Northeast - Council Member Ulrich wants to license bikes in NYC

Send an e-fax to Councilmember Ulrich and let him know what you think of this idea to require licensing of all bikes in NYC

http://www.transalt.org/takeaction/actioncenter/5059#action

That proposal doesn't stand a snowflake's chance in hell of being enacted. Old story, it would just cost too much to enforce. Same thing just went down in Trenton.

I think the idea in Trenton was to require that all bikes be REGISTERED for $10/yr. LICENSING cyclists, if it includes making them take written and road tests, doesn't seem like such a bad idea to me. My guess is that it would just be a half-assed way of collecting money from us every year, though.

I think the idea in Trenton was to require that all bikes be REGISTERED for $10/yr. LICENSING cyclists, if it includes making them take written and road tests, doesn't seem like such a bad idea to me. My guess is that it would just be a half-assed way of collecting money from us every year, though.
Sounds like Ulrich's proposal is mandatory registration and visible licenses for bicycles just like what was proposed in NJ:
http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/new-york-councillor-proposes-compulsory-bike-registration-28943

But I'd consider a requirement for the cyclists to be licensed as even worse. How many kids would that discourage from ever getting started with bicycling? It would present a hurdle to entry by new cyclists who may be undecided about taking up the activity. Therefore it would eventually reduce the amount of cycling making the streets less safe for the remaining cyclists.

Currently in most places cyclists have a right to use the roadways as part of the fundamental right to travel on the 'King's Highways' going back to Magna Carta times in English common law and interpreted by the US Supreme Court to be a constitutional right despite not being explicitly stated in the US Constitution. In contrast, motor vehicle operators gain the 'privilege' of using the roadways by going through the requirements to get a Drivers License. But that privilege can be revoked on various grounds. I would not care to exchange our current right to the roadway for a privilege granted when deemed justified by the government through the issuance of a license.

So far Councilmember Ulrich hasn't been very specific about what this license, or registration of bikes might entail. He describes some kind of identification tag to help police track down errant cyclists. Maybe he expects other councilmembers to flesh out his plan.

Urlich says he's not going after kids on tricycles but this kind of legislation would put a real crimp in the City's planned Bike Share program, the annual Summer Streets, and possibly even the 5 Boro Bike Tour which draws something like thirty thousand riders, many of them from outside the City.


http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2011/01/17/2011-01-17_repeat_offense.html

http://gothamist.com/2011/01/15/bike_license_councilman_cyclists_br.php

His district is in Queens, one of the more higher auto ownership boroughs. He's trying to make his mark, hopefully charles baron or letittia james will take him down a notch. yeah, I said that, baron and james.

He says it's a "common sense piece of legislation" that "will improve safety," but:

- he provides zero evidence. common sense suggests the opposite, that slapping a registration sticker on a bike does not magically make the rider safer. of course, consistent & vigorous police enforcement would.

- he mistakenly believes that currently, bicyclists don't get ticketed. and that this registration will somehow help.

I sent the e-fax, for whatever good it will do. Ugh.

I sent the e-fax, for whatever good it will do. Ugh.

If Ulrich is your councilman, good for you for sending him a message.

But for those not in his district, it would be a waste of time: Pols are only interested in [the votes of] their constituents. So if this thing ever does pick up any steam (which I sincerely doubt) the thing to do is to contact one's own council person.

Again, wacko schemes such as this have been proposed every few years since like forever and have always been shot down in no time-- primarily as enforcement would just be prohibitively expensive, but also because the whole idea is just so unpopular.

Here is what he says

I'm not looking to harass kiddies on tricycles. And I'm not trying to say that if you're in the park you need a permit. But if you're 18 and use city streets, you should be accountable, just like if you own a car you need to get registered and get a license and insurance. I'm not going that far; we just need to get a handle on a situation that is out of control. I think it will improve safety for everybody if bicyclists get a registration sticker that they pay $3 for or whatever is for five or ten years. This is not a revenue generator. We have a law on the books in the city that says that the cost of the application can not exceed to cost of printing and processing it. I have never, never seen a cop car pull over a bicyclist for running through a red light. I wish they would, because those are the ones who are creating problems every day in the city. If these people are not obeying traffic laws, they should be held accountable




To me the bigger problem is pedestrians not obeying traffic laws.

I don't know if anyone here get's NY1 on their cable system but they're running an ad for their news.
It's about how NY'ers are in the know. See the part on how NY'ers know not to look at the light but to watch for the traffic to cross the street. What is that suppose to mean? That's really close to jaywalking.

I think he should place a bill calling for the licensing of pedestrians.

The bill is just stupid, you don't need license plate to get a ticket and enforce the law.

FYI, Brian Lehrer did a spot on this topic earlier today on his NPR show.

http://www.wnyc.org/shows/bl/2011/jan/21/bike-crackdown/

Thanks for the Brian Lehrer link. Great show!