Compulsory scheme to cut theft would use motor vehicle-style ownership certificate.
French cyclists would have to register their bikes on a national database under a proposed law aimed at increasing cycle use and reducing thefts.
Bike owners would be given a “certificate of ownership” similar to car documents to be either presented to the police if the bicycle is stolen or transferred with the bike when it is sold.
Each cycle frame would be marked “in a readable, indelible, permanent and unforgeable way in a clearly visible place”, the draft text says. The registration number will be in a form that can be verified by an optical reader.
The proposal is part of a 25-point, €350m (£308m) “Plan Vélo” to be unveiled by the government before the end of the year. It is expected to come into effect in 2020 and is aimed at tripling the number of short journeys made by bicycle by 2024.
Source : France considers bike register as part of drive to increase cycling | World news | The Guardian