"Cyclists can reach speeds of 30 mph or more, so what makes them that different from cars?
![Every day, thousands of cyclists descend on beautiful Sausalito, zooming down Alexander Avenue and soaring up Bridgeway, seemingly ignoring all rules of the road and often riding three or four across, blocking traffic.
Acting with complete entitlement, many seem to claim the roads for themselves while flaunting safety standards, scaring pedestrians and motorists, all while creating vehicle congestion through Sausalito.
Registering bicycles and licensing cyclists is the solution, and cyclists should be required to pass a test comparable to the written one motorists take. This is common-sense thinking in a state that regulates just about everything else.
Cyclists can reach speeds of 30 mph or more, so what makes them that different from cars?
Clearly displayed bicycle license plates, viewable from a distance, will not only deter this reckless behavior but will provide identification in the event of hit-and-run incidents. The benefits extend to cyclists, too, given that identification](data:image/svg+xml,<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="900" height="620"><rect fill-opacity="0"/></svg>)
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![My bike coming up to the level of a license plate of a truck](data:image/svg+xml,<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="900" height="675"><rect fill-opacity="0"/></svg>)
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![David Watson 🥑](data:image/svg+xml,<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="96" height="96"><rect fill-opacity="0"/></svg>)
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As a follow-up to this op-ed, I also got an email from my deranged frequent correspondent, Robert Casper Sr. of San Rafael.
The subject line: "Evil bikers"
![Image](data:image/svg+xml,<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="900" height="387"><rect fill-opacity="0"/></svg>)
Kinetic energy of a bike and truck with 2 kids and an operator going their maximum speed.
Urban Arrow cargo bike @ 28 mph: 176 kJ
Ford 150 Lighting truck @ 111 mph: 41069 kJ
The latter is capable of delivering 200 times as much energy, but other than that they're the same. 
![Urban Arrow cargo bike](data:image/svg+xml,<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="900" height="600"><rect fill-opacity="0"/></svg>)
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Correction:
The Urban Arrow tops out at 20 mph, so it's actually a difference of ~400 times as much energy.
If you make it a roadie going 30 mph, the truck can deliver 500 times as much energy.
Also, if the writers think that having license plates on a vehicle "deters reckless behavior," I've got bad news about drivers.
I get over 40 mph on a bike on my way home from work. Besides taking up less room & not polluting, worst case, I would do about 90% less damage in a collision than the lightest car on the road.
Unless the car is going faster, or I'm going uphill or on a flat road.
I think if you do the math it would come out to about 99% less damage (or at least 99% less energy transferred).
They’re zooming down the street at 30 mph but they’re also holding up traffic.
i would happily avoid riding through downtown suasalito, which is stressful and unpleasant, if there were another viable way to get to marin on the road.
Beyond parody
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Ollie Oliver
@Ollie_Cycles
"These 2 vehicles are essentially the same and should follow the same set of rules and get equal attention from law enforcement" is a real thing otherwise competent adults will say on this website.
![A building demolished by the red SUV in the foreground.](data:image/svg+xml,<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="680" height="510"><rect fill-opacity="0"/></svg>)
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![Only sitting on his cargo bike loaded with donations headed for Jersey City mutual aid society](data:image/svg+xml,<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="510" height="680"><rect fill-opacity="0"/></svg>)
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