More discouragement of cycling in Australia

[Shut Up Legs]

The NSW police in Australia are now apparently using their Riot Squad to hand out traffic infringement notices to cyclists:
http://www.bicycles.net.au/forums/viewtopic.php?f=53&t=89238

Just in case anyone was thinking of protesting these new harsher laws for cycling:
http://www.bicycles.net.au/forums/viewtopic.php?f=53&t=89238#p1335604

Words fail me...

 

[jefmcg]

Everyone has to pick a line they won't cross, but is that really the one you want to pick? Do you really think Australian helmet laws are worse than Malaysian anti-sedition laws or the Thai lese majeste laws (a man is facing 37 years jail for being rude about the King's rescue dog)? Or sticking with Australia, do you really feel it's worse than the Government's policy on refugees?

(totally understanding you not wanting to live there, but that's a different thing)

Apologies @User259. With hefty fines against cyclists enforced by riot police and (pending) 7 years imprisonment for protesting against mining, you now have my blessing to boycott Australia, or at the very least, NSW.

 

[jefmcg]

The NSW police in Australia are now apparently using their Riot Squad to hand out traffic infringement notices to cyclists:
http://www.bicycles.net.au/forums/viewtopic.php?f=53&t=89238

Just in case anyone was thinking of protesting these new harsher laws for cycling:
http://www.bicycles.net.au/forums/viewtopic.php?f=53&t=89238#p1335604

Words fail me...

Yeah, you can no longer pretend this isn't some sort of campaign. Here's a lovely picture of armed** riot police, with their small-penis car mounted the footpath and blocking a bus lane, taking to task a dangerous felon.

I agree with one of the posters on the linked sites, that it's almost certainly a sock-based crime. I know an poor English kid who was given a swirly on his first day in an Australian high school. I'll leave it as an exercise to google "swirly".

**that's a bit of a cheat, because all Australian police are armed. This is not a good thing.

 

[jefmcg]

 

[jefmcg]

NSW seems to be making huge steps in their project to outlaw the blight that is cycling.

Cyclists bear brunt of new road fines as NSW Liberals accused of 'dash for cash'
About 1,500 cyclists but only four motorists have been fined after the introduction of new road laws

 

[david k]

Well if the law is that you have to wear a helmet and you dont. You can handlings be shocked if you get pulled.

As for carrying id. We all carry id in Denmark. Its our yellow cards which we use for everything from taking out a library books to getting medical treatment at the doctors or hospital. Its not a problem carrying it. With the amount of illegals in the UK I would have thought it would be an advantage to have a national ID scheme. It only becomes a problem if you have something to hide.

As for the old Bill having nothing else to do. I am guessing most of these tickets were issued to commuters on the way to work. A quiet time for police officers. They do this once or twice a year with cyclists jumping red lights in Copenhagen.

It may sound a pointless exercise but it will get the point across pretty quickly. The police are paid to enforce the laws of the land and fortunately the public dont get a vote as to which laws they enforce.

Is there any abuse of this? Ie people losing it and someone else then using it, or people making false ones?
I like the idea but worry it could lead to more issues

 

[Shut Up Legs]

Discourage cycling for long enough, and this is what you get: http://bitre.gov.au/publications/2015/files/is_071_fp.pdf
The summary page at the start says cycling has decreased in Australia between 2011 and 2013, and the subsequent sections support this. Meanwhile, Australians just get fatter and the motor vehicle still rules here.

 

[Shut Up Legs]

A pretty well-written article, I think (a pity about some of the comments, though, and I wish I'd resisted the urge to read any of them):

https://www.theguardian.com/environ...cycling-laws-are-taking-the-public-for-a-ride
According to Carlon and Gay, Australia's approach to cyclists (mandatory helmets, large fines for pretty minor infringements) is correct, and the rest of the world is incorrect.

 

[steveindenmark]

It is unfortunate that the law of the land in Australia makes you wear a helmet. I wear one voluntarily in Denmark. But you have that law and you must abide by it. The previous fine was $71 and that should have been enough of a deterrent to make people wear helmets, it would have been for me and so raising the fines to $1000 would have had no effect, my helmet would have been on to begin with. I cannot see how anyone can defend red light jumpers and so raising that fine ten fold cannot be a bad thing. Obviously Mr Gay is an idiot and has no interest in public health or reducing greenhouse emissions. But we all have idiot politicians.

You can have the helmet debate all day long but it is just going round in circles. That law is an ass but its the law, whether you like it or not. I don't like seat belts, but I have to wear one.

Now if they increased the mobile phone use fine in cars 20 fold. That would make some sense.

 

[jarlrmai]

People can and should campaign against laws they consider to be counterproductive, it's part of living in a democracy.

 

[steveindenmark]

People can and should campaign against laws they consider to be counterproductive, it's part of living in a democracy.

I agree with that, but disobeying a law is not campaigning. You campaign, get the law revoked and then stop wearing a helmet.

 

[Brandane]

Now if they increased the mobile phone use fine in cars 20 fold. That would make some sense.

The current fine and points for mobile phone use is enough of a deterrent for the vast majority of drivers; it's the slim chances of being caught that make it meaningless. Same goes for speeding, drink driving, jumping red lights, lane hogging, etc. etc..
No point in having a load of laws on the statute books if they are not enforced, and they won't be enforced if there are no Police Officers out and about to do it!

 

[jarlrmai]

I agree with that, but disobeying a law is not campaigning. You campaign, get the law revoked and then stop wearing a helmet.

Campaigning by disobeying a law has a long history of being effective.

 

[steveindenmark]

The current fine and points for mobile phone use is enough of a deterrent for the vast majority of drivers;!

Recent figures in Denmark show that more accidents are caused by mobile phone users than drink drivers.

In my eyes the sentences should be the same.

 

[steveindenmark]

Campaigning by disobeying a law has a long history of being effective.

I'm guessing it wont work with the administration in place in Australia. They will just keep taking money off cyclists. Its just too easy.