There is a great diversity of specialty license plates dedicated to bicycles, most are of the share the road variety, but this year Idaho has released the first mountain bike specific plate. Boise mountain biker, Geoff Baker, began the push to get a special license plate to promote mountain biking back in 2009. The Idaho Department of Transportation estimates that the cost of getting a special plate approved is between $3,000-10,000. Baker contributed an initial $500 towards the project and cyclists, shops, and a variety of companies contributed further.
The state currently has about 70 special license plates available and now almost 600 mountain specific plates adorn vehicles across the state. The plate costs $35 for the initial purchase, and $25 for renewals, and has raised over $13,000 for trail maintenance and expansion in less than a year. The money accumulates in a special fund within the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation that can only be used for trail building, maintenance, and improvements. While the program is targeted towards mountain biking all trail users can benefit from the development and expansion of recreational trails. I wish my state had something this cool for the back of my car.
