Politics...

Blech.

Anyone who has known me for any length of time is well aware of the fact that I am not a lover of politics, politicians, or the mindless banter that goes along with political debates and discussion. I find most of it to be a mind-field of liars and manipulators who have a particular agenda that they wish to see through to completion. Now, I know that I sound very pessimistic, but allow me to go further.

I think it's GREAT. I mean, let the politicians do their thing. SOMEONE has to do it. Someone has to get out there and run the country - better it be them than me. I'm too diplomatic. I always want people to be happy, so I try to find the exact right words to tell them that they've done something wrong or that I'm unhappy with them. I sugarcoat things that could be said right out in order to save someone the discomfort of hearing raw words. I would make a pitiful politician.

For the first time in a long while, though...I found becoming actively involved in a political issue. Why, you ask? Because an Assemblyperson had introduced a bill to require all bicycles in the state to be registered AND to display a license plate. Oh, dear. Of COURSE I have to speak up on this one, right?

Some issues that hop off the page for me immediately are as follows:

1. How would you handle "out of state" riders? I live in New Jersey but often ride in Pennsylvania. If one state has "registration" but the other does not, how can you enforce the law when riders cross state lines?

2. What if an individual owns more than one bicycle? I currently own three and will likely have 5 before the end of 2011 (different types of racing bikes as well as a commuter bike). Am I expected to register each of these? Even with your "nominal fee" of $10 - that's $50 to register my bikes PER YEAR. That's more than car registration.

3. How do you plan to enforce this? Police officers have enough to handle with drivers committing infractions on the road that endanger the well-being of those around them. Is it really sensible for police officers to be concerned with whether or not a bicycle has a license plate and registration? This seems like a great misjudgment and misuse of law enforcement to draw their attention away from issues of actual importance.

4. License plates? Really? Again, as a competitive cyclist, I would NOT attach a license plate to my bicycle. Again, I see this as simply another way to charge a fee to ride a bicycle on the roads - I assume that we would have to pay a fee for the plate as well as the registration.

5. This really doesn't keep anyone any safer on the road. Making sure that a bicycle (or its rider) is registered, licensed, insured, or whatever bill/law would be sure to follow this one, does NOT make cyclists or drivers any safer. What would make cyclists and drivers safer would be to provide free education (pamphlets, etc.) about sharing the road so that all parties understand the laws and expectations of operating a vehicle on the road.

Turns out, I had misjudged the situation just a tad. In fact, this bill had NOTHING to do with the safety of cyclists on the road, or riders and drivers sharing the road. In fact, it was prompted by a few senior citizens had "called her to complain about children on bikes. The seniors told her they had been knocked down and had no way to register a complaint because they couldn't identify the rider." (Courier-Post, January 14th, 2011) A-ha.

Well...the good news is, the same article in the Courier let us know that the measure was withdrawn. For more on the bill and the withdrawal, click HERE.

See you on the roads - IF you can identify me without my license plate!!