Right: Bicycle paths and lanes are increasing as more people commute to and from work by bike. However, all is not well when cars and bicycles move within inches of each other on roads with bike lanes.
Arguments in favour of cyclists being licensed and paying registration fees
1. Cyclists should be contributing toward the cost of the facilities they useIt has been claimed that cyclists make significant demands on road infrastructure and on medical and Transport Accident Commission (TAC) insurance services.
The latest TAC data shows that in the five years to 2007, the number of cyclists lodging successful claims after an accident with motorised transport rose significantly each year while the number of other claims plateaued or fell.
In 2003, 3.6 per cent of approved claims for taxpayer assistance for medical bills came from cyclists. By 2007, cyclists made up 5.4 per cent of approved claims. This figure is roughly in line with the boom that led to around 22,000 people riding to work at the time of the 2006 census, a rise of around 50 per cent in five years.
On February 8, 2008, the Federal Opposition on sports, Mr Pat Farmer suggested a registration fee be imposed on all cyclists. Mr farmer said motorists often complained it was unfair for cyclists to use roads without paying registration costs. A bicycle levy would make such an argument redundant and could increase government funding for bike lanes, he said.
Mr Farmer further stated, 'We need to work with cyclists and cycling associations to come up with a levy ... so that we've got some money to support them with much-needed infrastructure and
to justify them being on the road.'
Suggestions that cyclists should contribute directly toward the cost of the infrastructure they use were made more vigorously in Victoria once the government announced its plan to inject $115 million into boosting infrastructure and the other facilities they require.
The Victorian Cycling Strategy includes the following. Significantly improving the on and off-road cycling network within ten kilometres of the CBD. Completing cycling networks in the six so-called 'central activities districts'. Completing cycling links in regional centres. Developing bicycle facilities as part of road and rail transport projects. Establishing safe cycling programs in schools.
Developing campaigns to encourage cycling. Conducting a review of cycling accidents, and creating counter-measures. Launching a 'look out for cyclists' safety campaignshing a public bike hire system for Melbourne. Installing 33 bike cages at train stations by the end of 2009.
Even before the announcement of this enormous public investment in cycling in Victoria, on February 26, 2009, 3AW radio broadcaster, Neil Mitchell, suggested that the Victorian government 'put a registration fee on every bike or a one-off tax on the sale of bikes with the dollars going directly to maintaining and providing facilities they use.
There are well over one million bikes sold each year so it would not be hard to raise serious money.'
2. A licensing and demerit point system would be likely to improve cyclists' behaviour
It has been claimed that a licensing system with driver education, driver on-road identification and demerit points for road law infringement might improve the on-road behaviour of cyclists.
On March 19, 2009, one of the online respondents on this issue contacting The Brisbane Times noted, 'I think the licence could be a decent idea. To be honest 90% of bicyclists I see don't seem to have any idea that they are bound by the same rules that car driver's are. Only yesterday I had a guy who was riding on the footpath suddenly switch to riding on the road right in front of me without any indication, he didn't even look behind him to make sure no one was there.'
Though Bicycle Victoria does not support licensing for bike riders and the application of a demerit system, it does support riders abiding by the rules of the road. The arguments it applies could also be used in support of licenses and demerit points for bike riders. Bicycle Victoria has stated, 'We take the view that we are 'in' the traffic system, not outside it. We benefit from being inside the system in a number of ways.
In Australia the bicycle, when ridden on the road, is a vehicle. This status brings rights and responsibilities. For example a motorist, faced with a give way sign must give way to a rider but does not have to give way to a pedestrian. Equally riders faced with a give way sign have to give way to a motorist. We support the need to fulfil our responsibilities, as we want the advantage of the rights.
Second, since we are in the system, the road authority has a responsibility to meet our needs. The VicRoads bicycle program invests at least $4m each year on improving the bike network making it safer and more attractive to ride.
Third we benefit from the controls the system exerts on other users. The number of cycle deaths each year in the 80s was around three dozen, today it is usually less than 10 and has been as low as 3. This is because fines and penalties have significantly reduced poor behaviour by motorists including speeding, fatigue and drink driving.
In this context we support the principle of penalties for bike riders. Support for this principle is the basis of our "prevent collisions" approach in which we speak both to motorists and to riders about the things we all need to do to prevent collisions. '
3. Cycling can be a hazardous activity and should be more tightly regulated
Cycling injuries have risen dramatically in Victoria in recent years. Research by doctors at The Alfred Hospital and Monash University has found the number of cyclists at emergency departments between 2001 and 2006 had risen 42 per cent, hospital admissions by 16 per cent and major trauma by 76 per cent.
The study, published in The Medical Journal of Australia, found that almost 26,000 cyclists were treated in hospital emergency departments over the five years. Of this number, more than 10,000 were admitted and 47 people died.
In a letter published in The Age on April 14, 2009, Graeme Butler indicated his belief that cyclists and cycling were dangerous and that a registration system would make them less so. Mr Butler wrote, 'As a bike rider, car driver and, more importantly, pedestrian, I believe cyclists should be registered, if only to allow for their identification. Too many times when walking on shared paths in the inner city, I have been bustled by macho (male) cyclists who ignore dismount signs. When challenged, they shout abuse. Typically, this is on the narrow Yarra River bridges where people of all ages and sizes mix it with the two-wheeled cowboys. It is road rage transferred to the bicycle, so maybe some road principles also have to apply to cyclists.'
On January 30, 2008, a reader responded to an article in the New York local newspaper Gothamist with the following judgement. 'Unfortunately there is a simple reason why the number [of cycling casualties] has increased, and it's one that is very politically incorrect to discuss-cyclists do not obey traffic laws. Drivers and pedestrians are forced to obey them, while most cyclists ignore and often flaunt them.
How many times a day do you see a cyclist riding head on into oncoming traffic? How often do you see them run red lights or dart between lanes without signaling. Frankly I'm surprised that only 23 cyclists died last year.
Drivers take a lot of heat for being the source of street fatalities, but if people realised the laws applied to everyone the numbers would fall.'
Some of those who have had experience of a bike registration system claim that greater regulation would contribute to driver safety in other ways.
On March 19, 2009, one of the online respondents on this issue contacting The Brisbane Times noted, 'Over half a Century ago when I was a kid in Cae Town, South Africa we paid 2/6 a year to licence our bicycles. The rational was safety. To obtain the licence we had to present our bikes for inspection and the brakes, steering, tyres and warning bell were checked out as being OK. We then were given a metal token shaped for that particular year that was attached to the RH front axle.'
4. A registration system would allow for bike and cyclist identification
It has been claimed that cycle registration complete with an identification number for all bicycles would do a great deal to promote responsible driving and would allow car drivers and others to hold cyclists accountable for their misbehaviour.
On March 19, 2009, one of the online respondents on this issue contacting The Brisbane Times noted, 'We should have bicycle registration. I do not mean huge fees; I instead suggest a means by which those bicycle riders who believe the road rules do not apply to them may be identified and reported.
I am tired of continually being put in a position where I risk another life through no fault of my own. I am in a car and I feel unsafe on the roads, why do bicycle riders feel they are indestructible?'
On the same day another respondent to The Brisbane Times asked, 'How do I report to the police who was riding a bike that caused an accident if there is no registration plate on the bike? Who do I pursue for compensation if some miscreant biker scrapes their handlebar along the side of my car if there is no registration plate on the bike? etc etc etc. The government forces us to register our cars for several reasons including putting a unique identifier on the vehicle. Good enough for us to be culpable for our actions, why not for bikers? I say 10 bucks a year and license plates front and rear.'
Another respondent to The Brisbane Times further suggested how such a bike identification might operate. ' I don't have a problem with bike rego as long as it's free with your car rego. If you don't have car rego, then a small fee would be applicable. The rider could then have the option of attaching plates to their bike or wearing a Hi-Vis bib with rego number on front and back... Cyclists do need to be accountable on the road if they want to mix it up with other vehicles.'
Budget Direct spokeswoman Richelle Ward said drivers were tired of putting up with cyclists who regularly flouted the law but could not be reported.
Ms Ward has stated, 'A lot of people feel very strongly about this. It's nothing sinister but a lot of people are saying they get nervous when bicycles do silly things on the road ... they feel cyclists should be held accountable. The problem isn't (children) on the road. It's when cyclists are ducking in and out of traffic and running red lights.'
It has also been claimed that a bicycle registration system would assist in the identification of stolen bicycles. A number attached to each bike and linked to its ownership would make it harder to sell on stolen bikes. Though Bicycle Victoria does not support bike registration as a whole it has noted, 'An appreciable benefit of bike registration would be that it would make recovering stolen bikes easier and the reselling of stolen ones more difficult.'
5. Bike registration would give city planners and others a clear indication of bike ownership
Bicycle riding is encouraged in many cities, states and other jurisdictions because it is seen as health-promoting and environmentally friendly. It also reduces pressure on roads. Many governments have developed long range plans to foster bicycle riding in their jurisdictions. These plans usually have quite detailed targets, outlining the number of cyclists it is hoped will be riding regularly by a particular year. For example, on March 22, 2009, the Brumby Government launched the Victorian Cycling Strategy, a $115 million plan to get more people cycling. It aims to increase the number of cycling and walking trips in inner Melbourne by 15,000 and "grow cycling" in the rest of Victoria by 2020.
Currently, within Australia, Some planners have claimed that requiring bicycle owners to register their bikes would give more accurate figures of bike ownership and probable use. Some of those who support bicycle registration claim that more accurate figures of bike ownership would increase cyclists' power as a lobby group.
In Madison, Wisconsin, in the United States, about 20,000 bikes have valid registrations, said John Rider, bicycle registration coordinator. The $10 registration lasts four years.
Mr Rider claimed the program helps transportation planners, 'get a handle on how many bicycles we have in the city so we can have some more say in trying to have bicycle facilities... It gives us a voice.'
The authors of a study indicating increased incidence of accidents and injuries involving bicycle riders in Victoria (that was recently published in The Medical Journal of Australia) warned that they had not been able to source accurate data on the number of people cycling in Victoria to see if this had increased in line with injuries. Registering bikes would give a far more reliable indication of the extent of bike ownership.