. Baseball cards in the spokes to make a rattlesnake noise, siren, horns, once in awhile somebody had a light. Very few kids qualified for bus transportation, so, we rode our bikes.

Why don't we charge the same license fee for hikers who use the same trails?

[LIforrelaxin]

Some day the people of NH are going to grow up, and do what needs to be done if there are funding problems......

- Elect new government officials capable of sorting the mess out
- Institute a small sales tax, to fund things properly
- Move on with life

Its three simple steps......


Sorry I was side tracked, these crazy ideas come up all the time in NH.... All you residents are electing the wrong people.... and there seem to be a few catagories:
-- Those that dream up stupid ideas to raise Money
-- Those that spend money like it grows on trees
-- Those that think the people that aren't residents with voting rights should pay for it all

NH continues to try and hurt the things it has going for it.... Second Home owners, Vacationers etc.....

This bill is nothing more then some idiot, thinking to themselves, if people have to register bikes to ride in the state, we can get 50$ from each person that comes and rides in the Mountains on vacation.... Unfortunately ideas like this tend to cost the state more then it provides....

Lets see they wanted a fee for canoes / Kayaks, swim rafts... and those are two off the top of my head......

[John Mercier]

NH has lots of sales taxes.
It just uses a different system then the common broad-based version where a rate is set and then exemptions made.
NH goes toward specific rates for specific sales.

Our "sales" taxes actually take in roughly $1 billion of our $2.6 billion tax revenue each year. Business is ~$1.2 billion; and property ~ $400 million.


Descant,
Up to the AMC. I don't think they have a funding problem.

[BillTex]

https://wmur.com/article/new-hampshi...12726/70164470

[retired]

Who will be the bike cops? Is this promoting healthy exercise by biking?
Very, very dumb idea.

[John Mercier]

All police would cover it.

[8gv]

"and my advice for those who die: Declare the pennies on your eyes"...

While I (along with mostly everyone) do not want to pay more taxes.

If we need some funding for bike trails I will gladly help pay a few dollars more somehow even though my bikes collect dust in the cellar.

Taxing the second cheapest form of transportation just seems cruel.

[John Mercier]

Not really a tax as much as a fee.

For some reason, and I don't know the financials as I have been out of it for a while, at least one legislature is afraid that they will not have enough money to cover the maintenance of the existing pathways.

This may be a local property tax, or could also be part of those State property tax proposals, but in the end... no money and the pathway degrades to unusable.

[BillTex]

Originally Posted by John Mercier

Not really a tax as much as a fee.

For some reason, and I don't know the financials as I have been out of it for a while, at least one legislature is afraid that they will not have enough money to cover the maintenance of the existing pathways.

This may be a local property tax, or could also be part of those State property tax proposals, but in the end... no money and the pathway degrades to unusable.

In RI The bike paths are part of the state park system, so funding and maintenance are somewhat “guaranteed”.
RI doesn’t do much right, be they do have nice bike paths.

[John Mercier]

State bike paths would be under the BOT.
But the municipal would only be under the local boards.

They sort of have guarantees, but that is the local property taxpayer.
Any maintenance that can't be covered by federal grants would have to be covered by them.

[Descant]

Many trails, hiking, biking, snowmobiles, whatever, also have independent support groups, e.g., AMC, Chatam Trail Committee, local parks and Conservation committees, etc. It appears to me the sponsors of the bicycle bill don't give those groups due credit.
At many trailheads for hikers there are "Iron Rangers" where you pay a fee in a slot for parking/hiking. Seems to work. A kiosk which accepts credit cards, not subject to cash theft, would be an alternative for hikerrs and bikers who want to support various trails.

[John Mercier]

And many do the work to achieve the grants and perform the maintenance; but the money is running dry for all the miles that have been acquired and upgraded.

https://www.nhstateparks.org/about-n...grants-by-type

When you take into consideration the number of miles of each group, and then the number of supporting members. It is pretty obvious.

And the registration groups have the edge with the GIA, and fund raising.

So the WOW trail has a group, but if it required repaving could they raise the money? Don't know. The Belmont Section (BRATT) doesn't. Just an advisory committee under the town with on a chairman - no members.

https://www.wmur.com/article/lawmake...-bill/23121157
https://www.concordmonitor.com/2019/...bill-27515764/

The biomass subsidy that we all pay on electricity is tied into snowmobiling access instead of leasing the trails from the landowners. So even snowmobiling, the oldest and most funded recreation in the State, has a huge subsidy from the general public.

Too many trails and not enough money.

[longislander]

Reality kicks in.

https://vnews.com/2026/01/28/granite...g166WWY2varsqe

[TomC]

These politicians need to learn to read the room...

[John Mercier]

They have read that book a thousand times...

The public wants, but does not wish to pay.

It was so easy just to slap it on someone, but that day is coming to an end.

[WinnisquamZ]

All for registration on the EBikes. They are rode in traffic at 20 mph. They are more of a scooter than a bike. Scooter are registered


Sent from my iPhone using Winnipesaukee Forum mobile app

[John Mercier]

I think that money would need to go toward the roads like the scooters.

[thinkxingu]

The bill was killed in session today.

Sent from my SM-S931U using Tapatalk

[John Mercier]

Pretty much expected.