RobinXe wrote:
It is merely one option and, as stated, I am open to others, hence why the topic is titled 'Accountability' and not 'Registration'. If it were to prove a solution, should it not be given consideration? I could counter that some here are not giving it any consideration at all, apparently because they view any attempt to encourage cyclists to join in and play by the rules as anti-cyclist, and view the transgressions of others, elsewhere, as justification for additional lawlessness.
Robin, people are giving it consideration. I, for one, have made a serious attempt to look at the costs vs benefits of registration, and have taken the trouble to search out the relevant statistics to inform the discussion. How does that translate into "not giving it any consideration at all, apparently because they view any attempt to encourage cyclists to join in and play by the rules as anti-cyclist"? The arguments that have been presented (i.e. consideration) include:
The likely benefits are far outweighed by the costs - backed up by comprehensive statistical data. Your only answer to that has been to push that cost onto cyclists, thereby getting responsible cyclists to bear the whole cost of dealing with a group of anti-social pillocks who just happen also to be using bicycles.
The impact of such a scheme is unlikely to be significant in any case - backed up by arguments that registration of motorists has not stopped huge numbers of transgressions from going unpunished. As far as I can see, you have offered no answer to that.
I think it is clear from the discussion that every single person here agrees that the anti-social behaviour of a whole bunch of people, some of whom happen to use bicycles, is a problem and needs to be dealt with.
The blindness that you seem to be suffering is your belief that there is a single homogeneous group of people whom you call "cyclists", who are all law-breaking anti-social pricks and need to be "dealt with" as a group. That is just nonsense; in fact it is akin to a form of bigotry. (Evidence: your statement "they view any attempt to encourage cyclists to join in and play by the rules as anti-cyclist".)