I think that's the point. Sounds like a law to let cops fuck with kids and liberals all they want. Two birds with 1 stone. It would probably involve a obvious registration sticker, so they could tell you haven't done it. And if they see it, they can still fuck with you and say they didn't see it. Complete and utter bullshit, sounds like to me anyways. Please, do write him, we don't need s precedent like that, so they can do the DEA thing and make it sound like because someone else passed a law everyone needs that law now. Most places you can already choose to register a bike if you want, but it's optional. You just go by the police station and they give you a decal or plaque to register the bike to you, to help prevent theft and the like. These are good programs. Mandatory ones are bad. Then what about bike tourists who ride accross the state? The whole point of bikes is freedom from any type of worry like this. The whole point of this bill sounds like it's to totally sabatoge bikes.
The tax WON'T do anything for you, as a cyclist. I bought my vingate touring bike for a dollar at a yard sale. Runs awesome. It's had about 5 bucks put into it since I got it about 5 years ago. I pulled my mountain bike out of a snowbank where it had been sitting upside down for a few weeks where I used to live. It's a good quality american made frame. I bought a few other ones that are sitting at my old house for under 5 bucks each, all good quality. A bike is currently basically free transportation if you really need it. You can keep it up with parts found on the side of the road and the amount of motor oil left in bottles on the side of the road for your chain. This bill doesn't sound like it's to protect cyclists or help them, it sounds like it's to control them. Part of a cycle is the freedom, including the freedom for long distance rides. I'm hoping to go on a tour in the next few years. Fuck going accross, and spending money in, new york, if this bill passes. *edit*http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/03/lawmaker-withdraws-bike-license-bill/ Paying for bike lanes should, pretty obviously, fall to the taxpayers in the area that decides to put them in. You mentioned sidewalks... well, they pay for those, and may use them. Same for bike lanes. In fact, they generally pay for road upkeep as well, it's not just vehicle registration, which doesn't put much towards it.
It could do a lot actually, I don't know about where you live but my city here has made great effort to build and improve the system of bike lanes here, actual lanes on avenues for cyclists so people don't have to ride with traffic, as well as installing bike racks and even putting up emergency response signals along the Farmington Canal trail to deter muggers, rapists and ect trying to use it's isolation(well relative isolation) to commit crimes. Plus it goes to more indirect things such as being able to upkeep streets as a whole better which means not having to ride over a pot hole every 10 seconds and less glass all over the place, as well as keeping trails, both be they paved ones like the Farmington canal trail, or more woodsy trails clear and not covered with brush and weeds. And that's just here, considering the bill came out of New York, how is it not helping cyclists when the city has poured millions over the past several years into making the city more cycle friendly. Again $5 is beyond reasonable, in fact if anything it should be higher. Combined with tax and bottle deposit, if you drink 2 30 packs this year, you've already paid more than $5 in taxes. That's where car property tax comes in which is generally several hundred dollars a year. But no tax minus the federal SS tax goes to any specific program, it all goes to the general fund which if your city does a lot to improve it's walking and biking areas is a good thing. I mean if this came out of a city that did nothing to promote bike ridership and just wanted more money that'd be one thing, but in regards to this specific bill, NYC has already spent millions, and is still going. *edit* And yea in regards to bike upkeep, I bought my bike used back in October and have so far only put about $5 into it, in the form of a bottle of lube for the chain and gears. And that's after quasi crashing it. A chain that's taken care of will last for god knows how long, a new tube for a tire cost like $10 and the tire itself if it needs replacing $15, but minus some serious damage a tire can normally just be patched up.(Putting a folded dollar bill between the tube and tire is also a good on the spot patch)
That's good to know about a dollar bill... I had no idea. Fraid I'm going to be out new tubes. Been riding hybrid tires low for traction on really rough stuff, and then when I did pump them up, first thin that happend was a massive rock went through. When I was patching that, I realized that the reason I've been slowly losing air is because the tubes are covered in welts from where i've ALMOST snake bitten it repeatedly. Oh well. Fuck it. I'm off topic, but the topic seems to have been withdrawn by the lawmaker, so.... yeah.
The dollar bill thing is more fun for the fact if you leave it there for more than a few days, you'll probably forget about it, then next time you go to change the tire or tube it's like "Hey! A dollar! My bike is shitting out money." Snake bites fuckin suck though, one of those little patches from a repair kit can normally keep a tube solid for a decent while, but a snake bite you're lucky enough if it holds enough to get home.
If you all support a bike tax for bike lanes and road infrastructure, do you also support a tax on shoes for sidewalks? It's the same fuckin' principle.
Ya'll are missing the point. In order to tax you yearly they make you register your bike and get a license or sticker. Just like cars or boats.
Which takes freedom from the cycleist, meaning if you're riding a bike that has not been registered you could be cited, etc. Bikes are a tool for freedom, it would totally undermine what they are. Which is why it was withdrawn
They can force people to register anything because said people don't actually own any of the items, they only hold them in equity. Since they were purchased commercially via the bailee accounts (named the same as the human they're attached to), and the bailees are owned by the corporations masquerading as the government, said corporations own everything bought via them and therefore have the final say, such as the cars, the bikes, even our bodies -- all held as collateral. Tragically, next to no one knows this, and so the scam continues on. What I find most fascinating is that fraud is required in order to continue it, humans saying they are something they are not and could never be. This is why I always sigh and shake my head whenever such discussions or proposed "laws" come up. In-depth knowledge detailing how the system works, going from the foundation barely touched upon in the first paragraph, can and has stopped "police", "judges", "courts" dead in their tracks. They don't want to lose their commercial revenue-collecting jobs for being exposed for fraud for passing themselves off as legitimate law-enforcers when they are not. Many don't even know they are not. "It's just the way it is." is the blanket dismissal often said. There is only one true Universal law, and that is "Do No Harm".
If I lived there I would be all for it. I live in London in the UK and I have written several letters to politicians asking why they cant impose a registration fee for cyclists and force them to take out some kind of third party insurance cover. I nearly got run over by some idiot on a cycle who was riding on the pavement (luckily it crashed into my friend standing next to me) and would not have been compensated whatsoever if I had had to take time off work for the injuries sustained. I think cyclists, not all, but some are a disgrace as they cycle through traffic lights on red, ride on the pavements, are rude and abusive if you even dare to suggest they are in contravention of the highway code and infact a couple of people have been murdered by cyclists who were asked by their victims to stop riding on the paths. I am absolutely pro registration and insurance for cyclists. its not even like in london they care i mean some of these cyclists are going at high speeds on the pavements. I actually watched one ride off after falling off his bike when he crashed after almost riding into a 3 year old that ran across his path. had he actually have killed the toddler I have no doubt the report would have said "accidental death" but in my opinion they should have done them for a lot more
i would out-bike them high speed chase!! keep your weird ass english laws on that side of the pond will ya? by pavement, do you mean sidewalk? i ride my bike in the road for that reason, and constantly get shit from asshole drivers that think i should ride on the sidewalk. if you get hit by a bicyclist and caused injury, you should be able to sue them for compensation. what if accidentally hit you with my golf club, should there be insurance for that? just so everyone knows, this proposed legislation was laughed at and didn't even come close to being voted on.
Lol stonk.... cyclists killing people. That's a good one. There's mentally ill people in all walks of life, but cycleists are generally the most mild mannered people who take a LOT of abuse from motorists and fools like you. Get a bike. On this note, I just almost died on my bike.... I would estimate I was doing 50+, and on a curvy mountain road with loose gravel on the corners. I didn't slow down enough on the strait, and didn't realize how sharp an upcoming curve was, and thought I could trail brake on it. Then I got there, and realized the road was banked the WRONG way, covered in loose gravel, and sharper than I thought. I quite literally thought I would run off into a tree and die. And that's the harrowing tale of how I just learned that trail brakeing is for the birds, and I really love life.
You make it sound like getting hit is a common happening for you... I've never been hit, but nearly been hit many many times. I just thought this time was special, because it was ME almost hurting MYSELF on a bike, while usually it's cars seeing how close they can come, throwing shit, etc... I've heard tell of aggressive pedestrians like stonk stepping into the road to take a swing at cyclists.... Shit, let's make pedestrians get insurance for when they cause crashes:mickey:
i got barely hit by a car once as they were making a right hand turn in front of me, cutting me off. they didn't even notice, and i steered away from it. i also got bumped into, then a guy got out and assaulted me in broad daylight. ended up with me telling the cops that they're fucking worthless and getting myself arrested for disorderly conduct. fuck the police and fuck asshole drivers! oh and fuck politicians too, as that was part of the original point of this thread.
....dayum, run into you, then assault you for it. You might have met stonk in real life. Did anything happen to the guy? I assume you told them that because they refused to do anything?....
I'd love to pay a $5 tax to own my bicycle here in Clay county KY (most unhealthy county in the US) if it'd get some safe cycling routes, but $25 won't be much to strengthen the budget.
