Cyclists call on NSW Police to target motorists by enforcing safe passing road rules

Cyclists are calling for NSW Police to crack down on motorists driving too close to bike riders, as new figures reveal less than 50 fines have been issued for the offence over the last two years.

Dashcam footage highlighting the issue captured by a North Sydney cyclist.

Cyclists are calling for a crackdown on motorists driving too close to bike riders as new figures reveal less than 50 fines have been issued for the offence over the last two years.

Cycle advocates claim NSW Police are not doing enough to enforce safe passing legislation, introduced in 2018, to protect the safety of bike riders.

The laws require drivers passing a cyclist in the same direction to leave a minimum 1m gap when the speed limit is 60km/h or less. That distance bumps up to 1.5m when it is higher than 60km/h.

But figures from the Office of State Revenue have revealed just 41 fines had been issued across NSW in the last two years.

NRMA spokesman Peter Khoury said the laws were primarily to influence driver behaviour.

Dashcam footage showing a close call between a bike and car on a Sydney road.

“The law is there primarily to act as a deterrent because what we want to do is encourage motorists to pass bikes safely and to say if you take that risk and put a life in danger you can be fined,” he said.

“The aim isn’t for police to be on every street in Sydney with measuring sticks – nor would we want that.”

Cyclist Russ Webber is calling for increased police enforcement of the rules.

Dashcam footage of a close call on a Sydney road.

North Shore Bicycle Group president Russ Webber said police were failing to adequately enforce the rule book.

“We’ve seen countless collisions resulting from motorists passing too close to cyclists and unfortunately it’s always the cyclists who come off worse with serious injury,” he said.

“Many people give up cycling because of those concerns and the attitude of the authorities I think is that they just don’t care.

“There’s also a small but significant number of drivers that don’t think about people on the road and see cyclists as an easy target.

The safe passing rules were introduced in 2018.

North Sydney councillor Jilly Gibson. Picture: John Appleyard

Bike NSW president Peter McLean backed calls for increased enforcement by police, saying it could prevent injuries and deaths on the state’s roads.

“It’s a concern that’s raised every week by our members across NSW and we’re receiving detailed reports and complaints and dashcam footage showing how prevalent it is,” he said.

“We want to see more done about it because at the end of the day it’s a safety issue.

Some councils have backed the concerns, with North Sydney Council writing to the NSW Police Minister to clarify why so few fines were issued, in light of cyclists reporting the rule was poorly followed.

North Sydney councillor Jilly Gibson said there were challenges enforcing the road rules in a region with notoriously congested and narrow roads.

“When the law was introduced it was well intentioned but the trouble is how do you enforce it?” she said “We’d have to have a police officer on every street 24/7 or have the equivalent of speed cameras to catch number plates. The police have got a hard enough job to do.

“If cyclists stick to cycle lanes it wouldn’t be an issue – we’re spending hundreds of thousand of dollars rolling out cycleways and residents report back to me and even when they’re provided they’re still driving on the roads.”

The passing rules are aimed at ensuring road safety.

Less than 50 fines have been issued for the offence over the last two years.

In a statement, NSW Police said the safety of all road users was “paramount”

A Traffic and Highway Patrol spokesman said officers conduct regular traffic enforcement operations to ensure the safety of all road users.

“Minimum passing distance laws were created to recognise that the roads are shared by cyclists and motorists (and) road safety is a shared responsibility,” she said.

“We all have a shared obligation to ensure everyone can reach their destination safely and this includes cyclists.”

Parramatta Cycling Club president Paul McDonald has supported calls for more enforcement, but said cyclists also have a role to ensure safety.

“There does need to be a bit of give and take from the cyclists as well and to only cycle on roads where there is that ability for cars to pass safely,” he said.

The current fine for drivers who do not observe the minimum distance when passing a cyclist is $362 fine and two demerit points.

The Office of Statue Revenue figures show 13 fines were issued for the offence this financial year.