When Everyone's an Outlaw

Thousands of residents in Houston -- including the mayor! -- are in flagrant violation of a city law. So....the city's doing away with the ordinance:

The city finally is cracking down on bicyclists' rampant disregard of the registration law -- by getting rid of the law.

City officials and bike enthusiasts all seem to agree that it's a silly, outdated ordinance that is all but impossible to enforce. ...

The City Council could vote to strike the law from the books on Wednesday.

The law requires owners to register their two-wheelers at a local fire station for $1 and place a little license sticker on the bike.

Apparently, no one seems to know why this law was passed in the first place, in 1968. Presumably it was intended to help reduce bicycle theft. But that's unnecessary because bikes each have a unique serial number anyway. (Plus, how hard is it for a bike thief to peel off a little registration sticker?)

Anyway, Houston's cyclists and bike-riding kids will no longer be renegade outlaws, which must come as quite a relief.