Albany Bike Lock Program (Comments: 3)

3 comments to “Albany Bike Lock Program”

joel, August 29th, 2008 at 7:51 am:

• “Any police officer can stop anyone on a bike with a sticker. The rider is asked to verify that they own the bike, or that they have
  permission to ride the bike.”

  I don’t live up your way so this doesn’t apply to me, but that last statement would probably keep me from registering. Why on earth should a program like this include express permission for police to stop any cyclist who participates? Sounds like you’ll just be signing up to be harassed.

ethan, August 29th, 2008 at 8:01 am:

• They aren’t stopping the cyclist, they’re stopping the bike. But I mostly agree with what you’re saying. I like the idea that if my bike has a sticker and if it gets stolen, the cops can stop someone riding it and I may get my bike back. I do not like the idea that if I am on my way to work, which I do every day, or coming back from the grocery store with ice cream in the cooler, I can be stopped and asked to prove myself.

Jack, September 3rd, 2008 at 10:52 am:

• I look forward to the day when Albany cops will stop anyone driving a motor vehicle with plates. Of course I’m pushing the argument to the absurd, but… wait a minute, aren’t Rochester cops now doing something similar with Zero Tolerance? There are more than a few urban motorists, and probably more than a few bicyclists, who feel they’ve been victimized by arbitrary and capricious authority. Still, I’m in favor of some kind of (zero cost, or nearly so) bike registration program. We as well as the cops need to be able to identify stolen machines, just as effectively as now can be done with cars and trucks.