Gardaí in Co Laois yesterday stopped a cyclist in full kit riding on a motorway and issued him with a fixed charge notice as punishment.
The sanction was imposed despite the fact there is no specific offence of riding on a motorway provided for in the fixed charge notice system.
Cyclists fined for breaking the rules of the road have their contact details taken by gardai. A notice of the breach, and a €40 fine, is sent out in the post. Once the fine is paid that's the end of the matter and no criminal conviction arises.
However, while riding on a motorway is not a specific offence under the system in the list of offences published by the Department of Transport, "riding a bicycle without reasonable consideration" is an offence and can be applied to any number of scenarios.
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For example, stickybottle is aware of a number of cyclists who were fined for riding on footpaths on the basis they were riding "without reasonable consideration", even though riding on a footpath is not a fixed charge notice offence.
"Laois Roads Policing Unit stopped this cyclist taking a short cut home along the M7 today. It is against the law to cycle on the Motorway. Fixed Charge Notice issued," the Garda said of yesterday's incident.
For information, the list of offences under the cyclist fixed charge notice system is as follows:
- No front or rear light during lighting-up hours
- Riding a bicycle without reasonable consideration
- Failing to stop for a school warden sign
- Failing to stop at traffic lights when the red lamp is lit
- Failing to stop at cycle traffic lights when the red lamp is lit
- Failing to stop at a stop line, barrier or half barrier at a railway level crossing, swing bridge or lifting bridge, when the red lamps are flashing
- Cycling in a pedestrianised street or area
The fine for all of these offences is €40. If you receive a fixed charge notice, you have 28 days from the date of the issue of the fixed charge notice to pay the fine.
If it is not paid within 28 days, the charge is increased by 50 per cent. If it is not paid within 56 days then court proceedings are initiated and payment will no longer be accepted at that point.
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