Bike-riders of New South Wales, listen up: your on-road fines are about to get steeper than Le Tour’s hill climb stages. A new raft of laws, regulations and fine-hikes means that riding around sans helmet will eventually cost $319 and running a red will see you cop a $425 fine.
Minister for Roads Duncan Gay’s new measures have also snuck a new move in – as of March 2016, carrying photo ID while riding will be mandatory. There’s a year-long grace period, but if you’re caught riding sans ID after that, say goodbye to $106. FWIW, the minister has previously indicated he doesn’t hate the idea of a total bike-rider registry system, either.
@gabrielleupton @DuncsOffice the changes apart from 1m passing are absurd. Well done on making NSW the most anti cycling place in the world
— Christopher (@87cks) December 21, 2015
@TheSensoryCity @helmetfreedom @safimichael unfucking believable. +1 to just banning bikes & be done with it
— Sir KonaCommuter (@konacommuter) December 21, 2015
@BicycleAdagio agreed, just read the Guardian piece on it. What garbage. It’s like your government hates cycling
— Krupo (@PromisedMePie) December 21, 2015
Unfairly punitive & archaic new bike laws make cycling unattractive & impractical. Much vision, many innovation NSW https://t.co/iJmHlMMb7o
— Christopher Hills (@Christopher__H) December 21, 2015
Other commenters have drawn particular aspects of the laws into question, including a safety proposal that cyclists give a metre of space when passing pedestrians on shared paths. The problem, of course, is that some designated dual-usage paths aren’t wide enough for the both, anyways.
Fairfax reports Greens spokeswoman Dr Mehreen Faruqi also highlighted the fact the fine for not wearing a helmet is almost double that given to drivers caught in bike lanes.
The changes officially kick off in March next year. On yer bikes, then.
Story: Fairfax.
Photo: Geok N. Leong / Getty / Twitter.