DeBlasio is thinking of adding license plates to bicycles.

[ch33zw1z]

I agree we the the above. I was just thinking that requiring a rider ID might be a better idea. But if we even get near bike insurance I'm done, fuck that noise.

 

[Brainonska511]

If they aren't legally parked, they should be treated just like any other personal possession that has been dumped on the public street (e.g. old mattresses or bits of furniture). Open season for anyone who wants to take them, or to destroy them.

For sidewalk parkers, it's often cops parking their personal automobiles on sidewalks near precincts, or well connected businesses like dealerships that think the sidewalk is their parking lot

On the surface it sounds silly but it gives police an enforcement mechanism because bike traffic is on the rise and people aren't sticking to the rules of the road.

No costs above what it takes to issue the plates and maintain records. If implemented it should only be for bikes that will ride in street bike lanes.

It also gives police another reason to harass people of color.

Police already can enforce laws against bikes. This idea of licensing would just discourage bike traffic, since you're adding barriers to such a low cost mode of transit.

 

[fskimospy]

The odds that the primary purpose of this will be for police to harass black and brown people seems to be near 100%.

 

[Brainonska511]

The odds that the primary purpose of this will be for police to harass black and brown people seems to be near 100%.

As if they need another reason

 

[Pohemi]

As if they need another reason

There's the (small amount of) licensing revenue that it could take in, but when you figure in the additional manhours and administrative costs for doing it...will it be worth it? Not likely.

I'd honestly be surprised if it was a net positive outcome in the end, as I believe it would just lose money for the city/county unless the fees were unjustifiably high and unsustainable.

It just seems pretty boneheaded when you look at it from a logistical and administrative standpoint, and likely requires some "fuzzy math" to pan out on paper.