Sydney’s cyclists are planning a mass revolt over a fivefold increase in fines for offences such as not wearing approved helmets, jumping red lights, failing to provide identification and not having a bell.
The controversial rules, which come into force today, have been imposed by Duncan Gay, the non-cycling minister of transport for New South Wales, after the number of cyclists in the city doubled in five years, bringing them into increasing conflict with motorists. Mr Gay has also ripped up some of the city’s cycling lanes and wants to force riders to obtain licences.
Cyclists, who claim they are being treated like “scum”, are threatening to blockade the streets and have vowed to wear jerseys that carry offensive names for the police. “Every country in the world encourages cycling but here we have a government that considers cycling an intrusion and brings in laws that won’t protect the safety of cyclists, but discourages them,” Rob Perry, of Sydney Push, a lobby group, said.
Australia and New Zealand are among the few nations that require all cyclists to wear approved helmets.
The fine for not wearing the correct helmet has risen from £36 to £163. The fine for jumping a red light in Sydney is now £217 — up from £36. Even cycling without a bell carries a fine of £54, as does the failure of anyone over 18 to carry photo ID .
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Among the first cyclists to be caught and fined under the new laws was Ben Ackerley, from New York, who was stopped by a policeman for not wearing a helmet.
“I’d just picked the bike up from the bike shop after getting it fixed,” Mr Ackerley told Sydney’s Daily Telegraph, which photographed his encounter with the officer. “I’ve just come from living in New York City. The cops there have got better things to do than worry about this sort of stuff.”
Before the fines were imposed, campaigners handed Mr Gay a petition with 10,000 signatures. Cyclists have also protested by going slowly through the streets in an attempt to slow down traffic. Mr Gay said he believed that he had struck a balance between the rights of cyclists and motorists, who are now obliged to maintain a distance of at least one metre from bikes.
Yvonne Poon, one of the protesters, said: “I tell friends I am not a cyclist, I am a person who rides a bike. Cyclists are basically regarded in this country as scum.”
Guy Bicknell, the co-owner of a design consultancy who cycles to work, told The Sydney Morning Herald: “It is astonishing the amount of abuse you get from drivers. It is a uniquely Australian thing.”
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Several large employers in Sydney have expressed concerns about the new laws. A number of companies have spent money setting up changing rooms for cyclists and giving them places to store bikes and clothing.
