Bikes shouldn’t pay rego because they are “very light,” don’t damage roads: RACQ

The RACQ has rejected calls for cyclists to pay rego and be banned from busy major roads, flagging another option that would keep both riders and motorists safe.

The state’s leading motoring body has flatly rejected growing calls for cyclists to pay rego and be banned from major arterial routes, saying bikes are “very light” and therefore don’t damage roads in the same way cars do.

It comes after Sky News host Peter Gleeson recently called for cyclists to pay rego and be banned from arterial roads and footpaths, describing them as a “menace to themselves and others.”

RACQ Public Policy Head Dr Rebecca Michael. File picture

A Courier-Mail online poll finding 74 per cent of its 5500 respondents said they were in favour of cyclists being slugged registration.

But the RACQ has called instead for more infrastructure to be built for cyclists instead, to promote safety, and argued that rego for cyclists would be ineffective in resolving safety concerns.

Bicycling around Queensland is undergoing a pandemic-led renaissance, with new bike lanes along major roads and city streets helping to grow numbers.

But the RACQ’s head of public policy Dr Rebecca Michael said imposing rego on cyclists wouldn’t improve safety for both riders and pedestrians.

“Registration for them would therefore be added red tape with no impact on safety,” Dr Michael said.

“We must remember that no one road user group owns the road network,” she said.

“We all have a right to use the roads and to get to our destination safely.”

Dr Michael said cyclists were already culpable for any infringements made while on the road.

Cyclist seen on a pedestrian bridge in Indooroopilly. Picture: News Corp/Attila Csaszar

“Cyclists must adhere to traffic law, including those relating to drink driving and using a mobile phone, and the police can and do fine cyclists at the moment, even without registration,” she said.

Dr Michael said the best way to improve the situations for both motorists and cyclists was to provide separate infrastructure.

Originally published as Bikes shouldn’t pay rego because they are “very light,” don’t damage roads: RACQ