Phyllis Kahn wrote: >As the original author of the Statewide Bicycle Registration System, I >would urge Mpls not to remove the requirement. Low as participation has >been, this step would make it even worse. Here are a set of reasons to >keep it.
The problem with mandatory registration in only one city is that people don't ride in just one city. I've biked with folks from Hopkins, Rochester, St. Paul, Richfield as well as Minneapolis. If registration is required in Minneapolis, are we going to treat them as criminals every time our group goes for a ride on W. River Parkway, rather than riding on the St. Paul side of the river? If you'd like to expand it to statewide registration, I'd have less problem with that, but it still leaves open the question of out-of-state bikes. Are tourists who hop on a bike within Minneapolis city limits criminals? Having a law requiring registration, even if not enforced, has that effect. As to the MPD, there are some officers who don't know the laws that pertain to bicycles. I've taken to carrying a copy of MN 169.222 with me when I ride after hearing of friends who have been stopped for "taking a lane" when doing so is the only possible (let alone safe) choice, or been told to "get on the sidewalk where you belong" by members of the MPD. It's not every officer who is ignorant, but there are enough that it's a worry. Finally, as Robin Garwood points out, any law which is universally disregarded is a bad law. We've already got enough bad laws on the books, and a chance to remove one should be welcomed. Dave Polaschek Marcy-Holmes Dave Polaschek - http://betternerds.com/ http://davespicks.com/ "That's not a lie, it's a terminological inexactitude." Al Haig _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
