The City’s Bicycle Tax Crackdown
Walla Walla police launch an enforcement campaign to force cyclists to register their wheels and pay local taxes.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
At 4:30 yesterday afternoon, in front of the post office, Bicycle Policeman Sanderson stood and counted some 13 bicycles not showing a 1903 license tag. 'Guess this is a good place to camp,' declared the policeman. The camp must have been productive, as soon afterward there was a great rush on the city treasurer’s office from wheelmen who were suddenly anxious to take out their licenses. The policeman noted that about 800 wheels in the city remained unregistered, representing half of the estimated total. A member of the council noted that if cyclists do not pay their taxes, they may be prohibited from using city sidewalks. Meanwhile, city workmen began coating the Alder Street path with asphaltum to prepare it for winter travel.
“If it isn't worth $1 a year to use the sidewalks, then the city might as well take the privilege away.”
Early 20th-century Walla Walla struggled with the transition from horse-drawn traffic to the bicycle boom, much like today's cities navigate the integration of e-bikes and scooters into existing infrastructure. The city's threat to ban bicycles from sidewalks highlights a perennial struggle over who owns public right-of-way.
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