License plates for bikes and other dumb ideas in proposed bill

Watch out Wolv, if some Georgia legislators get their way you'll have to get your bike licensed AND have a 4"x7" license plate mounted to your ride. Highlights of the bill include:

• Every owner of a motor vehicle, ... every owner of a bicycle, and every owner of a trailer shall, during the owner's registration period in each year, register such vehicle as provided in this chapter and obtain a license to operate it for the 12 month period until such person's next registration period."
  
• "Any person purchasing or acquiring a bicycle shall register and obtain, or transfer, a license plate to operate such bicycle upon streets with motor vehicle traffic from the county tag agent in his or her county of residence no later than 30 days after the date of purchase or acquisition of the bicycle."
  
• "...License plates which shall be at least four inches wide and not less than seven inches in length..."
  
• "Persons riding bicycles upon a roadway shall ride single file except on bicycle paths, bicycle lanes, parts of roadways set aside for the exclusive use of bicycles, or when a special event permit issued by a local governing authority permits riding more than single file. Persons riding bicycles upon a roadway shall ride no more than four riders per single file line, and at least four feet shall separate each bicycle. At least 50 feet shall be maintained between each line of four riders at all times."
  

You can check out the full bill here:

http://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/en-US/display/20132014/HB/689

I realize that some groups of cyclists can be a little annoying and if you are in a hurry it isn't much fun to get stuck behind a slow moving cyclist, but this is absurd.

we had to register our bikes in the city of Syracuse in college, and they would ticket you if you used the wrong kind of lock on the bike racks... stupid.

One day all transportation will be by bicycle... When the oil companies fail!!!! Bwaaaaa haaaa haaaa!

No? You mean this won't happen?

Looks look the Leaf driver will have to pay his fair share after all.

growing up we had to to register our bikes. College it was optional but the cops were more likely to help with stolen bikes if they were registered.

Trailers in IL already have to have plates/tags.

IL is looking at registering ATVs though

When i was in elementary school, the headmistress got some grand idea to force kids to pay for license plates to ride their bikes to school. This being SC, and folks not taking kindly to such over-reach by authorities, more than a few folks called the office with questions like, "Do you really want to lose $2K in tuition over a four dollar license plate?"

The idea never came to fruition.

I remember registering my bike as a kid with the local police department. It was more to prevent bike thefts and to create a database in case your bike was stolen. I have no idea how much it cost, but it wasn't a requirement.

^The Man just wants a registry of bikes so the PTB caan seize them in the middle of the night.

Dexman PE said:

I remember registering my bike as a kid with the local police department. It was more to prevent bike thefts and to create a database in case your bike was stolen. I have no idea how much it cost, but it wasn't a requirement.

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+1. Same here. It was kind of like the bike was "officially yours" at that point.

knight1fox3 said:

Dexman PE said:

I remember registering my bike as a kid with the local police department. It was more to prevent bike thefts and to create a database in case your bike was stolen. I have no idea how much it cost, but it wasn't a requirement.

Click to expand...

+1. Same here. It was kind of like the bike was "officially yours" at that point.

Click to expand...

Because licensing automobiles has all but wiped out car thefts.

But it was one of those special stickers that you cannot remove without an angle grinder...

Anything that's gets the freeloaders of asphalt usage paying a little into the tax kiddy is fine by me....

like kids?

The usage tax for my 6-yr old's bike (if based on the vehicle's weight, purchase price, and age like my car), would be something like $0.03 per year...

The bill is strictly aimed at cyclist to use the road for business and leisure

kids don't use roads for leisure?

I don't think they intend this for subdivision roads but for yahoos that drive down barrett Parkway on the side of the road they are welfare queens of transportation and should pay their fair share wether they are in a cat or on a bike

I'd be willing to wager that 99% of those yahoos also own and drive cars and thus do pay their fair share.

roadwreck said:

I'd be willing to wager that 99% of those yahoos also own and drive cars goddam Priusesand thus do pay their fair share.

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FXT.

^^

You may have a point, Wolv. seems to be a pretty avid cyclist and he drives a Leaf!!! hmy:

I know a number of people who ride bikes on the roads, none of them do it as a commute alternative and none of them drive Priuses. They do it for exercise and recreation, and typically they don't ride during rush hour. That's just a death wish. This bill is targeted against people who ride for recreation and exercise. Dissuading people from exercising isn't a good long term practice, especially in state with one of the higher obesity rates in the nation.