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NSW Police
Update - Fines down and compliance up in Operation Pedro

The latest NSW Police operation targetting people who ride and walk in Sydney has shown a greater compliance from the city's bike riders. 

148 infringements were handed out to bike riders for a range of traffic offences including riding on the footpath, not wearing a helmet and disobeying traffic lights. 

This is a decrease of 43% when compared to the previous Operation Pedro in April. They are also lower than the fines issued in December 2017. 

Sadly, there were no specific figures regarding the enforcement of minimum passing distance law.

A breakdown of the infringements: 
  • Cyclists disobey traffic control lights – 37

  • Cyclists ride on footpath – 25

  • Cyclists not wear helmet – 50

  • Cyclists other offences – 36

Operation Pedro has a checkered history with the bike riding community, with police accused of unfairly targetting bike riders in the name of safety. 

Despite this, Traffic and Highway Patrol Commander, Assistant Commissioner Michael Corby said that the operation was established to raise awareness about road safety.

“We have been conducting Operation Pedro since 2014 as a way of educating the community about the importance of all road users doing the right thing,” Assistant Commissioner Corboy said.

“This should come as a reminder for everyone to take personal responsibility for their actions on the road."

Bicycle Network's spokesperson Anthea Hargreaves said that the results from Operation Pedro shows what we already know. 

"We know that the vast majority of bike riders do the right thing and today's results show this," Ms Hargreaves said.

"Riding a bike offers so many benefits - we should spend more time actively making it easier and more comfortable rather than stinging people with fines." 

New South Wales is one of only two Australian states that outlaws footpath bike riding for people over 12 years old. The NSW state government spends only 0.6 per cent of its transport budget on bikes while serious injuries for bike riders continue to rise.

See Bicycle Network's campaign for footpath riding. 

Operation Pedro results

27 August 2018 

Cyclists disobey traffic control lights – 37 
Cyclists ride on footpath – 25
Cyclists not wear safety helmets – 50
Cyclists other offences – 43
Cyclist other offences – 36
Pedestrian offences – 94 
Other traffic offences – 62

Total bike rider fines: 148

23 April 2018

Cyclists disobey traffic control lights – 43 
Cyclists ride on footpath – 69
Cyclists not wear safety helmets – 103
Cyclists other offences – 43
Pedestrian offences – 65
Cautions issued – 65
Other traffic offences – 143
Charges laid - 2 (Warrant & Breach of Bail)

Total bike rider fines: 258

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