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Bicycle liscense plates


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Yes, this bites, but a lot of those "money hungry assholes" are facing deficits that need to be fixed, and this really isn't as bad a solution as stripping away public employees collective bargaining rights.

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this isn't really much worse/different than having a register a dog. i think people can spare $2 a month for the first year (and then $.42 a month for each year after).

however, putting plates on bikes is pretty unsightly. then again, i had a pretty rad fake neon one that said some cool 90s word on it as a kid that i loved. so if the plates are neon, i can get behind that!

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Yes, this bites, but a lot of those "money hungry assholes" are facing deficits that need to be fixed, and this really isn't as bad a solution as stripping away public employees collective bargaining rights.

Honestly, I'd rather be able to own a bike for free than give high school dropouts the "right" to make more money than a scientist with a PhD just because he's in a union. I'm all for paying people whatever some fool is willing to pay them, but when it's the public the situation changes a bit for me. Although honestly I don't think it's fair or even reasonable that an American car costs half again as much as it should because uneducated people make $150,000 a year to screw on bumpers all day.

And don't get me started on farmers, the single laziest, money-hungriest group of "workers" in the U.S. of A. Subsidies and unions are killing this country.

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Yes, this bites, but a lot of those "money hungry assholes" are facing deficits that need to be fixed, and this really isn't as bad a solution as stripping away public employees collective bargaining rights.

Honestly, I'd rather be able to own a bike for free than give high school dropouts the "right" to make more money than a scientist with a PhD just because he's in a union. I'm all for paying people whatever some fool is willing to pay them, but when it's the public the situation changes a bit for me. Although honestly I don't think it's fair or even reasonable that an American car costs half again as much as it should because uneducated people make $150,000 a year to screw on bumpers all day.

And don't get me started on farmers, the single laziest, money-hungriest group of "workers" in the U.S. of A. Subsidies and unions are killing this country.

came to post

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taken from an article i read online (and channeling life of brian):

"Okay, well, apart from the eight-hour work day, and the forty-hour work week, weekends, sick days, vacation days, paid leave, maternity leave, workplace safety regulations and health standards, social security, the minimum wage, pensions, worker insurance plans and benefits, child labor laws, the retirement age, unemployment insurance, disability pay, overtime pay, laws regarding discrimination and harassment in the workplace, and the downfall of the Polish Communist Party... what have the unions ever done for us!?"

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Yea, exactly.

Even if you aren't IN a union, you've benefited from their work. They still continue to fight for things that benefit workers overall, not simply their members. I know some will write them off because they're left, but Paul Krugman and Mother Jones' blogs have defended unions pretty hard in the last few weeks. They're certainly worth a read before you completely discount unions and think they are at their twilight or deserve to be.

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I don't get all of the anti-union shit. "Please, multi-national conglomerate... please continue to exploit me."

Funny how much the have-nots have bought into the kool-aid of the haves. They're against the very organizations that try to level the playing field.

That said, I have no problem with bicycle license plates/registration. In the eyes of the law, a bicycle is considered a motor vehicle; you can get a traffic citation and a DWI just like in an automobile. Makes sense you should have the vehicle registered.

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Does a family with 4 small children like the one across the street from me need to register all the bikes in their family? What if you sell a bike? Pass one down to a sibling? Give it to a cousin? Does it have to be re-registered? Does this only apply to bikes that will be ridden in the street? Road bikes? Mountain bikes? BMX bikes?

Do bikes need a VIN? One of the intentions of this bill is to deter bike theft, though I imagine the plates will be removable.

This just seems unnecessary.

I can skateboard down the street, too. Does that need a license? What about my roller blades? Some of my friends still scooter, those need registration? There's wheels in those Heelie shoes, someone should probably be forced to register those with some plates.

I see kids riding motor-scooters and mini-bikes that actually DO have motors.. shouldn't those be forced to register first? They aren't now.

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Does a family with 4 small children like the one across the street from me need to register all the bikes in their family? What if you sell a bike? Pass one down to a sibling? Give it to a cousin? Does it have to be re-registered? Does this only apply to bikes that will be ridden in the street? Road bikes? Mountain bikes? BMX bikes?

Do bikes need a VIN? One of the intentions of this bill is to deter bike theft, though I imagine the plates will be removable.

This just seems unnecessary.

I can skateboard down the street, too. Does that need a license? What about my roller blades? Some of my friends still scooter, those need registration? There's wheels in those Heelie shoes, someone should probably be forced to register those with some plates.

I see kids riding motor-scooters and mini-bikes that actually DO have motors.. shouldn't those be forced to register first? They aren't now.

I don't have a problem with this bill at all. I can't speak for upstate, but in NYC, a lot of bicyclists ride around with little regard for anyone else (cars, pedestrians, etc). Here's an interview with the guy who introduced the bill and why he feels the bill is needed:

http://gothamist.com/2011/02/28/bike_license_assemblyman_envisions.php

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Then make it a NYC law! Out here in the 'burbs we generally stay off to the side or on sidewalks and don't fuck-up traffic. Don't fuck us over with their shitty downstate problems.. this is why I HATE New York City.. the whole state shouldn't have to bend over backwards because there's problems with YOUR finances and YOUR behaviors.

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This highlights the problem more than anything:

Is there anything in there about what the penalty would be if someone was riding a bike without a license plate? No, there is no penalty aspect to this yet but, again, we have penalties currently for people who are riding without a helmet, not riding with proper lights, not riding in the right direction, and those aren't being enforced either, which I believe speaks to a lack of manpower in the police department and maybe the priority of how people feel about trying to enact every piece of legislation that's currently out there.

Fix your own fucking law enforcement before tacking on another unnecessary law.

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With the push to go green and the looming threat of exorbitant gasoline prices, I believe you're going to see cyclists in greater and greater numbers in coming years. I am absolutely not opposed to modest fees to register my bicycle, or even having to obtain a separate license or certificate to operate it on city/municipal streets. A portion of these proceeds should obviously go to making more dedicated bicycle lanes/corridors.

Don't see the problem at all.

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What department would have time to handle this paperwork? It seems unenforceable unless a violation lands right in an officers lap.

I had a gripe with a neighbor not long ago and found out that my cats needed to be registered annually. In fact, in most areas of NJ cats need to be registered with rabies tags visible. I've owned cats 25 years and this was all news to me. To the point: some things will go on the books and just be forgotten - since bike registration has no impact on public safety it will be a very quick hit if any and then buried under all the more important statures (and far behind things like parking and traffic tickets which will bring in more revenue anyway).

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