By SHIMPACHI YOSHIDA/ Senior Staff Writer
May 17, 2024 at 17:48 JST
Unsafe bicyclists will face fines under the revised Road Traffic Law passed by the Upper House on May 17, marking the first major overhaul of the nation's bicycle violation system.
The new law, which was previously approved by the Lower House, will take effect within two years.
The revised law covers 113 relatively minor violations and cyclists who are 16 or older will be subject to fines.
The violations include disregarding traffic signals, failing to stop at a stop sign, riding on the wrong side of the road, and riding on the sidewalk.
A police officer at the scene will issue a ticket to a cyclist and if the fine is paid, no criminal charges will be filed.
The fine amounts will be set by a government ordinance by the time the revised law takes effect and will likely be the same as the fines for motorcycle violations.
Under the revised law, when a vehicle passes on the right side of a bicycle, if there is not enough space (about 1 to 1.5 meters) between the two, the vehicle must proceed at a safe speed according to the space between them.
The bicyclist must also ride as close to the left edge of the road as possible.
Riding a bicycle while using a smartphone or other device, as well as driving under the influence of alcohol, will be prohibited under the revised law and will be subject to the same penalties as for vehicles.
Police data: 74 electric scooter accidents over past 3 years
March 6, 2023
Cyclists face fines for light offenses as police plan tighter controls
August 3, 2023
Revised traffic law aimed at making roads safer for cyclists
December 22, 2023
Revised law in April to push all cyclists to wear helmets
December 21, 2022
A peek through the music industry’s curtain at the producers who harnessed social media to help their idols go global.
A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry
Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors.
Cooking experts, chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life.
A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II
Police officers stop a cyclist for riding on the wrong side of the road in Saitama on Sept. 25, 2023. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
