Since 1968, thousands of Houstonians who fail to register their bikes with the City have been guilty of a Class C misdemeanor. Thankfully, this ordinance that has been taking cyclists for a ride reached the end of its road, as the Houston City Council repealed it earlier this week. The ordinance had required that bikes be registered at fire stations for a fee of $1, with the cyclist receiving a license sticker in return.
Besides burning up the highly valuable time of firemen who must process these registrations, the ordinance was largely unknown and ignored. Nonetheless, it was actually enforced. The Houston Chronicle reports there have been 206 citations issued since April 2006. Although the fine is only $5, court costs are $67, and, theoretically, a warrant could be issued for the arrest of someone who does not pay or show up in court.
The ordinance was designed to crack down on bike theft. It also mandated that bike shops provide a monthly report to police on all bikes sold, including the contact information of the buyer.
This is a classic case of where the market can best address the problem, as many cyclists simply purchase bike locks to secure their bikes. Of course, thieves should be prosecuted, but there is no evidence the sticker, which could be removed, is helping to catch them. Moreover, police have few resources to seek out bike thieves, given the volume of much more serious crimes on their radar screen.
In short, the ordinance exceeded the appropriate role for government while also being inefficient and ineffective.
The City stumbled across this ordinance as part of a review of 260 permits issued by nine departments. Most likely, more of Houston’s laws deserve to be chopped, but repealing this big brother bike ordinance was a move in the right direction.
– Marc Levin