Sy Reene

I'd be willing for there to be say, a national required Federal bike registration, but stickerless. Eg. $10, and every serial number of every new bike has to be entered with it's owner's info. bikeindex.org seems to be stab at doing similar, though privatized. They even have a few city governments signed up I think.

bruce19

Thanks for your opinion.

rsbob 

Not my opinion in the least. I started this thread and definitely did not ask in any way, shape or form for people to make any comments about their approval or disapproval of bike licenses. Please go back and reread. This was supposed to be a fun and informative thread and then you have to turn it into some type of personal commentary about government. Give it a rest or start your own thread about being pissed off about life. Can’t people just talk about bikes without negativity about politics and government creeping in?

Wanderer

Backi n the early 1950s, it was really cool to have a real license plate on your two wheeler!

GiovanniLiCalsi

Here is a very old bicycle messenger service tag and some license tags...

qwkteg125

In San Francisco you can register your bike through sfsafe dot org and get a sticker with a serial number on it to give you a .00001% better shot at recovery in the event your bike is stolen. It is optional and does not cost anything.

Danhedonia

rsbob I'm receptive to your expressions of impatience, but I'm afraid I also understand the antipathy towards licenses: my limited experience with them (Boston suburbs, 1970's) was very negative. Not only were the desired benefits not obtained, but you had to pay $25 (a LOT in the 70's) to have a bike, or else face the wrath of local bored cops.

I'm not kidding about the last part - my Dad was 'pulled over' by a cop on a training ride, driven home and his bike taken down and held at the police station so he could come down and "pay for a license" and get it back. (citation: Concord, MA, 1977, on Lowell Rd.) It seemed to me then - and now - like a real cash grab.

My dad didn't mess around after that, and all bikes in the family were appropriately "licensed." However, two of mine were stolen and both recovered by cops, who never bothered to look up the unremoved license serial # and contact us. Both times my dad went down and asked to see the upcoming auction bikes, and each time got my bike back.

Anyhow.

bruce19

Postings are like children. You might give them life but you can't control their lives. If you can, it's like talking to yourself.

scott967

It's Hawaii. And yes, it is a vehicle tax. Should note that it applies to bikes with wheels over 20" (I think under that is considered a "toy bicycle"?) They added a new category for e-bikes, which are $30. They made moped registration an annual fee of $27.

scott s.
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scott967

You're right. Putting misdemeanor arrests on people for not wearing a mask is their main occupation ATM. (1 yr and $5,000 fine). They arrested the Surgeon General of the US a couple months ago.

scott s.
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rsbob 

You are absolutely right. I have zero issue with different rabbit tracks, but get very tired of the grouching and venting about government on a bicycle forum, unless it’s a special forum area created for those folks to have at it. I know there are those which are bitter and disgruntled and love to strike out at any opportunity, but is a bike forum the appropriate place to do it? This homey don’t think so.

mdarnton

When I got my first bike, c1956, a 24" dark red bike with pin striping on the fenders, it had to have a license which was in the form of a tiny plate about 3 x 4 inches, stamped like a real plate, in a color that was the state license color. It was held on with a metal tape and round ball seal the same as deer licenses of the time, just above where the rear brake would have been if anyone I knew would have had a bike with a hand brake. I think it cost $1.50 or so.

Bill in VA

Former PA resident here. I remember the small metal license plates. The dates pictured are in the 50's, but they still had them in my town in the early 1960's, then went to the foil or plastic stickers. The metal plates were very poplar on Stingray bikes. It was a PD issue and I do not know if there was a law or ordinance or if it was a community outreach thing with the PD. I do remember Police bike safety talks during grade school, where all students walked or rode a bike to school, no buses. I also remember kids getting bikes stolen and actually getting them returned by the PD.

In college in Happy Valley, they had them but it was largely ignored (early 1970s), plus who wanted a sticker on their new bike boom "10 speed".

I have no idea if a bike license is an issue in VIrginia. I have never seen one or heard of one while in the LBS.

Cyclist0108

Some people simply like to point out inconsistencies of the idiocracy in a cheerful and engaging manner.

Also, there is something fundamentally concerning about the idea of a bicycle license. It's almost like a Libertarian Party registration card.



When I lived in Cambridge, UK, people were required to get a TV license. I didn't get one. I told them it was un-American.

Phil_gretz

Former NJ resident here. I remember all of these. Police bike safety talks because many of us walked or biked. My bike was stolen and returned by the PD. I think that I began riding my bike to school because of the Police introduction to bike safety.

shrtdstncrdr

I remember there being bicycle plates to collect in... cereal I think?

Doc_Wui

Evanston, IL used to require bikes to be registered. That was done at a big quonset hut where they also inspected your automobiles. There was a headlight tester and some rig for testing car brakes. But back to bikes, you got a metallic decal applied to your bike. Hard to remove,

I was about eleven when my bike got stolen from in front of a Kresges, and it was recovered via the decal.

When I was about 13, they gave me a ticket for riding on the sidewalk in the business district.

Chuck M 

When my little town started to crackdown on riding on the sidewalks on Main Street, my parents warned me about it like I would go to prison if I got caught. They also told me to never ride my bicycle on Main Street and use the sidewalk.

Road Fan

They already are. Do you just ride on either side of the street any time you want? If not, Government is involved in your cycling.

Road Fan

I grew up in the part of chicago directly south of Evanston. I pedaled to, around, and through all of Evanston.

Anyway it looks like you've experienced the full scope of government services.

Road Fan

I'm sure Rudy G would be willing to step in and take the case.

bruce19

Can you get a ticket for riding on the wrong side in your state? I've never heard of such a law or it's enforcement in CT.

CargoDane

I very much doubt you cannot get a ticket for doing that as you are a vehicle. I would think that any even moderately modern country (or state) would have such a law as you are a vehicle, albeit not a motorised one.

But, anyway, why would you want to ride on the wrong side ot the road?

Found an article about Connecticut. Turns out they apparently have more ruls specific to cycling than many other states. One is to not ride on the left side of the road:

https://bicycleuniverse.com/bicycle-...n-connecticut/

bruce19

You're taking my comment out of context. I never ride on the wrong side of the road. I was responding to a post by someone else. Thank you for the site re: CT.

CargoDane

No, it was in context in the sense that the "you" was a general "you". I could have written "one" instead, but that sounded a bit formal to me.
But you're welcome, I found the link interesting too as a Dane not really well versed in US state laws