There are two ways for governments to ensure the safety of cyclists. The first option, adopted by civilised countries, is to build bicycle-friendly infrastructure, to enact legislation that favours sustainable modes of transport, to design cities that focus on humans first and motor vehicles last.

This inevitably leads to favourable outcomes for all citizens – fewer cars on the road; better public transport; the empowerment of children who can cycle to school instead of being chaperoned by parents; clean air from a decrease in vehicle emissions, and better health outcomes for those who choose to cycle instead of drive. No longer are roads a battleground between cyclists and frustrated motorists. When infrastructure is built that creates a safe haven for cyclists, we see children, women, old people ... everyone riding a bicycle. You only need to look to the Scandinavian countries and the Netherlands as positive examples of what can be achieved when governments choose to focus on human-centred outcomes.

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There is however another way to keep cyclists safe. It’s to get them off our roads, footpaths and cycle lanes entirely. This can perhaps be achieved through enacting legislation that penalises cyclists with massive fines for minor traffic infringements such as not wearing a helmet or cycling without a bell attached to the handlebars.

Governments can also rip up existing infrastructure and force cyclists on to traffic-clogged roads. They can allow the police force to target minor infringements by cyclists, rather than focus on motorists who speed, text while driving or drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol. In short, a government can create an environment where the cyclist is seen as an unwanted guest on our roads, rather than as a husband, wife, mother, daughter, son commuting to work or school.

To the best of my knowledge, this bold experiment is only occurring in one place on earth: New South Wales. Evidence of the success of this bastard of a policy was provided recently when figures were released by the NSW government that appear to show a decline in participation rates of cycling in Sydney. It’s thought the decline is due to two factors: the increase in fines for minor infringements and a lack of cycling infrastructure in Sydney.

Of course what these figures don’t show is how each cyclist has chosen to replace their bicycle trip. No doubt, most now drive to work or the shops, joining the ever-increasing traffic queues. Or they hop on our failing public transport network and sweat it out with the rest of us.

Can you blame them for discarding the bike when even the legendary Tour de France winner Cadel Evans says Sydney is one of only two cities in the world where he would not ride on the roads? That he would travel interstate to train on his bicycle rather than risk it on our roads?

Evans told Fairfax Media that while he would normally encourage people to take up cycling, when it comes to Sydney he’s not sure because of the aggression on the roads and the poor infrastructure.

“I encourage people to ride for the health benefits or for one car less on the road but because of this problem, I don’t want to encourage someone to ride and then they go out and get hit by a car,” he said.

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And what the figures also don’t show is the damage this legislation is doing to Sydney’s reputation as a welcoming destination for tourists. Will the steady tide of young foreign backpackers choose more bicycle-friendly cities such as Brisbane or Melbourne in which to spend their hard-earned cash? At least in those places they can buy a drink after midnight as well.

I imagine the state’s roads minister, Duncan Gay, will soon smugly announce a decrease in the fatality rates of cyclists and point to his legislation as the reason for this drop, rather than the fact that there are fewer cyclists to kill. In the past seven months since enacting the new “safe cycling” laws, the government has gained a windfall of $1.3m in fines from cycling misdemeanours. If the minister was serious about keeping cyclists safe, he would use this money in an advertising campaign promoting the “one-metre” passing laws. Or he would direct the police to focus on motorists who flout this law. A pitiful 15 fines have been issued to motorists for breaking the one-metre passing law since its inception in March, reaping just under $5,000. Surely this is evidence of the government’s true agenda – to rid the streets of cyclists rather than create a safe environment for them.

Meanwhile, the number of motorists killed in accidents this year has increased by a whopping 10% on figures from 2015. I hear no call from Gay for a fourfold increase in traffic fines, no suggestion that police should direct their attention away from targeting cyclists to motorists and certainly no calls from the government or motoring groups for the minister to respond to this alarming increase.

Sydney is cracking under the strain of inadequate roads and a population slavishly devoted to the motor vehicle. And the government’s answer is to fine cyclists out of existence.

It would be funny if it wasn’t so irresponsible.