More than 11,000 cyclists who were issued tickets in Vancouver over the past five years for not wearing a helmet refused to pay their $29 fine.

A total of 11,097 cyclists did not pay or argue their ticket in court and simply let them expire, according to statistics from the Insurance Corporation of B.C.

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The statistics show only 1,771 cyclists of 13,154 paid their fines between 2008 and 2012. An additional 53 tickets were withdrawn and 95 were still in dispute. Of those who went to court, 63 were found guilty and another 75 found not guilty,

The tickets were issued under two sections of the Motor Vehicle Act, one for not wearing a helmet and another for a parent allowing a child to ride a bicycle without a helmet, which accounted for about 100 of the overall tickets.

Consequences for not paying a fine only affect those cyclists and parents who plan to renew or get a drivers licence, or buy insurance for a vehicle.

The insurance corporation will not issue or renew a drivers licence until a fine is paid. Same goes for renewing or getting insurance for a vehicle, said Adam Grossman, a spokesman for ICBC.

Wearing a helmet is not only the law but, most importantly, is going to protect you hopefully from some type of serious head injury, Grossman said.

The statistics were released to the Courier the same week city council will consider a staff report recommending $2.9 million in improvements to the citys cycling network.

The goal of the improvements is to make the streets safer for cycling and encourage more people to ride a bike. The citys goal is to have two-thirds of all trips by 2040 made by bike, foot or transit.

Vision Vancouver Coun. Geoff Meggs, a supporter of separated bike lanes and previous cycling upgrades, said the provincial government is responsible for encouraging cyclists to wear a helmet because it implemented the helmet law.

We havent plunged into that area, he said. Were trying to make cycling safer and I think the city feels the best thing it can do is to create that safe infrastructure. It doesnt mean that some day youll be able to throw away your helmet.

Meggs, who supports the helmet law, collided with a car in March 2010 while riding his bike. The inside of his helmet split in several pieces. He suffered ligament damage to his neck and cracked vertebrae in his lower back.

I understand all the arguments about [the helmet law] both ways, he said. But it is the law and Ive found helmets valuable in my personal experience.

Const. Brian Montague, a media liaison officer with the Vancouver Police Department, said he couldnt comment on whether ticketing cyclists who dont pay fines was a good use of officers time.

Our officers do have discretion in whether or not to write a ticket, but our job is to enforce the laws that are there right now, said Montague, noting abolishing the helmet law would have to be done by the provincial government. If they did, then wed stop enforcing it.

Montague said police responded last week to an accident involving a 10-year-old cyclist at Dundas and Lakewood streets. He was wearing a helmet and suffered minor injuries.

Had he not been wearing a helmet, could he have been injured even more? he said. Wed rather not have to speculate on something like that.

mhowell@vancourier.com

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