News: Bills would require license plate for all [bicycles], annual registration

And if they want to save money, get fit and are worried about pollution on this planet we can stick them all in the industrial units around the world that are currently empty because the economy has turned to shit, hook them up to dynamos and they can reduce CO2, earn their keep and generate lots of clean electricity for the rest of us.
 
Funny how everybody is applauding bureaucracy. This won't make anything better for car drivers, but will be a needless hassle for cyclists. You don't pay a road tax for your bike because it doesnt stress the surface at all. You don't pay a sidewalk tax for shoes (I take that back, better not give them ideas)
By the way, what happened to balance? Don't most of you own a bike AND a car?
Well, the tax I could live without...but my main annoyance is the state of most (yes, MOST bikes I see do not have the proper get-up they should) bikes. Bikes should have some sort of MOT to be able to go on the road.

I technically own a bike but it's somewhat pointless riding it here. So I'd consider myself bike-less.
My main irk is that they use the roads and blatantly disobey road rules.
http://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/Travel-an...d-rules-for-cyclists/Fines-and-penalties.aspx
There apparently ARE fines for disobeying road rules (here) but cyclists never seem to be fined, with a licencing system I think there'd be a greater chance of cyclists being held accountable for their actions - as they should be.
 
Also forgot about the retarded hipsters in the Williamsburg area of Brooklyn (mostly there) who ride fixed gear bikes with no brakes in the street. Wouldn't be a problem if that hood didn't have a large number of very good restaurants/bars.
 
Professional cyclists/those who choose to ride in the street? Good idea.

Kids (idk about 18 and under perhaps...arbitrary age cut offs blow because there's never a "right" age to cut people off) should be exempt and ride on the sidewalk. TBH if there's a choice of sidewalk or street, I choose the sidewalk 80% of the time. It's usually empty where I live and feels safer as it's a protected path away from traffic that usually speeds by a good 10 mph above the speed limit. I could understand the "no bikes on sidewalk" logic if it was in a more populated area where a lot of people are on the sidewalk a lot.
 
Professional cyclists/those who choose to ride in the street? Good idea.

Kids (idk about 18 and under perhaps...arbitrary age cut offs blow because there's never a "right" age to cut people off) should be exempt and ride on the sidewalk. TBH if there's a choice of sidewalk or street, I choose the sidewalk 80% of the time. It's usually empty where I live and feels safer as it's a protected path away from traffic that usually speeds by a good 10 mph above the speed limit. I could understand the "no bikes on sidewalk" logic if it was in a more populated area where a lot of people are on the sidewalk a lot.

I think I was told as a kid it is the size of wheel - a 22" bike wheel, pavement (Sidewalk) is OK I think, anything bigger you had to ride on the road.

ALSO
Ask Greenies to save CO2 by not breathing - that will fix it.
 
Last edited:
Honestly? Would anyone be angry at at least a plate on the damn things? Even if it's really fucking cheap like 15$ a year and that's it the biggest point is to give an number to call into the cops for the fucktard who DOES dash through the lights and almost cause accidents.
 
This is a great idea, I hope PA adopts it immediately. Here we're facing increased license and tag fees, plus the second highest petro tax in the US. Why not punish the idoits who ride in the middle of the lane, run red lights and cause accidents. If I hit them I go to jail, If they hit me, I go to jail, why shouldn't they pay? Licenses should be required as well.


And yeah that bit about cyclists in Boston is BS. I lived in Boston for four years and saw someone cause or nearly cause an accident two-three times a week.
 
Hooray for more government?



Also, around here we do cycling education in ~4th grade of every elementary school. As a result, everyone is aware of the basic road rules. Everyone is aware of the basics of operating a bicycle. The vast majority gets along nicely.
Some basic road rules education could be good for everyone, just introduce this scheme over there without the hassle of bureaucracy.

Concerning Spectre's video, those two did in no way hassle, annoy, endanger, whatever any other road user. I'm sure you have no trouble with bending the letter of the law when nobody is hassled, annoyed, endangered, whatever when you want to go slightly over the posted speed limit, no?
 
The problem I have with the fee is plenty of children around here bicycle to school and to events. I can see many parents not bothering to provide their children with a means of transportation because they don't want to pay the fee.
 
Concerning Spectre's video, those two did in no way hassle, annoy, endanger, whatever any other road user. I'm sure you have no trouble with bending the letter of the law when nobody is hassled, annoyed, endangered, whatever when you want to go slightly over the posted speed limit, no?

Did you miss the first part, where dude almost hit the truck?

Also, if I am spotted speeding, you can get my license number and call it in. How do you do that with a bicyclist? Unless, of course, they have a plate.

And look at the picture - the bicyclist with no lights getting on the freeway is a danger to EVERYONE.

This isn't about more government (as the amount isn't changing) it's about equal responsibility.
 
Last edited:
Also, around here we do cycling education in ~4th grade of every elementary school. As a result, everyone is aware of the basic road rules. Everyone is aware of the basics of operating a bicycle. The vast majority gets along nicely.
Some basic road rules education could be good for everyone, just introduce this scheme over there without the hassle of bureaucracy.

Same here.

IMO, more bureaucracy is a bad thing, I don't care if it's for cyclists or whatever. I've only had a few issues with cyclists, and TBH I don't think licencing would solve any of them, just because you have a plate on your back, doesn't mean you aren't going to be a dick wad.

Plus, I used to bike EVERYWHERE when I was a kid, we were taught basic safety in grade 4 and from there on out I was pretty safe. If I had to register my bike, I don't think I would have done nearly as much biking.
 
The problem I have with the fee is plenty of children around here bicycle to school and to events. I can see many parents not bothering to provide their children with a means of transportation because they don't want to pay the fee.
You are not in NYS :p aside from it I think you missed the part where I said that under current laws children under a certain age (16 I think) are allowed to ride on the sidewalk, in fact I'm fairly certain they are not allowed to ride on the street.
 
Did you miss the first part, where dude almost hit the truck?

Yeah I missed that because I always comment on videos without watching them :rolleyes:




Seriously though, the bicycle didn't almost hit the truck. See this screencap:

https://pic.armedcats.net/n/na/narf/2011/03/02/sucktruck.png

This is roughly the closest moment between the two, as we all can clearly see there is plenty of space between them. Look at all that pavement (shot at a low angle) between where the bicycle tyres meet the road and where the car tyres meet the road. Hard to tell how much it is exactly, but I wouldn't be surprised if it actually was about 2m of space.

Also, if I am spotted speeding, you can get my license number and call it in. How do you do that with a bicyclist? Unless, of course, they have a plate.

I'm not arguing against plates. Some scheme of requiring plates for bicycles that go on the road (in Germany, everyone over the age of ten) might work if done properly.

And look at the picture - the bicyclist with no lights getting on the freeway is a danger to EVERYONE.

I'm not arguing against getting bicycles off highways. Guess what - ze fahrradloving Germans ban bicycles from Autobahnen and Kraftfahrstra?en (one level below the Autobahn).
Each of these traffic signs means NEIN to pedestrians, cyclists, and motorized vehicles with a top speed of up to 60km/h.

https://pic.armedcats.net/n/na/narf/2011/03/02/200px-Zeichen_331.svg.png https://pic.armedcats.net/n/na/narf/2011/03/02/200px-Zeichen_330.svg.png

If there is a bicycle or pedestrian on any such road it usually makes it on the traffic news and gets the police's attention. Having no plate rarely helps.

This isn't about more government (as the amount isn't changing) it's about equal responsibility.

Before there was X government, now there is X+y government with y greater than zero. Did the amount of government change? :nod:
 
Hooray for more government?



Also, around here we do cycling education in ~4th grade of every elementary school. As a result, everyone is aware of the basic road rules. Everyone is aware of the basics of operating a bicycle. The vast majority gets along nicely.
Some basic road rules education could be good for everyone, just introduce this scheme over there without the hassle of bureaucracy.

Concerning Spectre's video, those two did in no way hassle, annoy, endanger, whatever any other road user. I'm sure you have no trouble with bending the letter of the law when nobody is hassled, annoyed, endangered, whatever when you want to go slightly over the posted speed limit, no?

we do to, but it doesn't stop fuckheads from doing the wrong thing with no repurcussions
 
TBH I don't think licencing would solve any of them, just because you have a plate on your back, doesn't mean you aren't going to be a dick wad.
It's not just a license though, it's cyclists being treated like the rest of the vehicles complete with registration and insurance. Meaning that when I run over a dickwad because he runs a red light he will be treated the same way that a biker/driver would.
 
Also, if I am spotted speeding, you can get my license number and call it in. How do you do that with a bicyclist? Unless, of course, they have a plate.

So if I wanted to rob a bank, I'd just need do it with a bicycle and they'd never be able to identify me? Sweet!
 
Last edited:
So if I wanted to rob a bank, I'd just need do it with a bicycle and they'd never be able to identify me? Sweet!
Actually, that's much more common than you might think. There was a guy here who was robbing rural banks with lax security and he was escaping on a bicycle. I went googling for the case and couldn't find it amongst all the other results of people who have done the same thing in other parts of the world, like New Jersey and shit. It's actually quite common.

I also found this: http://www.kenkifer.com/bikepages/humor/robbery.htm

Granted, it's in the 'humour' section but it actually does raise a few good legitimate points.
 
Mandatory license plates on bicycles will not change anything with these crimes committed with the use of a bicycle. Just take off the plate before you commit said crime.
 
Top