NYC lawmaker: Cyclists: "license, registration and proof of insurance, please..."

[Earth_First]

Bill for bike registration

A state lawmaker is trying to hit the brakes on rogue cyclists.

Assemblyman Michael DenDekker (D-Queens) has introduced a bill that would mandate registration -- much as for motor vehicles -- for every bicycle in the state, complete with license plates hanging from the rear of the seats.

He also proposed a separate measure that would force every commercial cyclist in the state to carry identification and have insurance.

If the bill passes, the license plates would cost $25 in the first year and $5 each additional year for recreational cyclists.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/bill_for_bike_registration_V0xn4OSEoMaCmen71bMK1J#ixzz1FO1n3EwK

[villager]

1. Insurance!? Jesus, what a lackey. What's his donor list look like?

Which is to say -- which insurance companies bankroll him?

[X_Digger]

8. Yeah, licenses and insurance are for guns, not bicycles!

*snort*

Good to know there's an authoritarian step one too far, even for you.

[Ferret Annica]

2. This is bullshit. They should thank people who cycle, not tax them

If anything, they should reward us cyclists a rebate for the lack of wear and tear to the roads we are responsible for.

[Lovette]

3. WTF ??????

So what would this mean for our under age children who ride bikes and have no ID or insurance? They have wait until they are of legal age before they can ride a damn bike??? Please!

[Celebration]

5. the insurance requirement is for the business cyclists

like message delivery. Apparently they mostly have insurance anyway. An insurance requirement for that seems sensible. Not the other stuff...............

[uppityperson]

11. If they were commercial cyclists, yes. Not sure how many underage kids are though

Read. The. Message. Not just the subject line. Please!

[ejpoeta]

4. damn bicyclists are cutting into the tax money!! they don't register

and get licences that the state could use, and they don't pay for gas so no collecting taxes on that!! what about kids? gonna require it for kids? fuckin idiots!

[frazzled]

6. I think commercial cyclists (meaning messengers, delivery people) ...

should be registered and insured. They speed, can mow down pedestrians, or themselves be hurt. It's a business, and it is subject to regulation by the state.

As for recreational cyclists, that is touchier: I don't know where my husband would attach a license plate to his road bike. Serious cyclists who are really looking for the lightest, most aerodynamic frames, are not going to cotton to drilling holes in their uber-expensive carbon or titanium frames to stick a lunky license plate on. It's not that they shouldn't require a license, like for dogs. But displaying it is not so simple. Correct me if I'm wrong.

[NoPasaran]

9. A "plate" needn't be a metal placard

It could easily be an adhesive sticker affixed to the frame.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

7. This doesn't go nearly far enough,

Cyclists in New York and many other cities are a menace, this needs to go along with criminal changes - particularly addressing cyclists who leave the scene of accidents.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

10. So, you can't require health insurance for living...

...but you can for auto and cycles? Weird.