New South Wales police have issued more than 450 infringement notices to cyclists, including for not having bells, in a one-day blitz before some of the world’s toughest fines are introduced on Tuesday.

Officers posted to major intersections around Sydney’s CBD on Thursday issued 393 fines – 210 to cyclists for not wearing helmets, 80 for riding on the footpath, and 103 for disobeying traffic control lights, including by not dismounting at pedestrian crossings.

Another 64 cautions were issued, some of them to cyclists for not attaching bells to their bikes. More than 200 motorists were also fined during the blitz.

Cycling fines are standardised at $71 but from Monday will more than quadruple to $319 for not wearing a helmet and $425 for not stopping at a pedestrian crossing.

Cyclists will also be required to carry ID or pay a $106 fine from March 2017, but the government has said a mobile photograph of a licence or passport would suffice.

The director of the state’s road safety centre, Bernard Carlon, said in a Q&A on Thursday that ID would “assist emergency services attending to a bicycle rider in the event of a crash” although he did not elaborate on how a mobile phone photograph would fulfil that purpose.

Bike advocacy groups have criticised the new suite of fines, arguing it will discourage cycling but will not drive down the road toll, which included seven cyclist deaths last year. Another 1,500 riders were hospitalised.

Hundreds took part in a protest ride in January against the new fines.

From Monday vehicles travelling under 60km/h will also need to give cyclists one metre’s room or pay a $319 fine and lose two demerit points. Those passing at more than 60km/h will need to give one and a half metres.

CEO of cycling advocacy group Bicycle Network, Craig Richards, has slammed the operation calling it a “timely data collection mission” and questioning why it’s been held months earlier than in previous years.



“Is this just the latest attack on cyclists from a government who appear to be running an anti-bike agenda?,” he said in a statement.

Research from the University of Adelaide has found that motorists were responsible for 79% of road accidents with cyclists.

The city of Sydney estimates the number of people riding within its council boundaries has doubled in the past five years. Peak-hour weekday counts were at 47,624 in October 2015, up from about 25,000 in March 2010.