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Politics :
Should Motorised Bicycles be licensed?
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Author | Message |
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Sirius B Send message Joined: 26 Dec 00 Posts: 24879 Credit: 3,081,182 RAC: 7 |
Over the past few weeks, I had some narrow misses with motorised bicycles on pavements(sidewalks) & unfortunately, one which did not miss this morning. Fortunately for me, the incident was witnessed by a traffic warden who grabbed the idiot until the police turned up. Cyclist was arrested & charged & I was patched up at the hospital. Our city has become inundated with these with most using the roads, but some continuously use the pavements. Even though the speed of these "vehicles" is not more than 20mph, they can still cause serious damage. As far as I am concerned, they should be taxed & licensed like motorcycles. I have written to the Chief Constable, local rag, local council & MP, yet nothing seems to be getting done about this. |
Sirius B Send message Joined: 26 Dec 00 Posts: 24879 Credit: 3,081,182 RAC: 7 |
It's the same laws throughout the country Chris. Agree with the police statement. I'm just waiting for an accident to happen with one of those & a car/truck. Maybe then we'll see something done. Edit: Just think of all that lovely lolly in Road Tax & Insurance, MOT & Driving licenses.... :) |
skildude Send message Joined: 4 Oct 00 Posts: 9541 Credit: 50,759,529 RAC: 60 |
Being an avid Bike rider, I know the law in Texas. Any vehicle that surpasses 10 mph cannot be ridden on the sidewalk. Children of course are an exception to that rule. motorized vehicles are specifically forbidden from sidewalks From the Texas DMV A scooter is not a legal vehicle classification so it will need to be registered as either a moped or motorcycle and you will be required to have a class M license. By legal definition a moped must meet all three of the following criteria and be on our online Certified Moped List (see link below) prior to registration. If the moped in question meets the criteria, but is not on our list it may be added by following the directions on our website for submitting a Moped Affidavit (see link below). If a two-wheeled vehicle does not meet all three criteria it must be registered as a motorcycle. also of note To be legally operated on a public street or highway, a motor vehicle must have a certificate of title and be properly registered with the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT). In general, TXDOT does not authorize the issuance of certificates of title for mini motorcycles. Therefore, the mini motorcycles are not eligible for registration. The main reason is that the majority of mini motorcycles lack a manufacturer's certificate of origin or equivalent document which is required for titling. Also the vehicles do not meet the equipment standards required by federal and Texas law. In addition, only DPS-approved moped models may be registered in Texas. Currently, no mini motorcycle model is on the list of approved mopeds. In a rich man's house there is no place to spit but his face. Diogenes Of Sinope |
W-K 666 Send message Joined: 18 May 99 Posts: 19048 Credit: 40,757,560 RAC: 67 |
I think Sirius is talking about e-bikes (electric bikes) and therefore the Texas rules are (as listed in Wiki) Texas and for Country regulations, a different Wiki article says.
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Sirius B Send message Joined: 26 Dec 00 Posts: 24879 Credit: 3,081,182 RAC: 7 |
Correct WK. the people I've seen riding these are adults & should know better than to ride them on the pavements. What made the accident worse is where it happened. It occured by the side of the City Cathedral which is practically in the town centre. It could have been a lot worse as many O.A.P's & morning shoppers were about. |
skildude Send message Joined: 4 Oct 00 Posts: 9541 Credit: 50,759,529 RAC: 60 |
On a side note. Arlington Texas has a wooded park called Legacy Park. It has approximately 8 miles of bike(walking) trails and about a mile of actual road. I had ridden to the farthest point on the bike trail and encountered a man and his son(10 year old at best) on motorcycles. The dad exclaimed to the son, "look at that another one on the trail", while looking at me under a sign that ironically said "NO MOTORCYCLES OR OTHER MOTORIZED VEHICLES ALLOWED ON THIS TRAIL" You have to wonder why some moron would ride a knobby tired dirt bike on a cement trail and think that the trail was intended for motorcycles. Perhaps he thought the city was being considerate in preventing his motorcycle from getting dirty In a rich man's house there is no place to spit but his face. Diogenes Of Sinope |
soft^spirit Send message Joined: 18 May 99 Posts: 6497 Credit: 34,134,168 RAC: 0 |
as far as licensing goes no. But they should ticket the heck out of thoughtless people whether they are on electric scooter, bicycle, skateboard, car, truck, bus, moped, segway, wheelchair, or anything else with wheels. Janice |
John Clark Send message Joined: 29 Sep 99 Posts: 16515 Credit: 4,418,829 RAC: 0 |
I am sorry to hear of your mishap from this moron. It there a case to get onee of these ambulance chasing law firms (no win, no fee and you always get 100% of the compensation) to sue the motorised cyclist. Particularly as UK law clearly states it's an offence to cycle on the pavement? It's good to be back amongst friends and colleagues |
Blurf Send message Joined: 2 Sep 06 Posts: 8962 Credit: 12,678,685 RAC: 0 |
Motorized bikes are pretty another version of a motorcycle (which in the US are licensed) so I say yes |
eteela Send message Joined: 27 Aug 12 Posts: 16 Credit: 2,372,113 RAC: 0 |
Sorry to hear of your accident. Never much fun. I don't like making more things subject to licencing though. Too much profit and enforcement/incarceration motive. Law abiding citizens, abide. so it's pointess to make more rules for them. People only aware of themselves will likely not be detered from their point of view untill being made aware by every other concious person around them. As travellers we do need to recognize the right of way is given to the slower traveller and to the one being over taken. IN return slower travellers agree to follow consistent operating methods on well traveled paths. Not walking multiple abreast or moving to single file (standard local side right/left) when alerted to approaching traffic from behind(here the standard is shouting 'trail'). Stepping aside to let faster traffic pass in narrow paths. Honestly it is far easier for fast bicycle traffic to travel on the road with traffic, some bikers do need to be educated by other riders. Public Service Announcments (PSA's) wouldn't hurt either. I ride on paths (pavement) when riding leisurely enjoying the scenery, I expect to give way to pedestrians often. When commuting I choose the road, I ride faster (out of both desire and courtesy to cars) and focus on riding in a straight consistant line telegraphing my expected actions and making eye contact with traffic. BIkes could be licenced and riders tested to do these things but honestly I think people do these things more consistantly when they understand they are a good idea and actually benifit them as bikers. The more bikes, electric and otherwise I see on the road the better I think we are doing as a society. Again sorry for your accident, but even with every rule imaginable, if something can go wrong, it will. Thats where we hope we've been good people and our friends will help us back up. And remove the offenders battery or short circuit it (lith ion batterys are spectular in this condition) |
Sirius B Send message Joined: 26 Dec 00 Posts: 24879 Credit: 3,081,182 RAC: 7 |
Licensing any form of motorized vehicle is institutionalized racism. Now that is the most idiotic statement I've ever seen on this forum! So you're quite agreeable to an untrained & unlicensed muppet driving an 18 wheeler? |
Sirius B Send message Joined: 26 Dec 00 Posts: 24879 Credit: 3,081,182 RAC: 7 |
Who are you calling "an untrained & unlicensed muppet?" Are you serious? |
John Clark Send message Joined: 29 Sep 99 Posts: 16515 Credit: 4,418,829 RAC: 0 |
Guy needs to spell out why this is institutionalised racism to charge a license on motorised vehicles and, and spell out his reasons and meaning for us plebs can understand where he is coming from! It's good to be back amongst friends and colleagues |
Sirius B Send message Joined: 26 Dec 00 Posts: 24879 Credit: 3,081,182 RAC: 7 |
& just what does that ode have to do with training & licencing? |
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