greenhouse1014 wrote >>
joev wrote >>
Or some other way to easily identify them.
I almost got knocked over by a cyclist who plowed right through a red light on High Street. I see people doing that EVERY day. I was thinking - I would absolutely call the police department to report a motorist who drove through a red light (especially if they almost hit me.) There is no way to identify a cyclist who is endangering others.
I agree. And there should also be a bike license that you have to test for. I should be able to feel at least somewhat secure in the fact that the operator of any vehicle with which I'm sharing the road is competent and skilled enough to operate that vehicle properly, sharing the road, etc. Of course, you couldn't hold kids to this, so I would apply it only to "main" roads or roads over a certain speed limit.
Part of this requires livable neighborhoods and complete streets where parents can actually teach their kids correctly from the start. I think that's one of the biggest reasons you see all the problems, we get taught wrong at a young age due to irrational fears or the lack of space. So kids bike on the sidewalk, then they go to OSU and assume it's right. I would love to see cycling education actually become part of grade school curriculum. Make it a unit of gym class at some point of the year. And considering we are now the 15th state in childhood obesity, might not be a bad idea.
The problem with a license is that it begins to strip away at the inherent right of travel under one's own power. Should we require pedestrians to carry a license so they don't jaywalk? Driving remains a privilege because of the greater inherent harm possible with the larger mass. Can bikes cause accidents? Without a doubt. But defensive driving skills can largely prevent such things in most cases.
ETA
I should add that since the drivers license is pretty much the standard for photo ID in the states, many of those cyclists probably are licensed. What I would be in absolute favor of is, not a separate license, but greater attention to cycling in the driver's license process. League of American bicyclists does have a course available for motorist when it comes to bike operation and laws. Would be a great addition, or something similar, for drivers education classes. And make cycling law-stops, signals etc.-a mandatory portion of the written drivers test.