Comments on: LAPD Chief Recommends Discontinuing Bike License Program

By: City Council suspends bicycle license program | Los Angeles Metblogs

City Council suspends bicycle license program | Los Angeles Metblogs — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 00:19:26 +0000

[...] Police Chief William Bratton’s recommendation to discontinue the bicycle licensing program, our fine City Council voted unanimously today to suspend the program and, most importantly, the [...]

By: marshall

marshall — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 15:00:17 +0000

When in finally ponied up the big cash to buy a serious bike, I looked into licensing it and my local station was so useless I figured the LAPD didn’t even do this anymore. They better discontinue ticketing folks for not having a licensed bike ASAP, or the LAPD is gonna get the pants sued off of the City (the LAPD does not have to pay its own legal bills, unlike every other City department – when they fuck up, everyone else pays).

By: panasonicyouth

panasonicyouth — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 05:33:06 +0000

David, that’s a huge problem too. The department was actively enforcing a law that had previously been ignored and doing so without doing the slightest bit of education on behalf of the citizens. If they hadn’t harassed the Midnight Ridazz en masse, we wouldn’t have found out so soon. Even after the public demonstrations began, they STILL didn’t do a single thing to notify the citizens of LA that this law was being enforced.

I imagine they didn’t because then people might actually get bike licenses and they wouldn’t be able to hand out tickets. :)

By: frazgo

frazgo — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 03:07:01 +0000

Nice to see them save a couple of bucks for the bikers in our midst. More importantly the hassle and fines if you forget they are due. Every now and then cooler heads prevail.

I wonder if City Hall agrees as thats a few pennies out of the revenue stream. Given Joz’s post on increased parking fees to help bolster the general fund I’d hope they’d let it go too.

By: David

David — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 02:29:15 +0000

I never even knew you needed one!

By: waltarrrrr

waltarrrrr — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 00:24:19 +0000

Good News indeed. Bratton is an amazingly senseable administrator when compared to his predecessors. We’re lucky he’s in charge, and not the dopes that directed the enforcement of the fabled and rarefied California bike license.

By: WILL•I•AM CAMPBELL

WILL•I•AM CAMPBELL — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 23:04:49 +0000

No problem. It wouldn’t surprise me if the cops had done a FAIL in directing you to Parker Center since there was so much major cluelessness about the program on their part. I count myself lucky in that both times I visited Central — once to license my road bike and next my single speeder — I came away with licenses.

By: panasonicyouth

panasonicyouth — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 23:00:15 +0000

OH DUH.

Thanks Will. Good catch!

By: WILL•I•AM CAMPBELL

WILL•I•AM CAMPBELL — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 22:57:29 +0000

Just wondering if you might have meant Central Division on 6th east of Main Street instead of Parker Center, which is on Los Angeles Street between Temple and First.