Washington State Lawmaker: Cyclists Cause Pollution By Exhaling

We’ve heard some silly arguments against cycling before, but this one from Washington State Representative Ed Orcutt… well, it speaks for itself.

Orcutt, who is a supporter of the proposed tax on bicycles in Washington, told a constituent that cyclists should be taxed because they cause pollution with “an increased heart rate and respiration.”

Tom Fucoloro at Seattle Bike Blog got in touch with Orcutt this weekend and he didn’t back away from his comments one bit:

“You would be giving off more CO2 if you are riding a bike than driving in a car,” he said. However, he said he had not “done any analysis” of the difference in CO2 from a person on a bike compared to the engine of a car (others have).

“You can’t just say that there’s no pollution as a result of riding a bicycle.”

Orcutt has a few other brilliant ideas about transportation, Fucoloro reports: