Big changes to NSW roads with one-metre cycle rule to come into force
There will be big changes in the road rules in Sydney from Tuesday with drivers having to stay at least one metre away from a cyclist when they are overtaking.
It is a controversial move that has drivers, cyclists and pedestrians all taking sides.
On Sydney's roads, drivers and cyclists often accuse each other of being dangerous and ignoring the rules.
"I've almost had my dog garotted by a bike rider who went through a red light," one driver said.
Drivers in breach of the new road rules could be fined more than $300 and lose two demerit points.
"What we're trying to do here is to actually make it safer on the roads for cyclists, and also to get cyclists to behave more safely on the roads as well," Bernard Carlon from the Centre for Road Safety said.
There has been a trade-off for drivers with cars now legally allowed to cross unbroken lines to pass a bike, as long as it is safe.
"They're a step in the right direction but I've just come back from living in Copenhagen for six months and they have this sort of bike path everywhere," one cyclist told 7 News.
Fines for cyclists will jump from $71 to $319 for not wearing a helmet; $106 for not having a bell or warning device, and $425 dollars for riding through a red light.
Police will soon be able to issue electronic tickets using Android-based tablets under a program launched by former police minister Mike Gallacher in 2013.
It may be designed to protect cyclists but the one-metre rule would be so difficult to police, drivers are only likely to be booked if they actually hit a bike.
Otherwise, it would be too hard to prove the car was within a metre.
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