Quantcast

Jail time for biking without a license?

  • Come enter the Ridemonkey Secret Santa!

    We're kicking off the 2024 Secret Santa! Exchange gifts with other monkeys - from beer and snacks, to bike gear, to custom machined holiday decorations and tools by our more talented members, there's something for everyone.

    Click here for details and to learn how to participate.

Mackie

Monkey
Mar 4, 2004
826
0
New York
WTF is this a-hole trying to do!?! This New York City Councilmember wants cyclist to have to have a license !?!?!?! :nuts:
Do me & other New Yorkers a favor and go to the Transalt site linked below and send this crank a fax.

From Transalt:
Stop the Anti-Bicycling Bill!

Councilmember Madeline Provenzano, sponsor of anti-bicycling bill Int. No. 497
A draconian anti-bicycling bill, Int. No. 497, was recently introduced to the New York City Council by Councilmember Madeline Provenzano.


If passed, Int. No. 497 would require every bicycling New Yorker over sixteen years old to obtain bicycle license tags from the NYC Department of Transportation. The bill stipulates that those who do not display such tags on their bicycles would be subject to up to 15 days imprisonment in addition to hefty fines and bicycle confiscation.


T.A. needs your help to defeat this appalling bill. Please send a fax to Councilmember Provenzano now using the form below!


Practically speaking, Int. No. 497 would criminalize bicycling, create more incentives to drive, and erect yet another obstacle for those seeking to do their part to reduce congestion, clean our City's polluted air and stay healthy.


If passed into law, Int. No. 497 would reduce the number of people who bike by as much as 50%, erode the "Safety in Numbers" effect, and make biking more dangerous. Research in multiple cities has shown that tripling the number of bike riders on the street cuts motorist-bicyclist crashes in half. Conversely, reducing the number of bikers will increase crashes. Indeed, as biking has grown in New York City over the past ten years, annual motorist-bicyclist crashes have decreased--in 2003, 13 bicyclists were killed by motorists. Int. No. 497 would turn back the clock a decade to the days when 20-30 NYC cyclists were killed by motorists each year.


Councilmember Provenzano's staff explained that her intent is to make it easier for law enforcement agencies to hold reckless cyclists accountable. However, according to her staff, the bill is not informed by formal conversations with any law enforcement personnel.


This bill is a malicious attack against people who ride bikes in New York City. It is aimed at stopping bike riding. Int. No. 497 must be stopped.


Under Int. No. 497 those bicycling anywhere within the city limits without their registration number tag would face stiff civil and criminal penalties including:


UP TO 15 DAYS IMPRISONMENT and

$100 - $300 criminal fine and

$100 - $300 civil fine and

a misdemeanor charge and

confiscation of one's bicycle.




Take Action!


Please fill out the form below and click "Send my fax!".* Since some e-mail programs do not allow form submissions, we recommend you visit this page in a web browser to participate:
http://www.transalt.org/press/askta/041116bikebill.html.
 

Skookum

bikey's is cool
Jul 26, 2002
10,184
0
in a bear cave
auto vehicle license tabs initially started out as a tax for commercial vehicles to help pay for the road thru which they did business on. That law has eventually wormed it's way into whatever else you state/city wants to charge you for. In Seattle for instance it's paying for a few monorail which alot of people don't like.

i guess what i'm trying to say is, i totally think the proposed initiative is crap, and if it passes in New York it could be just a matter of time before other metropolitan areas try it to pull the same scam.
 

BurlyShirley

Rex Grossman Will Rise Again
Jul 4, 2002
19,180
17
TN
sounds legitimate to me. you use the roads and the roads are paid for by tax dollars.

EDIT: I guess I should add that those punishments listed are similar to getting caught driving a car without tags.
 

Skookum

bikey's is cool
Jul 26, 2002
10,184
0
in a bear cave
BurlyShirley said:
sounds legitimate to me. you use the roads and the roads are paid for by tax dollars.
it's still a double tax though... ever hear of the Boston Tea Party?
and besides if the initial train of thought on the tax is to help repair the roads don't even try to compare the damage of a dump truck to a bike on pavement....
it's an outright scam. And uneducated fat morons who can't drive worth beans will vote for it because they don't know the real reason why license tabs were first made for. But misery loves company so they'll figure well hell, i gotta pay so they should too.
 

Skookum

bikey's is cool
Jul 26, 2002
10,184
0
in a bear cave
BurlyShirley said:
Im not joking. Why should cyclists not help pay for the roads they use?
hmm why don't you just start to sign a petition for pedestrians to slap a sticker on their ass when they use a crosswalk....
:stosh:
 

BurlyShirley

Rex Grossman Will Rise Again
Jul 4, 2002
19,180
17
TN
Skookum said:
it's still a double tax though... ever hear of the Boston Tea Party?
and besides if the initial train of thought on the tax is to help repair the roads don't even try to compare the damage of a dump truck to a bike on pavement....
it's an outright scam. And uneducated fat morons who can't drive worth beans will vote for it because they don't know the real reason why license tabs were first made for. But misery loves company so they'll figure well hell, i gotta pay so they should too.
Road maintenance for damage caused by automobiles is not ALL that license and tag fees pay for. Simple things like repainting the lines, paying street sweepers, paying the guy that removes the deer carcasses. There are a million costs Im sure to maintaining roads, and if cyclists are using them, I dont see how its wrong to ask them to pay taxes.
 

Skookum

bikey's is cool
Jul 26, 2002
10,184
0
in a bear cave
BurlyShirley said:
Road maintenance for damage caused by automobiles is not ALL that license and tag fees pay for. Simple things like repainting the lines, paying street sweepers, paying the guy that removes the deer carcasses. There are a million costs Im sure to maintaining roads, and if cyclists are using them, I dont see how its wrong to ask them to pay taxes.
Once... Twice... Three times a tax.....

That would be how many times an average bicyclist would pay. There are already taxes for roads on the city/state level i'm sure. And if you own a car then you get hit again, then you ride a bike you get hit again.
But i guess you have a point SOMEONE has to pay to remove all those deer carcasses outta Manhattan....
 

BurlyShirley

Rex Grossman Will Rise Again
Jul 4, 2002
19,180
17
TN
Skookum said:
Once... Twice... Three times a tax.....

That would be how many times an average bicyclist would pay. There are already taxes for roads on the city/state level i'm sure. And if you own a car then you get hit again, then you ride a bike you get hit again.
But i guess you have a point SOMEONE has to pay to remove all those deer carcasses outta Manhattan....
Well you pay tag taxes for any amount of vehicles you have, this is basically what this is. A tag for another vehicle. As costs rise in this world and more tax dollars are needed, I think its pretty close minded to expect car drivers to cover ALL of it, especially when cyclists are always whining about no equal rights no the road. IMO, such a tag or license would legitimize cyclists complaints and actually help the situation.
 

stosh

Darth Bailer
Jul 20, 2001
22,248
408
NY
Skookum said:
hmm why don't you just start to sign a petition for pedestrians to slap a sticker on their ass when they use a crosswalk....
:stosh:
I'm gonna release the Jawas on NYC.
 

DH Diva

Wonderwoman
Jun 12, 2002
1,808
1
Would you have to buy a seperate license for every bike you ride on the city streets?? Or is it that you as a cyclist would have to have a license that would work on any bike your on?? Could you imagine having to license your road bike, XC hardtail, XC full sus, Urban bike, DH bike, commuter bike, and of course the beach cruiser if you ever planned on riding any of them on the city streets?? Were I live we ride almost all of our recreational bikes to our ride destinations from our houses, that's probably not as common in New York but man it could add up quick if you have multiple bikes.
 

pnj

Turbo Monkey till the fat lady sings
Aug 14, 2002
4,696
40
seattle
so it's only if your over 16?

I have a hard time seeing the cops pulling every person on a bike over to check their licence. in Seattle there is a mandatory helmet law. you get a ticket if you don't have a helmet. the University District has so many (hundreds?) of people riding all around, going to and from class, and 90% don't have helmets on. One would think the cops would just stand there and hand out tickets all day long. but they don't.

I don't see this going anywhere. there are WAY too many causal bike riders. unless it's mandatory for the bike shop to check your ID and then sell the licence when they sell you a bike. that means wal-mart, k-mart, sears, toys-r-us and all the other crappy stores will have to do the same thing. I just don't see it working as it's planned.

kinda like the gun laws. they may sound good, in theory but who here doesn't own an AK-47?
 

SkaredShtles

Michael Bolton
Sep 21, 2003
67,823
14,161
In a van.... down by the river
Skookum said:
auto vehicle license tabs initially started out as a tax for commercial vehicles to help pay for the road thru which they did business on. That law has eventually wormed it's way into whatever else you state/city wants to charge you for.
You mean like Federal Income Tax? :think: :mumble:

-S.S.-
 

Clark Kent

Monkey
Oct 1, 2001
324
0
Mpls
What the heck is with the city gov in that town? Hell with the city.... The state gov bites ass as well...??? Time for EVERYONE to ride without tabs...
 

MudGrrl

AAAAH! Monkeys stole my math!
Mar 4, 2004
3,123
0
Boston....outside of it....
Wow, that whole proposition would really suck for all of the people who participate in Bike New York.................


not to under estimate the effect on the massive number of people who live in the city.

So, if you get your auto license revoked (for say, drunk driving) does that mean that you also get your bike license revoked?
 

gschuette

Monkey
Sep 22, 2004
621
0
Truck
Maybe we should require a tag for the ass of the cops horse. It ****s all over the place and someone has to be paid to clean it up so let register all the NYPD horses.
 

TheInedibleHulk

Turbo Monkey
May 26, 2004
1,886
0
Colorado
Just remember everybody, they cant give you a ticket of they cant catch you. In boulder riding a bicycle drunk incurs almost the same penalty as driving drunk, of course unless you're hammered there should be no excuse to let a cop catch you.
 

reflux

Turbo Monkey
Mar 18, 2002
4,617
2
G14 Classified
TheInedibleHulk said:
Just remember everybody, they cant give you a ticket of they cant catch you. In boulder riding a bicycle drunk incurs almost the same penalty as driving drunk, of course unless you're hammered there should be no excuse to let a cop catch you.
Apparently you don't know the penalty if you get caught running from the police, valid reason or not. It's not uncommon to get thrown in jail overnight if you run from the cops. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

In a nation full of fat-asses, you'd think that the gov't would be trying to preach exercise and physical activity, rather than taxing/penalizing the very sport that achieves that goal.
 

TheInedibleHulk

Turbo Monkey
May 26, 2004
1,886
0
Colorado
reflux said:
Apparently you don't know the penalty if you get caught running from the police, valid reason or not. It's not uncommon to get thrown in jail overnight if you run from the cops. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.
Oh I know, altough I got caught after trying to run once (they sent four squad cars to stop three trials riders on a college campus) and they didnt do anything. We saw the two cars and took off between the class bouldings and two more slid out in front of us hawaii 5-0 style, it was like Jesus what do they pay you guys for?? I guess there had been some vandalism on campus recently so they were being pretty agressive, once they found out we were just bike riders they just asked us to leave and that was it.