Change the Milwaukee Bike Registration Page

Posted on by littletinyfish

The following is an open letter I sent to license@milwaukee.gov to get a more accurate bicycle license application page.

I was talking with some of my cycling friends lately and I’m all about registering my bike. As a representative of the Milwaukee Bicycle Collective I make sure to tell everyone to get their bike registered to be a legal rider in the city.

However, I feel like the registration form is a bit lacking as far as bike description goes. For instance, it asks for the tire size, when really you should be asking for the rim size. Furthermore, the tire size only uses inches while today’s modern wheels follow European standards. And even the archaic “inch” measurement doesn’t include larger wheels, like 28” wheels.

It may not seem like such a big deal to just use a close estimation (700c rims are only marginally smaller than 27 inch wheels) but some cyclists are afraid of being caught between a technicality.

Rim sizes should include:

  • 29”
  • 28”
  • 26”
  • 24”
  • 20”
  • 17”
  • 16”
  • 12”
  • 10”
  • 8”
  • 700C
  • 700D
  • 650A
  • 650B
  • 650C
  • 600A
  • 550A
  • 500A
  • 450A
  • 400A

The bike type is also pretty lacking. Instead of men’s and women’s, which is a very generalized (and increasingly sexist) delineation I would recommend something more descriptive:

  • Mountain
  • Dirtjump
  • Comfort/Hybrid
  • Road/Racing/Track/Touring
  • Folding
  • Electric
  • Traditional/Cruiser
  • Recumbent
  • BMX
  • Chopper
  • Tandem
  • Tall Bike
  • Penny Farthing

As you can see, it would be hard to classify a BMX or Folding bicycle as expressly male or female. Add a final option for the technical “sex” of the bike and include a “Not Applicable” for those that don’t apply.

  • Men’s
  • Women’s
  • Boy’s
  • Girl’s
  • Mixte
  • Not Applicable

Here it is all coded up:

<!-----BEGIN CODE CHANGES----->
<td width="13%" height="28" align="center">
<select name="RimSize" size="1">
<option selected>Size...</option>
<option value="29"">29"</option>
<option value="28"">28"</option>
<option value="26"">26"</option>
<option value="24"">24"</option>
<option value="20"">20"</option>
<option value="17"">17"</option>
<option value="16"">16"</option>
<option value="12"">12"</option>
<option value="10"">10"</option>
<option value="8"">8"</option>
<option value="700C">700C</option>
<option value="700D">700D</option>
<option value="650A">650A</option>
<option value="650B">650B</option>
<option value="650C">650C</option>
<option value="600A">600A</option>
<option value="550A">550A</option>
<option value="500A">500A</option>
<option value="450A">450A</option>
<option value="400A">400A</option>
</select>
<script language="JavaScript1.2">
<!-- //Validation description for title
arrValidationDesc[idx++] =
[
["dontselect=0","Please select rim size"]
];
// -->
</script>
</td>
<td width="37%" height="28">
<select name="Type" size="1">
<option selected>Select Type...</option>
<option value="Mountain">Mountain</option>
<option value="Comfort/Hybrid">Comfort/Hybrid</option>
<option value="Road/Racing/Track/Touring">Road/Racing/Track/Touring</option>
<option value="Traditional/Cruiser">Traditional/Cruiser</option>
<option value="BMX">BMX</option>
<option value="Recumbent">Recumbent</option>
<option value="Tandem">Tandem</option>
<option value="Folding">Folding</option>
<option value="Electric">Electric</option>
<option value="Chopper">Chopper</option>
<option value="Dirtjump">Dirtjump</option>
<option value="Tall Bike">Tall Bike</option>
<option value="Penny Farthing">Penny Farthing</option>
</select>
<script language="JavaScript1.2">
<!-- //Validation description for title
arrValidationDesc[idx++] =
[
["dontselect=0","Please select bicycle type"]
];
// -->
</script>
</td>
<td width="37%" height="28">
<select name="Sex" size="1">
<option selected>Select Sex...</option>
<option value="Men’s">Men’s</option>
<option value="Boy’s">Boy’s</option>
<option value="Women’s">Women’s</option>
<option value="Girl’s">Girl’s</option>
<option value="Mixte">Mixte</option>
<option value="Not Applicable">Not Applicable</option>
</select>
<script language="JavaScript1.2">
<!-- //Validation description for title
arrValidationDesc[idx++] =
[
["dontselect=0","Please select bicycle sex"]
];
// -->
</script>
</td>
<!-----END CODE CHANGES----->

NOTE: You’ll definitely want to have a programmer check through my code to make sure everything is proofread and sound.

Make these changes and we’re one step closer to an even more bike–friendly Milwaukee. Thank you very much.
–––Jason

I’ll post an update if I hear back from them, but in the meantime if you agree with these changes and care enough to send a quick note (you can simply direct them to this blog) please do.

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