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Bicycle
Bickering
From World Journal
April 26, 2002
The City Council is proposing to require registration and insurance
for all bicycles for commercial use. Many worry that the proposal
will increase operating costs for Chinese take-out restaurants and
messenger service companies.
In a public hearing on Sidewalk Safety hosted by John Liu, chairperson
of the City Council Transportation Committee, city residents raised
complaints about newspaper boxes as well as bicycles on every street
corner. Some said many take-out deliverymen and messengers ride
bicycles on sidewalks and often cause accidents.
Many city residents complain that although some bicyclists use
the roads, they often run through red lights, go against the traffic
or ride recklessly posing a threat to pedestrians.
Some suggested that all regulations regarding bicycles should be
publicized in English, Chinese and Spanish so delivery personnel
and messengers are informed. Community Board 6 of Manhattan recently
passed a resolution to make regulation of bicycles a priority and
will ask law enforcement units to carry it out.
Those who support regulation of bicycles said the state law mandates
that the bicycle is a vehicle for transportation and thus should
be required to register. Those who oppose legislation on bicycles
said current law forbids riding bicycles on sidewalks, and that
there is no need for additional regulations since they are already
under general traffic regulations.
To streamline the regulation of bicycles, the City Council is considering
a proposal that requires all bicycles for commercial use to register
and all riders are required to purchase liability insurance.
Translated from Chinese by Larry Tung
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