License plates for bikes

[phtlc]

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/reevely-the-biking-myths-that-wont-die

I'm all for it. Maybe not insurance, but plates yes. THe author makes the argument that;

"The police already catch a trifling percentage of scofflaw car drivers — you think they’re going to chase down phoned-in reports of cyclists zipping the wrong way on one-way streets, or spooking pedestrians?"

No, but since the cell phones people want to call in with have cameras, this would be the ultimate photo radar. Toronto streets allow for people under 14 to ride their bikes on the sidewalks. Everyone else is supposed to walk their bikes on the sidewalks, yet I'm constantly seeing cyclists who treat pedestrians as slalom poles as they zoom along the sidewalk at breakneck speed despite all their screeching protestations that car drivers don't respect their safety.

Cell phone videos sent to the police followed by fines (it is illegal) might get these assclowns to have a little respect for the safety of others. Plus if someone gets hurt it makes it harder for the cyclist to just leave.

[JBRG]

I would be all for requiring registration AND insurance for bicycle riders. After all, who is supposed to pay the damages when one of these yahoos cause an accident.

As for riding on sidewalks, the City of Edmonton has a bylaw that requires bicycles with 20 inch or larger wheels to use the street. Not that it is ever enforced. But that is what the rule is.

[MissBarbara]

I would be all for requiring registration AND insurance for bicycle riders. After all, who is supposed to pay the damages when one of these yahoos cause an accident.

As for riding on sidewalks, the City of Edmonton has a bylaw that requires bicycles with 20 inch or larger wheels to use the street. Not that it is ever enforced. But that is what the rule is.

License plates for bikes sounds like a very sane idea to me.

And NYC has similar laws about bicyclists on sidewalks, and they often ARE enforced.

[Elizabeth]

I would be all for requiring registration AND insurance for bicycle riders. After all, who is supposed to pay the damages when one of these yahoos cause an accident.

As for riding on sidewalks, the City of Edmonton has a bylaw that requires bicycles with 20 inch or larger wheels to use the street. Not that it is ever enforced. But that is what the rule is.

License plates for bikes sounds like a very sane idea to me.

And NYC has similar laws about bicyclists on sidewalks, and they often ARE enforced.

Not for nothing, "but" the delivery cyclists in New York City are not only crazy riding thru some of the busiest streets, they are taking their lives in their own hands. There have been some horrible accidents between bicyclist and cars (especially taxi's) in NYC. I hate driving through the city and I drive a Chevy 3500HD.
I'm not sure if bicyclist are the bravest people in the world or just plain nuts.

Love,
Liz

[RopeFiend]

I've been busted by a cop before on my bike.  I was speeding, going 32 in a 25 zone.

They'd tried the 'bicycle plates' thing in Arizona in the late '60s and it never caught on, so they eliminated the law.  When I got popped for speeding, the officer rightfully asked for my license.  I pointed at the bike and slowly said "B-I-C-Y-C-L-E... operator... permit... not... required.  Next question?"  He was utterly stumped.  Couldn't run me in to the station legally, but couldn't verify my identity either.  When he asked, I told him my name, birth date, and address, and told him he could verify the physical details on the driver's license that I owned but wasn't carrying.  I look like a long-distance runner, so he was pretty safe taking my word and the physical description.

Things like that are why the police would like to have a way to identify the rider.  It's also handier if you become the front bumper-sticker on a car, and they're trying to identify the remains.

[Elizabeth]

LOL......RF.......
I got a ticket on Lombard Street in San Francisco.
I was not only going to fast but reckless as well (according to the police).
Anyway...No Ticket...They took my bike away and told me to pick it up at the police station and bring ID with me.

Love,
Liz
 

[watcher1]

LOL......RF.......
I got a ticket on Lombard Street in San Francisco.
I was not only going to fast but reckless as well (according to the police).
Anyway...No Ticket...They took my bike away and told me to pick it up at the police station and bring ID with me.

Love,
Liz
 

Isn't Lombard Street that crazy, zig zagging one?

Nice idea maybe for smaller cities and such but in our city where crime cannot be controlled, license plates for bikes would be just another unenforceable law.

[redhatlover]

LOL......RF.......
I got a ticket on Lombard Street in San Francisco.
I was not only going to fast but reckless as well (according to the police).
Anyway...No Ticket...They took my bike away and told me to pick it up at the police station and bring ID with me.

Love,
Liz
 

Isn't Lombard Street that crazy, zig zagging one?

Nice idea maybe for smaller cities and such but in our city where crime cannot be controlled, license plates for bikes would be just another unenforceable law.

I actually have seen Chicago cops enforce bike regulations.  I saw two cops on Segways chase a pedicab on the sidewalk on Michigan Avenue and write him a ticket for operating on the sidewalk.  Too bad my camera was in my luggage.

[JBRG]

Plates on bicycles used to be required here. They were supposedly a means of uniting stolen bikes with the rightful owners back in the day. It was also a bit of a cash grab by the city because only the really stupid bike thieves would leave the plate attached to the bike when they tried to fence it.

Most of us learned to ride bicycles as kids. And as such, they were something to play on/with when we were kids. I see the biggest problem with bicycle riders being the mental transition from fun loving kid to responsible vehicle operator as being non-existent. And there is a sense of entitlement in adult bike riders that stems from the fact that they have nothing surrounding them for protection. In the province of Alberta, bicycles, by law, are supposed to obey the same traffic laws as others using the roads AND they must stay as far to the right as is safely practical. Unfortunately, there does not seem to be the political will to enforce the law when it comes to bike riders. I know of only 1 case of a bike rider getting a ticket for blowing through a stop sign. And the cop explained the only reason the ticket was issued was because it was in front of a school and was setting a bad example for the kids.

In Ontario, motor vehicle drivers are supposed to give bicycles a 1 metre safety cushion. I wished I could get that same protection on my motorcycle. However, I am a motorized vehicle and as such am not entitled to the same sort of protection.

[MintJulie]

Unfortunately, there does not seem to be the political will to enforce the law when it comes to bike riders.

Oh, heck no.    The bike riders go through stop signs all the time here also.     Then they'll give a wave like, "thanks for not making me stop" or "Sorry, I'm so inconsiderate", as I'm sitting watching them blow through it, but had I pulled out because I had the right-of-way, I'd have been yelled at.
Mainly in the subdivisions, but with a mom, dad and two kids doing it, what did the kids just learn? 

[Elizabeth]

Around here (the back country roads) the bicycle riders don't give a damn about road rules, they ride three abreast, they never stop for stop signs, they can be a real pain in the ass. The most dangerous thing (at least around here) is when there are Car and Truck traffic making a right hand turn and the bicycle riders attempt to come up along the right hand side and blow through the intersection while you are making a right hand turn. On one occasion my horse trailer clipped a bike rider in that exact scenario. He had a fit, he called the cops, I had the entire thing on film (yeah, trailer has camera's mounted inside and outside) and I showed the cops exactly what happened. Story endings....Not good for the rider, The cop at the scene didn't say anything, but let the rider file a report at the scene, "THEN" we all went to my trailer and watched the entire thing....The cop was very pleasant and told the bike rider that he would now be arrested for filing a false police report, unless he wanted to change his story to match the film or just forget about the entire thing.
Guess What??
One pissed off bike rider went down the road not happy but hopefully much smarter.
____________________________________________________________________
Now about a different breed of Bike Rider.
The state forest where I like to ride is open to mountain bikes / hikers / horses / cross country skiers / snowshoers..... The entire state forest is "Closed" to the above during hunting season.
The mountain bikers are the most considerate rider's I've ever met. They will stop and dismount when the see a horse approaching them on the trail. When they think a horse and rider are on the same trail, they give warnings to us. These rider's are the best to be around.

Love,
Liz
 

[phtlc]

I see the biggest problem with bicycle riders being the mental transition from fun loving kid to responsible vehicle operator as being non-existent. And there is a sense of entitlement in adult bike riders

Precisely. I bicycled in the city for a couple of years and while there are always bad drivers and traffic issues I never had an experience that would have justified the sort of high volume tantrums I always hear from cyclists here when a car inconveniences them. The cyclists here have a chip on their shoulder and are actively seeking confrontations with car drivers.

To add to this they regularly endanger pedestrians when they hop up onto the curb and start weaving in and out of pedestrians as though we are mere obstacles to be swerved around.

Unfortunately, there does not seem to be the political will to enforce the law when it comes to bike riders.

Same here. It's a shame, they could probably generate some half decent revenues through fines.

[JBRG]

In the motorcycle course I teach, we tell our students that there is no such thing as "Right of Way" when on a motorcycle. It's "Right of Weight". If the guy in the car or truck wants to take the right of way -- let him have it. It's not worth your life to say "I was right". You might be inconvenienced by 5-10 seconds. Oh, well.

Bicycle riders need to adopt the same attitude. Right now, they are seen as whiny little shits who think the world revolves around them. Haven't they heard -- the world revolves around Toronto?

[watcher1]

Isn't Lombard Street that crazy, zig zagging one?

Nice idea maybe for smaller cities and such but in our city where crime cannot be controlled, license plates for bikes would be just another unenforceable law.

I actually have seen Chicago cops enforce bike regulations.  I saw two cops on Segways chase a pedicab on the sidewalk on Michigan Avenue and write him a ticket for operating on the sidewalk.  Too bad my camera was in my luggage.


We have pedicabs?  lol  The "Loop" is a city unto itself. Where all the money is so the mayor makes sure the tourists do not see the "real" Chicago.  If asked, I am sure the citizens on the South and West sides would rank licensing bicycles pretty far down the list of things needed to be done.