'The joke is on me': Cyclist cops whopping $915 fine for triple infringement
Just because you’re riding a bike, doesn’t mean you’re not subject to the same rules as every other vehicle on the road.
One Sydney cyclist has been reminded of that the hard way – with a whopping $915 fine.
The expensive fine, issued by the NSW police, was actually the result of a rather unholy trinity of infringements.
The cyclist copped $457 for not stopping before a red light, $344 for not wearing a helmet, and a further $114 for riding on a footpath.
The Sydney man shared the photos of all three infringement notices on Facebook, issuing a “friendly reminder” to other cyclists about staying in their lane, so to speak.
“Friendly warning to Sydney bike riders and unfamiliar tourists ... Riding without a helmet, riding on a footpath, not stopping before a red light, or doing all three at once could land you $915.00 in one go,” he wrote.
“The joke is on me today, don’t let the joke be on you.”
Under the Road Rules on the NSW legislation website, a bicycle is considered a vehicle and has the same road rules as other vehicles.
While helmets must be worn by cyclists of all ages in NSW, rules vary when it comes to riding on the footpath.
Since July 2018, children under 16 years of age are allowed to ride on a footpath, up from children under 12 years of age.
“Allowing children under the age of 16 on the footpath will help keep them safe until they have the skills, decision making and knowledge of the rules to ride safely on the road,” Transport for NSW’s Centre for Road Safety says.
An adult rider who is supervising a cyclist under 16 may also ride with the young rider on the footpath.
While many in the Sydney-based Facebook group expressed an element of sympathy for the man’s expensive day, others were happy.
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“Good,” one commented.
“Riding on the footpath is selfish and arrogant.”
Another fellow cyclist expressed sympathy for the rider who copped the fines, but reiterated what they did was wrong.
“I’m sorry this happened to you but running a red light big no no. Riding with no helmet, big no no,” said another.
Riding without a helmet once carried a fine of just $73 in NSW but that has more than quadrupled to $344, leading to a revenue windfall for NSW.
The fine is far more expensive than other states and territories such as just $25 in the Northern Territory and a more modest $207 in Victoria.
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