Insurance and registration for cyclists?

[whole diary]

[broadgage]

It is in the nature of the administration industry to look for new things to tax, regulate, control and legislate about.  Think of the extra employment for civil servants.

I would prefer that they concentrate on motor vehicles, increasing numbers of which are not paying what they should.

[CyclingSid]

On the media yesterday (sorry source forgotten) they estimate there are a million vehicles being driven round without insurance, and that is not bicycles.

[grahame]

It's the "silly season" with suggestions for registration of bicycles (or is that cyclists?) without any age limit suggested - so your 11 year old will need some sort of governmental involvement (and, hey, that's a potential tax charge). Suggestion is that this will help ensure that the number of serious accidents caused by cyclists will be reduced; problem is that there are very, very few such accidents and the cost of enforcement would far outweigh the benefits, and would divert limited resources from the policing of motor vehicles which have a far higher "damage rate".

So - where has the suggestion come from - why from Grant Shapps, who's in charge of the Department for Transport; I rather ask if he's floating this and other ideas to enhance his visibility as a minister to Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss, with the intent of strengthening his case for a significant role in their new governments. 

Registration, taxation, insurance of pushbikes is a bad idea - as I suspect is the suggestion of MOT tests for them, cycling exams before people are allowed out onto the road, etc; they are solutions looking for problems - a look for something populist to adminsister, and amongst the stereotypical car driver it might be popular to punish and reduce the cyclists who get in their way.  But it's also likely to put people off cycling - a green, clean, cheap, healthy and predominantly safe way of getting around - to save the bother and cost of running a bicycle, how many people would be driving local journeys instead?

[broadgage]

On the media yesterday (sorry source forgotten) they estimate there are a million vehicles being driven round without insurance, and that is not bicycles.

I have heard similar estimates.
Consider also the widespread misuse of red diesel fuel, and the number of vehicles without road tax.
And those who evade payment of congestion charges etc.

Time in my view for a crackdown. In most cases the vehicle should be impounded, and destroyed if unroadworthy or worth less than £1,000.
Unless there are strong extenuating circumstances, driving without insurance or road tax should result in a years driving ban.

[Robin Summerhill]

I thought I noticed this thread locked when I looked in this morning. Am I going crackers or was it locked for a period of time?

[grahame]

I thought I noticed this thread locked when I looked in this morning. Am I going crackers or was it locked for a period of time?

Yes, it was locked for a period of time.  I suspect that one of us who has permissions to be dangerous accidentally hit the "lock topic" button which is juicily close to some other more often used buttons .... in error.  Someone sent me a message and I unlocked it.  Rare happening but not the first time.