Stop NY's Anti-Bicycling Bill

wrote in message
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Sheldon Brown wrote:

An anonymous poster wrote:

Let me play devil's advocate he

1) Bicycles are used on public streets, just like cars.

So are shoes and baby carriages and wheelbarrows and rolling suitcases
and roller skates and shopping carts and skateboards. Should these be
registered too?

2) I have to register my car each year, and make sure I have proof of
registration when I drive.

Is the registration requirement for motorized vehicles "anti-car"?

Given the similar requirements for motorized vehicles, how is a
bicycle
registration requirement "anti-bicycling"?

Citizens have a common-law _right_ to use the public thoroughfares to
travel under their own power. This right has existed from time
immemorial.

When automobiles first appeared, it soon became clear that they were
unusually dangerous, and so a special licensing/registration procedures
were developed to deal with this particularly hazardous device.

Operating a motorized vehicle on the public streets is a _priviledge_,
not a right, that's why they need licenses, registration and insurance.

Baloney. The state tells you it's a privilege, that's for sure. Any why
is it? Aren't you guaranteed the right to travel on public roads?
You can walk, jog, run, wear boots, shoes, sandals, go barefoot,
ride a bicycle, roller skate, ride a tractor, skateboard, ride a motor
bike of under 48cc' (in most states) without a license, registration,
or insurance on public roads, without any interference with the
law.. Why is a car a "privilege?"

I wouldn't try any of those activities on most interstate highways. Even
though they have wide shoulders that are perfectly safe, pedestrians, bike,
etc. are all banned from using them. Many other roadways have similar use
restrictions.

GG



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-TTFN

-Steven