Etobicoke councillor calling for bicycle licensing
Posted July 8, 2016 5:28 am.
Last Updated July 8, 2016 8:35 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
An Etobicoke councillor will once again put forth a controversial motion calling for bicycles to be licensed in the city of Toronto.
Stephen Holyday wants Transportation Services to study his proposal as a means to generate revenue to fund and support Toronto’s expanding cycling network.
City council will be asked to consider the motion at its next meeting on July 12.
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Holyday cites a recent Forum Research poll which shows 56 per cent of Torontonians agree bicyclists should be licensed.
Holyday adds that while similar initiatives in the past were based on enforcement, his motion seeks to focus on registering the equipment – not the cyclist.
The city of Toronto first implemented a cycling license in 1935. The cost of a yearly license was 50 cents and the fine for not having one was $5. That by-law was repealed in 1957 with council citing ” poor public relations between police officers and children” as one of the reasons.
Council considered licensing cyclists on three other occasions – in 1984, 1992 and 1996 – but each time the motion was defeated.
