Further to my post yesterday (here), I figured it would be worthwhile poking around other jurisdictions to get an idea of what they have discussed and what, if any, regulations they have put in place.

From Seattle, Washington (who in 2007 implemented a 240 million dollar cycling infrastructure plan):

[...]

Numerous national cycling advocacy groups said they knew of no government that requires cyclists be licensed. But some cities do require them to register their bikes, including municipalities in California and Wisconsin.

Lately, “there seems to be a little resurgence in conversation around the country,” in favor of such cost sharing, said Darryl Anderson, Minnesota state bicycle and pedestrian coordinator. “It kind of comes and goes.”

The idea of charging cyclists a registration fee has been floated by lawmakers in Olympia, but not seriously considered in recent years. For each of the past several years, legislators have asked transportation officials at look into the idea of establishing such a program, said Paula Reeves, of the state Department of Transportation.

After talking with other states, the department believes the programs raise little money — if any — beyond what they cost to run, Reeves said. “We wouldn’t see a big opportunity to improve facilities with that kind of a program,” she said. “We also have some survey results that are fairly recent that show that most cyclists also own a car or multiple cars, so they’re paying license fees and gas taxes.”

Property taxes cover much of the costs of smaller roads and transportation facilities, added Marty McOmber, a spokesman for Nickels.

[...]

From Toronto, Ontario (who recently adopted a plan to open up an entire lane of traffic to cyclists only through one of the busier downtown streets):

I posted on the conversation that occurred in Toronto last year around potential licensing. A bit more digging revealed that the Toronto Police already have a voluntary bike registration program, primarily aimed at preventing theft or aiding in recovery of stolen bikes.

From Madison, Wisconsin (one of the only North American cities that has a mandatory license program):

According to the City of Madison’s website their licensing program is primarily setup for the following reasons,

  • Theft Deterrence
  • Bicycle Identification in Case of Theft
  • Rider Identification in Case of Accident
  • Independent Proof of Ownership for insurance claims
  • Helps with Bicycle Planning

A Four-Year Bicycle Registration costs only $10.00 and is a good way to help protect your important means of transportation, recreation and exercise.

From the state legislature in the state of Oregon:

In 2009 a group of state legislatures proposed a bill that would make bike registration mandatory throughout the entire state. The cost would be $54 every 2 years and all proceeds would go towards cycling improvement. The proposed bill met with stiff opposition from cyclist alike with the cost of the program administration being a large sticking point for lawmakers.

Los Angeles, California (one of the few cities to have a licensing program in effect):

In late 2008 the Chief of Police submitted a report to City Council (opens a PDF) effectively signalling the end of the long held program:

[...]

In short, our research determined that our Department-wide bicycle licensing efforts were all but defunct. Given our continued efforts to deploy all available sworn personnel to field operations in direct support of our crime fighting and community policing efforts, reviving the bicycle licensing program at this time is not prudent.

[...]

A benefit to having a bicycling license program is the enhanced ability to identify the rightful owners of lost or stolen bicycles recovered by Department personnel. However, that same objective can be accomplished by reviving our property engraving campaign, where we educate the community on the benefits of engraving a driver’s license number or an identification number onto the bicycle frame.

[...]

I recommend that we follow other large municipalities and discontinue our bicycle licensing program.

[...]

A bit closer to home, Winnipeg has a registration program but it is strictly voluntary and aimed at helping owners recover lost or stolen bicycles:

- Bicycle owners can register their bikes with the City.

- The cost is $5.35 for a new bike or $3.21 for a used bike.

Halifax, Nova Scotia also briefly debated bicycling licensing in 2007 after a similar request for information by a City Councillor hit the newspapers:

[...]

Municipal councillor Krista Snow made a request to Halifax city council last week that could change all that. She asked city staff to write a report on the feasibility of requiring all cyclists in the city to pay for a bike licence, the money from which would go directly into funding bike lanes throughout the municipality.

[...]

Snow was getting calls from both sides — constituents asking for bike lanes in her district of Waverly-Fall River-Beaver Bank, and other calls to get bikes off the road altogether. This was what prompted her request to council- a request that was for information, and nothing more. But since her request last week, she’s been fielding e-mails and phone calls from people shouting down the idea of bike licensing.

White suggests government looks to other sources to fund bike lanes and active transportation projects, but Snow says there isn’t enough money to go around as it is.

“I don’t want to tax anyone any more either, but sometimes you have to pay a little more to get what you want.”