the rix mix

N.J. lawmaker withdraws proposal to require license plates for bicycles

If the proposed bill had been enacted, riders or their parents would plunk down up to $10 a year to register them with the Division of Motor Vehicles. And anyone caught riding a bicycle without a license plate on public property could face a fine of up to $100 for each offense.

Like the DMV  needs more business.   Not really "news." The bill didn't have a chance of being passed. As it is, bikers don't get ticketed for riding on sidewalks, against traffic, & at night without lights & reflective devices. Nobody inspects bikes. Few towns are really bicycle-friendly. Special bike paths & trails are also a pedestrian paths.

Local registration programs are good. But they're mainly to help in recovering stolen bikes.

Aside from the idiots who ride junky bikes at night (on foot, you can sometimes hear them coming from their squeaks & rattles), only the bike clubs that meet in county parks bother me. Rahway River Park has a one mile, one way road lapping it, & a group of 20 or more bikers gathered there late every afternoon. After a few laps the bikers tended to stretch out, So when you wanted to cross the road , you waited for a break in the car & bike traffic, stepped into the road only to be nearly run down by a pedaling straggler. You had to fight an an urge  to kick at the bike, hopefully sending it & the rider careening down an incline, into the stinky pond.