If bike registration were introduced....

Gotte

would you break the law and ride unregistered?

I know the theories about whether it could or could not work, that's not the point. WHat I'm interested in is who among you would be happy to be registered and who would break the law.

For me, I fear I'd have to break the law. One of the enduring beauties of cycling for me is the freedom. I can build a bike in my garage and ride it without having a string of tests and taxes.

Don;t get me wrong, I ride totally (or mostly) legally - wait at lights keep off pavements ets, but the idea of being tested, taxed and registered. Man, I just felt the shudder down my spine.

How about you?

DavidTQ

Id be 100% legit, just my way. Part of my confidence on the road comes from my belief that Im doing it right.

Random Vince

if i'm taxed as the current tax laws are then i'm fine, i'm an emission free vehicle and as such pay nothing in tax.

if paying bike tax would be going to cycle lanes then i'd stop using the cycle lanes (since i hardly ever do)

i'd be supprised if my bike's got through tests, due to all of them not having reflectors

the mountain bike was built in my bedroom (got clouted round the head by mum for that one) and as such has no reflectors as i've not seen anywhere to buy them from.
and the pedal reflectors dropped off

the road bike, well the spd's don't allow for pedal reflectors, besides it was built before reflectors were a legality and thus, like car seat-belts on cars built before a certain date, i assume it would be exempt.

it all depends on what i'm being asked to do and how its enforced,

if it was a sensible system then no, i'd not break the law

so i guess the answer is yes, i would ride breaking the law, as there is no way it will end up being a sensible system.

chronyx

Nope.

il_principe

The whole thing is an absurdity. I have 3 bikes, all of them road bikes (1 singlespeed/fixed), would I have to register and pay a fee for each bike? Plus there is no way I'd fit reflectors to my Pinarello, and I use speedplay pedals so pedal reflectors are an impossibility. The thing is the people that would put such a system in place won't be cyclists - you can guarantee that, just look at Ruth Kelly and Bikeability. So they'll make the assumption that most cyclists are pootling commuters who only own 1 bike and won't mind covering it in unnecessary paraphernalia.

I'd register my commuter but not the other 2, I can't see it be rigorously enforced - just another pointless law a la the foxhunting ban.

Bl00dy pavement riding RLJ'ing numptie to$$ers will have a lot to answer for if this ever becomes reality.

el_presidente

given the revelation that 40% of all motorbikes are untaxed it is clearly unworkable, unenforcable, will never be introduced and even if it is everyone will just ignore it anyway. Not somethign we should be spending our time worrying about.

graham_g

I'd cut a hole in the front of my shorts and make sure that my sack was hanging out permanently so that I was adequately prepared to tell any enforcing body/member of the public to suck my balls should they ask about my registration.

Gussio

Graham G wrote:

I'd cut a hole in the front of my shorts and make sure that my sack was hanging out permanently so that I was adequately prepared to tell any enforcing body/member of the public to suck my balls should they ask about my registration.

That is by far the funniest thing I have read all morning!

el_presidente

Graham G wrote:

I'd cut a hole in the front of my shorts and make sure that my sack was hanging out permanently so that I was adequately prepared to tell any enforcing body/member of the public to suck my balls should they ask about my registration.

You are Jimmy Carter AICM presidential library

http://www.theonion.com/content/opinion ... eeds_right

graham_g

Oh how I love the Onion.

Parkey

Going by this government's recent history their answer would indeed be to pass umpteen new laws, legislate and regulate but not allocate any resources to actually enforce any of it.

All that's really needed IMHO is for some decent cycle training to be made available.

Gotte

Graham G wrote:

I'd cut a hole in the front of my shorts and make sure that my sack was hanging out permanently so that I was adequately prepared to tell any enforcing body/member of the public to suck my balls should they ask about my registration.

Well said that man.

cee

el_presidente wrote:

given the revelation that 40% of all motorbikes are untaxed it is clearly unworkable, unenforcable, will never be introduced and even if it is everyone will just ignore it anyway. Not somethign we should be spending our time worrying about.

This statistic is made up.

The reason that so many bikes are untaxed is that they are kept off the road for 6 months a year and the DVLA has already openly admitted that it has allowed this by not chasing up the SORN's on motor bikes.

So.....it is simply not true to say that 40% of motor bikes are driven illegally.

fossyant

It will never happen considering the wide availability of bikes - peeps will just dump the £69 ones if any fee comes in. I'd be asking for a nice road tax discount as my car sits on the drive 5 days a week and is only used at weekends.

fossyant

Sorry Vehicle Excise Duty discount !!!

Papa Smurf

I'd ride illegally. There is no way in hell I'd pay for the privelage of using the roads or anything when 1. I am totally economically friendly and 2. I cause no damage to the road surface because I don't go fast enough. If cycle lanes are there I use them but otherwise I mostly stick to the road, sometimes using the path to either turn around and go back to a crossing or cut off to wherever I'm going.

Say for instance your on a big long road, the traffic's jammed and drivers are close to the kerb, making it so you couldn't get through without taking a few wing mirrors with you. If the path was clear, or even had a grass verge to the side of it.. What then, are we expected to sit around in traffic when we can just nip up the path with no one on it?

As for being registered... No way. How on earth would I get away with anything if I did that