The Chainlink

Writing on the wall: no more fixies, and license plates for all

The Philadelphia City Council is currently debating a new law that would make brakeless fixies illegal, and require bicycles to register and carry license plates, just as all motor vehicles must:

...City Councilman James Kenney...introduced bills...to increase penalties for...riding bikes without [a] brake, and to mandate registration and bicycle license plates....

An interesting discussion of this proposal is on the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia's website. But as the number of bicycles in major cities increases, I believe we can expect more attempts to regulate bike riders, and make us conform to existing traffic laws written for motor vehicles. In other words, here in Chicago it is not a question of "if" but "when" we will see similar misguided attempts to regulate bicycles...

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Permalink Reply by Vilda on December 4, 2009 at 8:07am
This keeps coming up. It's nonsense. Everyone needs a license plate? What if I only ride on weekends? Own 3 bikes? 6 year olds need plates?

A bigger issue would be if they require plates on bikes then they are acknowledging that bikes use the road. this creates 2 problems for the city that they don't want. First, if we are now acknowledged as users of the road then we can openly make demands that we expect to be done because we are paying for them. Also the many of the laws in Chicago/Illinois would need to be rewritten.

Good luck with the plates thing! ;-)
Permalink Reply by S on December 4, 2009 at 8:21am

Just as a note, it doesn't look like there's anything banning fixies. You just need to have a brake on it which is easily done. I don't see how this should be much of a problem.

Permalink Reply by Glenn on December 4, 2009 at 9:38am
I don't ride a fixed gear bike, but I don't seem them as "the problem" so much as irresponsible riding. And as much as I'd like the bicycle to be recognized as a vehicle, I will never put a license plate on mine or even consider registering just to ride.

I don't doubt though Chicago will test these, and possibly other, bike laws.
Permalink Reply by Active Transportation Alliance on December 4, 2009 at 9:39am
Licensing of bikes is not an appropriate answer.

We would certainly fight it if it was proposed here but the logistics/effort to implement and enforce something like this usually ends up being to much for municipalities to handle.

There have been two occasions when Aldermen have contacted our office in the past two years suggesting that these policies would be good and we stopped it.

If you hear directly from any Alderman that they are interested in such a policy, please contact us immediately.

Our position has always been that there should be no disincentives for riding a bike. We would also be concerned from a social justice perspective that municipalities would enforce this disproportionately in minority communities.

Rob Sadowsky
Executive Director
Active Transportation Alliance
Permalink Reply by ishnock aka the blue baron on December 4, 2009 at 10:00am
Yes....a hole can be drilled for a brake to be equipped on to a bike...

That can be done easily.

I was about to say...there is no way in hell they can ban fixed bikes.

License plates scare the hell out me.I can see Daley conjuring such an idea just to collect more money for the city....,,forcing all bikers to get license plates could turn into a cash cow.......


Fixed and free

Clark said:
I guess you're correct. I downloaded the proposed law from the BCGP website and it provides that "...the penalty for...not equipping a bicycle with a brake...shall be [immediate] forfeiture of the bicycle..." Question: Can all track bikes and fixies be fitted with at least one set of brake calipers? I'm not sure brake bolts exist on some bikes.
Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on December 4, 2009 at 10:41am
Why is it every freakin' time there is a law about mandatory brakes proposed anywhere on earth someone immediately posts it up as 'the banning of fixies?'

Stuff like this is nothing but alarmist nonsense; nothing has been made a law in Philly, only gone to the council and there is nothing in the works even on the home front here in Chicago.

Having to pay a fee to bike like you have to pay a fee to drive is coming and there is no way to stop with the exception seriously overhauling our local financial structure. Cities, not just our own, are desperate to find new revenue streams and a previously untaxed user of the public way is going to be a prime target.

Of course I'm not to sure how upset to be about it, once we pay we have more right to complain...
Permalink Reply by Wild Bill on December 4, 2009 at 11:39am
Just because one city councilman in Philadelphia introduced a bill doesn't mean that it is a foregone conclusion in Chicago. Check your history, nearly every city council that made a license plate law changed their mind after not too long once it (and the citizens) realized what it would mean in reality. The cyclists in Chicago are VERY well organized and wouldn't put up with this for a second. I urge everyone to join the Active Transportation Alliance to keep silly crap like this from ever happening in Chicago. I am a member, but don't let that put you off :-)
Permalink Reply by mike w. on December 4, 2009 at 12:49pm
Basically, a license law is unenforcable, especially in a city that has- by my conservative estimate- about half a million bikes on the street and in garages, basements, etc...

So, what could a cop do? confiscate an unlicenced bike? i have a BIG picture of that. Imagine cops driving about in big trucks sweeping the streets, dozens of bikes at a time...

The best shot the city has to regulate bikes would be strict enforcement of existing traffic law, and even then, most Chicago cops have better things to do than chase cyclists.

Now, no politician (especially in Chicago) ever saw a potential revenue stream he didn't love, but strict enforcement of licensing or dedicated cycling enforcement would chew up vast resources in personnel, court time, storage, disposal, etc, etc, etc...

And what would one do to control out-of-towners and suburbanites encroaching on the city limits?

No... look more to increased random (and haphazard) strict enforcement of existing laws and more banning of bikes from more streets and areas around town.
Permalink Reply by igz on December 4, 2009 at 12:59pm
Licensing bikes is not a new concept...even in IL... seems to have been all the rage in the 40's thru 60's.

.

Permalink Reply by mike w. on December 4, 2009 at 1:05pm
Yes, but enforcement is still problematic. i believe that the licenses were more for marking a bike as identifiably registered property for discouraging theft.

iggi said: Licensing bikes is not a new concept...even in IL... seems to have been all the rage in the 40's thru 60's.
Permalink Reply by GabeW (not the other Gabe) on December 4, 2009 at 1:22pm
License plates for bikes is an interesting debate, and I know my viewpoint on here is a bit different than most, so I'll add my .02 to the discussion. (always thought having a differing view of bikes & cars than most chainlinkers was a good thing for progress, so keep it constructive everyone ;) )

I totally agree that license and registration fees are ways of making money for the city, but there are some good reasons for having them. When a car acts irresponsibly on the road they can be held accountable. Bikes are basically anonymous and a reckless rider can cause an accident and just ride off. Why shouldn't there be some kind of accountability for your actions on a bike? Most of the arguments in here for not having them are also issues for cars. People are pulled over disproportionately in minority communities. I own 3 cars and only drive on the weekend, yet I register them. Young children do not need to be licensed to drive a car or motorcycle off road, nor does that off road vehicle need plates. Children are not required to ride a bike in the street, so why should they need a plate to ride on the sidewalk?

Now obviously cars and bikes are very different, however if bikes are considered "vehicles on the road" and are subject to the same rights and regulations as cars, some sort of vehicle or rider registration doesn't seem out of the question for me. Cars, motorcycles, mopeds, small trucks, semi's, farm vehicles...these are all very different too, yet there are regulations specific to each type. I don't like it, but as more bikes populate traffic on the road, something is going to change (I like more bikes on the road, not the proposed change in laws). Like I got flamed for saying before - when cars replaced carriages, the infrastructure needed to be updated. As bikes are now "taking over" (not really replacing, but something similar is in progress), things are going to change. I agree that enforcing something like this would be hard, which is why a direct copy of a car's license plate for a bike wouldn't work, but at the moment unless you're physically stopped by an officer or angry mob you can get away with just about anything reckless on a bike that would have your drivers license taken away in a heartbeat if you tried it in a motor vehicle. And isn't that what's upsetting most of the anti-bike motorists out there? (that, and their perception that all cyclists ride that way because of the actions of a few)

Thanks for reading,
sincerely,
-a pro bike and car activist.
Permalink Reply by igz on December 4, 2009 at 1:43pm
Gabe, ive been blasted for this philosophy before as well. So many clench their fists, shout with slogans of "share the road". well...here you go. 'Share the road' does not mean 'give me the road, and ima do what i want, foo!', and it is in fact about accountability and SHARED responsibility, as much as it is a revenue generator, as much as it is bicycle law and advocacy. Yeah, it would be great if we werent in such a position, but we are, as with anything when you get to a certain mass. If there were no asshole drivers, and we were free of car accidents, its possible that cars would not need such regulation either.

i also remember...as a kid in eastern block europe...taking a bicycle license test. We were given a booklet regarding basic laws, right of way theories, and basic safety. We had to take a test and pass. i dont know how observed these licenses were, but it was there.

Simple question...its been asked and disputed before but i'll say it again... Do you get pissed off and shake your head at a driver that runs a red light??? And how often do you run a red light on bike??? Why should the expectaion not be the same?

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