Bicycle Licensing in #Toronto: Why revisit this idea, Councillor Michael Walker?

Update 07/16/2009: Via Ross, Copenhagenize has a posting on this subject also and they've included a PDF of his motion.  You can also follow this discussion at the BikingToronto Forums.

Also I noted that I'm wrong below when I say that 5,907 tickets were issued to cyclists during the Toronto Police 'Safe Cycling' campaign, it was actually 1,373 tickets directly to cyclists.  5,907 is the total over all!

Update 07/07/2009: City Caucus also has a posting about this issue.




Matt Galloway had Councillor Michael Walker [city profile] on CBC's Metro Morning this AM so that the Councillor could talk about two motions he is going to propose; one centered around a mandatory helmet law for cyclists over the age of 18 and the other over licensing for bicycles and riders of bicycles.

Listen Here

Mike is seemingly worried that riders don't know the rules of the road, and that they can't be enforced without proper documentation of riders, but just last week the Toronto Police issued 5,907 tickets to cyclists during the 'Safe Cycling - Share the Responsibility' campaign. So enforcement works, lo and behold, without licensing bicycles! And it costs the city nothing but the police presence that is already in place.

He says if you formalize and "raise the stakes" for cyclists, you have to "deal with these issues".  And he's talking about (likely) mandatory insurance for cycists, right at the end of the interview.

In his plan the licensing would work similarly to the license for people who operate motorcycles and scooters over 200cc.

So what do these two initiatives accomplish? Taken on face value they seem well meaning and aimed at protecting and legitamizing cycling as a mode of transportation, but looking a little closer at the statements Councillor Michael Walker have made recently reveals something else.

From an article posted on May 28th 2009 by (ugh) Joe Warmington of the Toronto Sun...

"It's ridiculous," Walker said of the left's move to close down a lane on Jarvis for bike lane. "The bicycle is not an alternative to a car. It's like a windmill is not a replacement for a power generating station. It's great when it's windy. Bikes are like that -- great when there is no snow on the ground and sunny."

So is this really about the Jarvis street bicycle lane victory?  Because on the one hand, in the present, Councillor Michael Walker seems to be deeply interested in making biking "safe and respected" in this city, but in the recent past he has been very dismissive when it comes to bike lanes, and year-round cycling.  Hmm.  What a difference a month or so can make.

As many seasoned bicycle advocates can attest, both of the initatives Councillor Michael Walker floats in this radio interview may actually harm bicycle adoption and create barriers to entry.  I do advocate helmet usage, but I am against making them mandatory for grown adults to use.  That's a choice.

Especially toxic to new adoption is talk of licensing and fees, and mandatory insurance.

So Councillor Michael Walker is, sadly, I believe, being disingenuous. If he brings these notices forward for debate at city hall he will also be responsible for wasting everyone's time.  He also knows better about the viability of these plans.

He has been around long enough to have seen this Works and Emergency Services document on bicycle licensing from 2005;

http://www.toronto.ca/budget2005/pdf/wes_translicensingcyc.PDF

Which, in three concise pages, makes the idea of bicycle licensing seem a pointless waste.

An exerpt;

Conclusions:

• Bicycle licences are not effective in preventing bicycle theft;

• A cyclist operating licence is not required for police officers to enforce the existing traffic rules;

• Developing a cyclist testing and licensing system would be expensive and divert attention from enforcing the existing traffic rules for cyclists; and

• Providing more resources for cyclist education and training and increased police enforcement would be a more cost-effective approach for improving safety.

If Council wishes to pursue a City of Toronto bicycle or cyclist licensing program, the Municipal Licensing and Standards Division of Urban Development Services would be responsible for developing and operating such a program.  Any proposal to test and license cyclists should be developed in consultation with the Ontario Ministry of Transportation.

So Mike, why even float it?  You know the costs, you know the reality.  Why?  If you're truly concerned about bicycle and citizen safety, why not go the proven route and spearhead more education initiatives?

Points of Interest:

• petersterncan via I Bike T.O. also raises the same concerns I have.


• The Toronto City Cycling Committee, Subject: Licensing of Cyclists and Couriers, Date: June 19, 1992 via MessMedia.org