Cyclist cops fine after claiming to have been illegally overtaken by car
A cyclist was left fuming after claiming a car dangerously overtook them only to be hit with a fine after showing the video to police.
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A cyclist has been slapped with a fine after claiming to have been illegally overtaken by a car only to be told they were actually in the wrong after showing the video to police.
Dashcam footage of the incident was posted to the Cycliq Facebook page, a company that creates dashcams for cyclists, on Thursday.
The footage showed a car appearing to drive dangerously close to a cyclist as they descended a hill.
NSW road rules state drivers must leave at least a metre of space when passing a cyclist.
“Drivers passing a bicycle rider must allow a distance of at least one metre when the speed limit is 60km/h or less,” the Transport for NSW website states.
“Both single lane and multi-lane overtaking involves risk and requires extreme care. If you have any doubts, don’t overtake and wait until it is safer.”
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In a bid to see the driver brought to justice, the cyclist took the video to NSW Police, only to be handed a fine for being too far from the left-hand side of the road.
“Took this to NSW Police and I ended up getting booked for not riding as near to left of the road as possible,” the rider said.
“Descending down an unguttered road with blind driveways at 50kph, and I was as close to the left of the road that was safe in the circumstances.
“It seems NSW Police intent on keeping road as perilous as possible for cyclists.”
NSW Police said the penalty for this offence was a $116 fine.
Cycliq claimed the outcome showed the “sad” attitude NSW Police have towards cyclists.
“Change is happening whether they like it or not, and they are going to have to catch up with the times because the videos won’t stop coming and the pressure will only build,” the company wrote.
Fellow cyclists quickly shared their outrage at the video, with one person branded it “ridiculous” and many others calling for the rider to fight back against the penalty.
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“Definitely defend your position, you were to the left of the centre line. And the diver should be likewise asked to defend their pass as your position is irrelevant to the safe passing distance infringement by the other driver. If a vehicle had come the other way it would all be delt with by a coroner – that’s what our poorly educated coppers don’t get,” one Facebook user wrote.
Another said it was a “clear case of police going on the attack” against a cyclist.
“I would take that to court, especially since the law is as near as “practicable”, not possible. It really is a sad indictment when the police don’t know the laws. And then won’t enforce the laws intended to keep people safe,” one person wrote.
Some commenters pointed out the rule only states cyclists have to ride as far left as “reasonably practicable” under the given circumstances.
However, some of the commenters agreed with police, claiming the cyclist had enough room to move over.
“What the cops said is what my very thoughts were. Move over a little bit, you’re like out in the middle of the road,” one person wrote.
Originally published as Cyclist cops fine after claiming to have been illegally overtaken by car
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