Skip to content
Sponsored

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.
Sponsored

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:

Photo of Angie Schmitt
Angie is a Cleveland-based writer with a background in planning and newspaper reporting. She has been writing about cities for Streetsblog for six years.

Read More:

Sponsored

Support Streetsblog

Streetsblog has migrated to a new comment system. New commenters can register directly in the comments section of any article. Returning commenters: your previous comments and display name have been preserved, but you'll need to reclaim your account by clicking "Forgot your password?" on the sign-in form, entering your email, and following the verification link to set a new password — this is required because passwords could not be carried over during the migration. For questions, contact tips@streetsblog.org.

More from Streetsblog USA

Friday Video: The H.A.R.D. Fight Against Hit-and-Runs

December 12, 2025

Wednesday’ Headlines Are on Autopilot

December 10, 2025

City Shuts Down Volunteer Crosswalk Painting Event in Los Angeles

December 9, 2025

Tuesday’s Headlines Set the Record Straight

December 9, 2025
See all posts