You may soon need a sticker to ride.
In a bid to rein in rogue cyclists, all adult pedal pushers in the city will be required to get an ID tag affixed to their bikes if a city councilman has his way, The Post has learned.
Eric Ulrich (R-Queens) says he is floating the proposal — which would require a small fee — because “there seems to be a double standard when it comes to enforcing the traffic laws. Bicycles are involved in accidents, unfortunately, across this city.”
He added that many cyclists don’t have identification on them if they get into an accident because “they’re in Spandex or whatnot.”
Ulrich says that many of his constituents are seniors and that “people on bicycles scare the hell out of them. Sometimes they can be an intimidating presence on the city streets.”
Cycling in New York is booming. The Department of Transportation is adding 50 miles of bike lanes per year, and DOT numbers show a more-than-100 percent increase in everyday bike commuters — from 8,499 in 2006 to 17,451 now.
But city cyclists don’t exactly agree with Ulrich’s reasons for proposing the measure.
“Wearing cycling clothing does not prevent you from carrying identification. Almost all cycling jerseys have multiple pockets,” said Andrew Crooks, 34, owner of bicycle shop NYC Velo, near Union Square.
Implementing the registrations would be a waste, he said, adding, “It’s not a good use of resources to re-create a system that already exists.”
Cycling advocacy groups said they’d lobby against the idea.
“We’re adamantly opposed to any legislation that would require licensing or registration of bicycles,” said Kim Martineau, a spokeswoman for Transportation Alternatives. “. . .[T]he deterrent effect it would have on cycling would be enormous.”
Instead, the group calls for “better, more targeted enforcement” of existing laws.
One biker saw an upside, saying lost or stolen bikes could be identified. “Right now, [recovered] bicycles just get auctioned” by police, said audio engineer Chvad Bernhard, 37.
Add’l reporting by Vinita Singla