#RideIDfree campaign
Bicycle Network and the bike riding community pulled together for 12 months to make sure that it was not made compulsory to carry ID whenever you rode a bicycle.
The proposal was part of the NSW Government’s ‘Go Together’ campaign that included a 500% increase in fines for bike riders but also the introduction of minimum passing distance laws.
In December 2016 the government came to their senses and dropped mandatory ID before it was due to be enforced in early 2017.
The campaign showed the strength the bike riding community can have when it pulls together for a common cause.
Why is compulsory ID a problem?
It is an oppressive idea and a barrier to people to riding bikes.
Compulsory ID categorises everyday people who ride bikes for health, employment, education or just plain enjoyment as a menace to society – people who require surveillance, supervision and control.
Bicycle Network will continue to oppose any proposal for mandatory ID and bicycle licence schemes.
- Don’t fall for ‘Only people doing something wrong should worry’. The risk of creating an oppressive society where we don’t challenge authority is a huge concern. This TED talk about why privacy matters is a ripper.
- Everything a rider carries doesn’t have to be mandatory and written in law. Should it also be law to carry a spare tube, credit card, mobile phone, a filled water bottle and tool kit too?
- 11.2% of people in NSW don’t have a government-issued ID. A large portion of these people are disadvantaged. Compulsory ID discriminates against the least fortunate.
- Police already have the power to require a person to provide their name and address. So what problem is compulsory ID solving?
- Compulsory ID would mean you’ll require the permission of the government before you ride. It’s strikes at the very heart of what’s great about bike riding.