An American lawmaker has said cycling is bad for the environment. He also said cyclists should pay a tax to ride their bikes on the roads. Ed Orcutt, a representative from Washington State, sent an e-mail to the owner of a local bike shop to outline his thinking. He wrote: "A cyclist has an increased heart rate and respiration. That means that the act of riding a bike results in greater emissions of carbon dioxide from the rider. Since CO2 is…a greenhouse gas…cyclists are actually polluting when they ride." Mr Orcutt said: "You can't just say that there's no pollution as a result of riding a bicycle….You would be giving off more CO2 if you are riding a bike than driving in a car."

一位美国议员表示，骑自行车对环境有害。他还表示，骑自行车的人在路上骑车时要缴税。华盛顿州一位代表Ed Orcutt向当地一家自行车商店发送了一封邮件来概述他的想法。他写道：“骑自行车的人心跳和呼吸频率都有所增加。这意味着骑自行车这种行为会导致车手的二氧化碳排放量增加。由于二氧化碳是温室气体，骑自行车的人骑行时实际上是在污染环境。”Orcutt说：“你不能说骑自行车没有污染。骑自行车比驾驶汽车时呼出的二氧化碳更多。”

Mr Orcutt also believes cyclists should be taxed to use the roads. He said it was unfair that motorists have to pay all of the costs of building and repairing roads. He wrote: "Currently motorists are paying to use their cars on the roads…so if cars pay for the roads they are using, it only makes sense that bicyclists would also be required to pay for the roads they use when they are actually biking on them." Dale Carlson, owner of the Tech Bike Shop said Mr Orcutt's ideas were wrong. He wrote: "People who choose to ride a bicycle instead of driving a car actively reduce congestion." He added: "They save wear and tear on our roads and bridges, and reduce the [need for police] to patrol our highways."

Orcutt先生还相信，骑自行车的人使用道路应该缴税。他说，由驾驶机动车的人支付建设和整修道路的所有费用是不公平的。他写道：“目前机动车车主在道路上使用汽车要付费，所以如果汽车在道路上行驶需要缴费，那么骑自行车的人也应该为他们使用的道路付费才说的通。”Tech自行车商店的老板Dale Carlson认为这个想法是错误的。他写道：“选择骑自行车而不是驾驶汽车的人实际上减少了拥堵。”他还说：“他们减少了道路和桥梁的损耗，减少了需要在高速公路上巡逻的警察的数量。”