I went to the New york State website:
http://public.leginfo.state.ny.us/menugetf.cgi?COMMONQUERY=LAWS
and found the following definitions in the Vehicle and Traffic Law. New York's
definition for bicycle excludes motorized bikes.
Further down though is a definition for "Limited use mortorcycle." Is this the
source of the Catch 22 - the state distinguishing bike with motors, then not
providong for any mechanism to license or insure them?
George Frantz
VAT - Vehicle and Traffic
Article 1 - Words and phrases defined.
§ 102. Bicycle. Every two or three wheeled device upon which a person or
persons may ride, propelled by human power through a belt, a chain or gears,
with such wheels in a tandem or tricycle, except that it shall not include such
a device having solid tires and intended for use only on a sidewalk by
pre-teenage children.
§ 121-b. Limited use motorcycle. A limited use vehicle having only two or three
wheels, with a seat or saddle for the operator. A limited use motorcycle having
a maximum performance speed, of more than thirty miles per hour but not more
than forty miles per hour shall be a class A limited use motorcycle. A limited
use motorcycle having a maximum performance speed of more than twenty miles per
hour but not more than thirty miles per hour, shall be a class B limited use
motorcycle. A limited use motorcycle having a maximum performance speed of not
more than twenty miles per hour shall be a class C limited use motorcycle.
§ 123. Motorcycle. Every motor vehicle having a seat or saddle for the use of
the rider and designed to travel on not more than three wheels in contact with
the ground, but excluding a tractor.
§ 159. Vehicle. Every device in, upon, or by which any person or property is or
may be transported or drawn upon a highway, except devices moved by human power
or used exclusively upon stationary rails or tracks.
On Thu, Jun 26, 2008 at 7:22 PM, Tim Joseph <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
David,
I live at Longhouse Cooperative, right next to you, and had a similar
experience. I wanted to bike for years, but couldn't face the hills as a daily
commute. Then I got a bike with a motor and spent the next two years
bike-commuting. Mine is a small, 4 cycle, gas engine. Not as green as
electric, but I calculate I get about 100 miles per gallon and was only using
the motor for about a quarter of the biking time. The gas motor has a bit more
power than any electric I've seen, which helps with the section of Elm St.
right above where you probably turn. It wasn't a real choice though, just what
I happened to come across. I too have spread the word and know of at least one
person who bought an electric bike as a result.
However, you should know that these bikes are illegal on NY roads. Anything
with a motor must be licensed and insured. But these bikes cannot be licensed
or insured. Catch 22. The odds of you actually being ticketed are pretty
slim, but because of where I work, I can no longer bike-commute. And even
though the chances of someone stopping you are pretty low, the penalties for
unlicensed, uninsured operation of a motor vehicle are pretty severe. Sooner
or later someone will get slammed.
We should be pushing for a change in the law that recognizes the reality of
power boosted bicycles. Some states and other countries define a category of
motor assisted bicycles, with a limit on either power or speed, and define them
as bicycles, not motor vehicles. It's time for NY to do the same.
Tim
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