Bikes & Cycles should have number plates to stop cyclists being a danger in Londons Met chief says

A former Metropolitan Police chief has proposed requiring bicycles to have number plates in an effort to address the issue of reckless cycling in London. Lord Hogan-Howe made the suggestion during a debate in the House of Lords on the regulation of pedicabs, a form of bicycle-powered taxi. The new bill, introduced by Cities of London and Westminster MP Nickie Aiken, will bring pedicabs under the same regulatory framework as other forms of public transport.

Lord Hogan-Howe argued that if pedicab drivers and owners can be held accountable for their actions, then so too should cyclists. He expressed concern that cyclists in London, in particular, seem to be operating with impunity. He suggested that even a simple registration plate would go a long way in ensuring that cyclists are held responsible for their behavior and that they face consequences for disregarding traffic rules. He highlighted the severity of injuries and fatalities caused by reckless cycling incidents.

The Pedicabs (London) Bill, according to new transport minister Lord Davies of Gower, will address the "long-standing anomaly" of pedicabs being the sole unregulated form of transport operating on London's streets. The bill aims to tackle issues such as extortionate fares, late-night noise pollution, traffic congestion, obstruction of pavements and cycle lanes, and safety concerns arising from unchecked vehicles and unvetted drivers.

However, former Conservative minister Lord Blencathra dismissed the bill as an "insignificant measure" compared to the threat posed by e-scooters, citing 25 deaths and 100 serious injuries over the past four years. He called for a ban on all e-scooters from public highways in England, including pavements, and granting police powers to immediately confiscate any found in use on public roads.

So what are the top selling number plates in the UK? The DVLA has been selling private plates to UK motorists since 1989. During this time, there have been a number of records set, but most of the top 10 have been bought in the past 15 years. Here’s what currently makes the list:

25 0 – A Ferrari dealer bought this for £518k in 2014. It is now on a £10 million Ferrari 250 SWB.
F 1 – A businessman, Afzal Khan, bought this for £440k in 2008 and put it on his McLaren-Mercedes SLR.
S 1 – This was bought in 2008 for £404k by an anonymous buyer.
1 D – Businessman Nabil Bishara bought this plate in 2009 (before One Direction was formed, so it is not a reference to the band) for £352k.
M 1 – Businessman Mike McCoomb bought this number plate in 2006 for £331k, apparently for his son, who was 10 at the time.
VIP 1 – Chelsea owner and businessman Roman Abramovich bought this plate for £285k in 2006.
51 NGH – This number plate, which looks like the surname Singh, was sold in 2006 for £254k.
1 RH – Businessman Robert Haverson bought this in 2006 for £247k.
K1 NGS – This reg plate, which looks like the word “kings”, was bought anonymously in 1993 for £231k.
1 0 – This very simple but striking number plate was bought anonymously in 2009 for £170k.

These are large amounts of money, but they are all small compared to the top-selling number plates found in other parts of the world. Abu Dhabi, in the UAE, has the record for the most expensive number plate ever sold. That number plate was a simple “1”. It was bought in 2008 by businessman Saeed Abdul Ghaffar Khouri for £7.25 million.

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