An Idaho legislator is seeking approval for a special vehicle license plate to benefit mountain bike trails. While many states (including our home state, GA) offer cycling-themed plates, as far as we know this would be the first mountain bike specific plate in the US. Those who choose the MTB plates would pay a $35 special tag fee initially and $25 each year upon renewal. The extra funds would go to support the 12,000 miles of bike-friendly trails in Idaho.
While some supporters of the MTB plate point to the revenue potential, we think the awareness potential is a much bigger deal. By some estimates the plates would generate $10,000 each year for trails but with 12,000 miles of trail, that’s less than a buck a mile! Nope, bringing awareness to such an awesome state resource (mountain bike trails) will be the real win here and could go a long way toward opening even more trails.
One final note: based on the article linked above this measure appears to have politicians split along party lines. We’ll leave the political commentary to our readers 🙂
4 Comments
Feb 5, 2010
I wonder how much of that is singletrack?
Feb 5, 2010
The awareness these plates would bring to the general public driving down the road far outweighs any dollar amount donated to the trails in my opinion. If the money raised could be put towards simple mapping and signage I think the local organizations and clubs would get together and maintain most of the trails. It would be a win, win deal I believe, I hope it passes.
Feb 7, 2010
Feb 9, 2010
2 miles from Salmon, ID is a trailhead that accesses over 35 miles of singletrack. Countless more in any direction within an hours drive, including the Continental Divide Trail. Just getting a plug in!!