SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said he is considering requiring bicyclists to be licensed and registered like automobile drivers currently are.
According to a report in the New York Daily News on Wednesday, the mayor also wants to expand the city's safety regulations, which already have won it a nanny-state reputation, to include requiring Citi Bike renters to wear helmets.
Mr. de Blasio called the idea of forcing cyclists to have licenses and registration a "valid discussion," the Daily News reported, and added that he also plans a crackdown on cyclists who break traffic laws.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/sep/4/bill-de-blasio-eyes-licenses-bike-riders/
This discussion has been archived.
No new comments can be posted.
Bill De Blasio Eyes License Requirement for Bike Riders
|
Log In/Create an Account
| Top
| 79 comments
| Search Discussion
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
TOO BAD YOU CAN'T BUY a voodoo globe so that you could make the earth spin
real fast and freak everybody out.
-- Jack Handey, The New Mexican, 1988.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 06 2019, @01:40PM (9 children)
No, the need for a helmet stems from the fact that falling over is dangerous. Literally just falling over and hitting a curb is enough to cause serious brain damage.
People have an incredibly unrealistic view of the risks of sucking. And assuming that what seems to be ok there is ok is foolish. They also have healthcare to cover things if something happens.
(Score: 2) by helel on Friday September 06 2019, @02:14PM (6 children)
How, precisely, does one come to fall over and hit the curb? From my observations even the average four year old will land on their feet after a bicycle/bicycle crash.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 06 2019, @02:24PM
Bike riding is more dangerous than riding in a car even in the Netherlands:
https://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/2018/04/25/more-cycling-fatalities-than-deaths-in-cars/ [wordpress.com]
So that is 1.18 deaths per 100k pop.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 06 2019, @03:26PM (2 children)
I had a cyclist in those stupid shoes fall in front of my car because he couldn't get free in time. Our you hit a bad patch of pavement and get tossed over. Or you get your tire caught in a groove and flipped. It's not hard to fall off a bike if you're traveling at low speeds. A typical biking head is similar to a typical motorcycling had injury when folks are wreaking similar gear. The difference is that cyclists don't typically wear appropriate gear.
The fact is that many of the dangers that cyclists face are a direct result of their ignorance about how to manage their risks.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Saturday September 07 2019, @12:08AM (1 child)
Ignoring the typos, you've completely dismissed mass and momentum. The typical bicyclist doesn't pedal anywhere near 70 mph. And, when he falls, his bicycle doesn't become a life threatening projectile, either. There are no "good" falls from either a bicycle or a motorcycle, but a bicycle fall or crash is much more survivable than a motorcycle crash. When I see bicyclists wearing full armor, and full face DOT approved helmets, I may give the idea another thought. Or, I may just dismiss those bicyclists as idiots. My Tourmaster rain pants alone makes a skid down the road on your ass more survivable than anything I've ever seen bicyclists wearing.
Among the testimonials I've read, was a motorcycle cop who attributes his survival of a bad crash to Tourmaster's armor and rain gear. He and his vehicle parted ways, and he continued down the highway for a couple hundred yards, got up, and walked away from the crash. Typical bicycle crash, you might skid down the road ten or fifteen yards.
https://www.tourmaster.com/ [tourmaster.com]
Since you mentioned shoes specifically, check out what the well-dressed motorcyclist puts on his feet - https://www.tourmaster.com/footwear [tourmaster.com]
Hmmm - it seems that Tourmaster has discontinued it's police uniform line. That was some truly high quality armor! Here's a Sentinel rain jacket, apparently old stock - https://www.intapol.com/police-motorcycle-jackets-rainwear/tourmaster-sentinel-rain-jacket-hi-viz-yellow/ [intapol.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 07 2019, @02:16AM
I haven't neglected that at all. It's simply not relevant in most crashes. The bike tips over and the head snacks on the ground. The only difference is how far the helmet slides.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 06 2019, @03:59PM
By hitting a patch of black ice on an early morning day in late fall and having your rear wheel slide out from under you suddenly, causing you to crack your head on the pavement.
I was awfully glad to be wearing a helmet and even then I had a concussion.
As to bicycle/bicycle (or anything else), I refer you to F=MA and A is dictated by P=MV in a crash. Or any number of bicycle race crash videos where they certainly do not land on their feet.
(Score: 2) by Osamabobama on Friday September 06 2019, @07:48PM
I saw a six-year-old pedal into a corner going too fast (on a dedicated bike path), and the inside pedal hit the concrete. This lifted the back tire off the ground long enough for the bike to slide out from under her. Her head hit the ground hard; she did not land on her feet.
But perhaps to your point, there was no curb involved, so no big deal.
Appended to the end of comments you post. Max: 120 chars.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by JoeMerchant on Friday September 06 2019, @04:26PM (1 child)
No bicycle required. Life has only one eventual outcome...
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 06 2019, @05:48PM
Normal people will catch themselves without hitting their head. Usually when that happens from standing, it's because of inebriation or neurological problems. Most other people might break their wrist, but they won't hit their head.