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Show sept. 29, 1972 signpost page 7 bicycling by mike dabling editor-in-chief Since 1960, the number of people riding bicycles nationally has jumped from 35.2 million to more than 80 million. In the past two years, the majority of the increase has been among adults, for fun, exercise, recreation and transportation.The bicycle boom can main- 4 Am fr . IS- '; :r'r: I l !, VV '0-', f V : M iv ' ly be attributed to the younger adults, concerned with physical fitness and ecology. Last spring, Weber State added a bicycling course to its physical education program and registration for the class almost doubled the maximum originally set for the course, insuring it as a part of the curriculum for spring and autumn quarters from now on. Included in the course, are 1 interests s carina bicycle safety, road etiquette, maintenance, understanding of gear ratios and laws governing bike riding. Since the days when bicycles were built for two and guys wanted to marry a girl just like the girl that married dear old dad, bicycling had come under public opprobrium. Motorists and policemen alike believed that bicycles and baby buggies should be kept on the sidewalk. Police ticketed cyclists and motorists took devilish delight in running them off the road. Now, with a growing concern for ecology, bicycles are thought better than cars as far as congestion, pollution, taxes, accidents and exercise are concerned. Police still ticket cyclists, but now the tickets are for the same offenses committed by motorists, since the laws are basically the same for both. Some of the things bicycle riders can be ticketed for are: -Riding at night without proper lights. -Brakes not in good condition. -Riding double. -Riding against traffic. -Riding the wrong way on a one way street. -Not obeying traffic signs and signals. -Riding bicycles on the sidewalk in a business district. -Failure to keep at least one hand on the handle bars at all times. These are a few of the taboos that bicycle riders may be ticketed for. The rules are for the bicycle rider's safety, with statistics showing the number one cause of death to bike riders being riding double, and not obeying traffic signals coming in second. Ogden and Weber State have not been left out of the cycling craze, with more than 26,000 bicycles already in the area and local merchants selling more than 1,500 bikes each month, most of which are 10-speeds. Many of these merchants say they could sell a great deal more bicycles if they could get them from the factory. One man noted that he ordered two 10-speed bicycles for his children in May and will be able If -r.,:.JU II I ay, to get them this month. He also said he thought about ordering his wife one in July for Christmas, but was told the type of bike he wanted would not be available until February 1973. A final considered bicycles. point that should be is that of licensing Bicycles, especially 10-speeds which can cost $200 or more in some cases, are stolen constantly in the Ogden area. Of course, as Ogden Officer Lue Birch pointed out, the only sure way of keeping a bicycle from being stolen is to either sleep on it or chain a mean dog to it, one of which is uncomfortable for the owner and the other of which is uncomfortable for any would be thief. However, by paying the $1 licensing fee at the city finance office in the Municipal Building any weekday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., the bike is registered with the Ogden police who can notify the owner immediately if the bike is recovered. This $1 licensing fee is good for five years. Officer Birch noted that of 11 I the more than 26,000 bicycles in the city, only 1,700 are licensed. The license also gives a positive means of identifying a bike should it turn up in the bicycle room at the police department. Even if the license is removed and the serial number of the bike is filed off, police can still read the serial number utilizing various chemicals and then return the bike to the person who has that serial number registered to him. Without a positive means of identifying a bicycle such as the license or a serial number, they cannot be returned and must periodically be auctioned, said Officer Birch. photos by gooti tlQSOSSSS |