3 ms·

As it is, it's a huge amount of effort to slice out these clips, upload them somewhere, figure out the plates involved, and then go through my police department

As it is, it's a huge amount of effort to slice out these clips, upload them somewhere, figure out the plates involved, and then go through my police department's clunky incident reporting system. Hm. What's your stance on mandatory visible license plates for all bicycles on the street so people with dash cams can clip video and report bicyclists who improperly use lanes or who blow through stop or yield signs? Or who cycle without helmets in places where they're required?

mikepurvis 7y ago
Opposed, but not on principle. It's been studied and tried in many places [1] and just doesn't make any sense pragmatically. It doesn't make people safer and erects yet another barrier to cycling at a time when we need to be making it _more_ attractive and accessible. And the people who propose such schemes are usually not doing so in good faith. It's not because they actually want to make cyclists safer, they're typically just making a "gotcha" argument that attempts to equate irresponsible cycling and irresponsible driving in terms of the danger that each poses. [1]: https://www.toronto.ca/services-payments/streets-parking-transportation/cycling-in-toronto/cycling-and-the-law/bicycle-licencing/ https://www.toronto.ca/services-payments/streets-parking-tra...
- kortilla 7y ago
  Right, and cyclists don’t want vehicle drivers cited in good faith. If so, there would be no reason to even argue against an automated citation system for bikers causing danger for pedestrians.
  - mikepurvis 7y ago
    Honestly, if we had an automatic citation system in place for automobiles, I would probably support some kind of identification system be put in place to make it work for bikes as well. Perhaps there would be a way to make it voluntary and create an incentive which encouraged people to opt in, rather than making it a mandatory requirement? Maybe a modest tax credit if you ride your (tagged) bike more than X days per year? This way children and occasional users would still have an on-ramp to cycling that didn't have to start with a trip to the DMV. In any case, this isn't the world we live in, so it's all hypothetical at this point. In the short-to-medium term, the overwhelming danger on the road is from motorists.
brokenmachine 7y ago
I ride and I think that's not a terrible idea. I hate seeing all those idiotic cyclists doing dumb stuff giving cyclists a bad name and giving drivers an excuse to be even more aggro and aggressive.

mikepurvis 7y ago

Opposed, but not on principle. It's been studied and tried in many places [1] and just doesn't make any sense pragmatically. It doesn't make people safer and erects yet another barrier to cycling at a time when we need to be making it _more_ attractive and accessible. And the people who propose such schemes are usually not doing so in good faith. It's not because they actually want to make cyclists safer, they're typically just making a "gotcha" argument that attempts to equate irresponsible cycling and irresponsible driving in terms of the danger that each poses. [1]: https://www.toronto.ca/services-payments/streets-parking-transportation/cycling-in-toronto/cycling-and-the-law/bicycle-licencing/ https://www.toronto.ca/services-payments/streets-parking-tra...

kortilla 7y ago
Right, and cyclists don’t want vehicle drivers cited in good faith. If so, there would be no reason to even argue against an automated citation system for bikers causing danger for pedestrians.
- mikepurvis 7y ago
  Honestly, if we had an automatic citation system in place for automobiles, I would probably support some kind of identification system be put in place to make it work for bikes as well. Perhaps there would be a way to make it voluntary and create an incentive which encouraged people to opt in, rather than making it a mandatory requirement? Maybe a modest tax credit if you ride your (tagged) bike more than X days per year? This way children and occasional users would still have an on-ramp to cycling that didn't have to start with a trip to the DMV. In any case, this isn't the world we live in, so it's all hypothetical at this point. In the short-to-medium term, the overwhelming danger on the road is from motorists.

brokenmachine 7y ago

I ride and I think that's not a terrible idea. I hate seeing all those idiotic cyclists doing dumb stuff giving cyclists a bad name and giving drivers an excuse to be even more aggro and aggressive.