Evaluation of Partial Depth Pavement Repairs on Routes Heavily Traveled by Amish Horse and Buggies
that is a PDF file conducted by Ohio University Department of Civil Engineering
The roads that I travel that have extra wear from Amish buggies are the same age as the ones without issues, all with similar time frame maintenance/repair schedules. You can tell which roads the Amish travel frequently without needing any other evidence than the condition of the roads.
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Hard to say how old it is. PA is not known for the quality of roads there, but you know by the two worn tracks on either side of the yellow line when you are in Amish Country!
I think they should have poop bags( or whatever they are). Trucks do more damage to roads faster, so maybe a compromise would be to have them pay some tax ( as a community) that would cover the roads. They use the roads and they should support the upkeep just like vehicle drivers do.
As far as I know they pay no taxes. I am not sure about their businesses.
They donât pay Social Security taxes for themselves (and cannot draw benefits), but would have to pay in the employerâs share if they employ English workers or young Amish who are not yet baptized. Some states exempt them from Workerâs Compensation, also. But income, property, sales tax, any of that, they pay under the same rules as anybody else.
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You seem to have a general dislike for anyone not like you.
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This photo looks just like (dark and light areas, compaction where the tires typically run, etc) most of the roads near me, and we do not have buggy traffic.
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I would guess that the Amish community were not too happy when outsiders moved in to their communities, and started paving the roads and driving gas powered vehicles. I think their way is way more earth friendly!
I live just south of Lancaster and have several Amish neighbors. While I have zero love for the Amish (hypocritical cult of sexist animal abusers that they are), I really think compared to what trucks, machinery, weather, salt etc do to roads, the Amish impact is pretty minimal. The pot holes are far harder to avoid than the road apples for sure.
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Ummmmm, they were not here first. They settled here after the country had been established to avoid religious persecution.
And if if you ever had any direct dealings with the Amish you would know they take care of their own above all else, and they are often times not like the romanticized picture that is offer portrayed to the world.
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Outside of PA, the Amish are more commonly the newcomers. The roads were paved and the neighbors were driving gasoline powered vehicles when they bought the farms. Even within PA, a lot of the Amish properties were farmed first by English, roads were paved, and Amish families bought them as they came on the market. They generally have big families, and a lot of the kids stay in the faith, so itâs no surprise they move into new areas. https://www.citylab.com/equity/2012/08/exploding-amish-population-bubble/2795/
Environment-wise, itâs a mixed bag. The Amish farming community tends to not be as attentive to issues with runoff, for example. Many of them DO use energy from sources like propane and on-property electricity generators. I donât know enough about the matter to say for sure if a given amount of electricity generated on-site is more or less environmentally problematic than the same amount generated at a central plant, but knowing how the general efficiencies of such things work, my money is that the plant-produced power is likely âcleaner.â I think more of them are farming organic now than they used to, which would cut down on issues with chemical pesticide and herbicide runoff, but thatâs only because it brings a higher price on the market, not because of their principles. Back when I was living in the area and âorganicâ products wasnât a big marketing schtick, youâd regularly see tank sprayer rigs dousing the crops, pulled by Belgian mules. Their religious proscriptions actually have very little to do with a âsimpleâ life or being more ânaturalâ or any of that feel-good stuff people associate with them. They have no issue with gasoline powered vehicles existing, and use them regularly with hired drivers. They are fine using power tools owned by their employers. THEY canât own them, though.
Donât get me started on the animal welfare side of things.
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I donât have much sympathy for those who ride motorcycles. Itâs their choice to ride on a much more dangerous vehicle with subpar traction. Manure happens. Stuff in the road happens.
Iâm not sure if itâs true in your area OP, but in the Lancaster area there is a huge tourism draw for the Amish. It brings in quite a bit of money. Seems a bit like cutting your nose to spite your face in this scenario. I canât imagine the cost to repair roads, which you already have to do anyways since PA weather takes a huge toll on them, is so much that it makes sense to alienate their moneymaker.
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I think it might vary by state?
Here I know they fall under religious exemption as everything is " owned " by the church. Amish by up huge parcels of property here , as they come available and form a âcommunity of sortsâ with stores and businesses in an area small enough they can live and get to the businesses by buggy.
Wow. I have sympathy for anyone injured in an accident no matter what they are driving. I imagine if the manure is that much of an issue, the bikers stay out of areas with significant Horse and buggy traffic. Thatâs just common sense.
Iâve had bad experiences with motorcycles and their riders many, many times. On top of that, my friend died riding one. He knew the dangers and still decided to drive recklessly. I wish they would ban them from freeways.
Of course I would never wish someone to get hurt. I know the pain that comes with that. But I also donât have much sympathy for the rider themselves, because they know full well what they are signing up for.
My family likes to tell me I am a hypocrite since I ride horses. However, I donât know anyone who has died horseback riding. I canât say the same about motorcycles.
the Ohio State engineering study I posted up thread âŠgo to page 30 ⊠the impact of the steel shoes and clits breaks the aggregate used in the pavementâŠphotos show how this occurs. The concentration of the horseâs weight with the impact of the shoe is great.
here the link to the study once again
They pay property taxes, which can be used for roads.
âThey are taxed on their earnings. According to the Young Center, âThey pay all the taxes â income, property, sales, estate, corporate, school â that other people do. In fact many of them pay school taxes twice â for both public and private Amish schools.â They do not, however, pay â or collect â Social Security, having been exempted by Congress in 1965 because the Amish viewed it as a form of commercial insurance. Instead, they believe that members of the church should care for one anotherâs physical and material needs. In some states, according to the Young Center, the Amish have also been exempted from workers compensation for the same reason. Amish also are exempt from military service due to their belief in non-resistance, a term they prefer over pacifism. This applies not only to war, but also law-enforcement, politics and legal actions.â
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/08/15/amish-ten-things-you-need-to-know/14111249/
Our Amish friends even donate/pay another tax specifically for the wear and tear on the roads their horses and buggy make.
What state is this in?
Ohio
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