New Cycling “Safety Package” in NSW
The NSW government has not introduced compulsory rider registration when it announced this week a raft of new laws affecting motorists and cyclists. The great news is that drivers will now have to leave a distance of 1 metre when travelling under 60km/h and 1.5 metres when over 60 km/h or face a fine of money and demerits. Cyclists will also have to step up by carrying photo ID at all times, as well as of course having a helmet. All avid cyclists would meet these measures already. However more dangerous rider habits are targeted much more heavily, which really is not a bad thing if you’re a responsible rider. We launched iBIKERIGHT this year with the same goal, trying to demonstrate with our client base that the majority of riders lead by example in road safety. It will be good to see the new laws being enforced to get everyone on the same page of creating a safer environment on the road. Here is an overview.
- Introducing a new rule requiring drivers to leave a minimum distance when passing bicycle riders – at least one metre when travelling up to 60km/h and at least 1.5 metres when travelling faster than 60km/h, which will attract a penalty of $319 and two demerit points.
- Increasing penalties to help improve safety on our roads for bicycle riders who are:
- Not a wearing helmet (from $71 to $319)
- Running a red light (from $71 to $425)
- Riding dangerously (from $71 to $425)
- Holding onto a moving vehicle (from $71 to $319)
- Not stopping at children’s/pedestrian crossing ($71 to $425).
- Making it compulsory for adult riders to carry photo ID so that they can be identified in an emergency or if they break the road rules.
- Introducing a new safety advisory recommendation for bicycle riders to provide a minimum distance of one metre when passing pedestrians on a shared path, where practical.
The actual release can be read here:
http://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/media-releases/wheeling-out-new-cycling-safety-package
