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When Nathan Edwardson headed out with his cycling club for a relaxed lunchtime ride along Cotter Road last year, little did he know he would be just metres away from a serious injury or death. "It was a little bit scary. But the adrenalin kicked in. It wasn't until after I got home and hugged my wife and kids that I felt the full impact of what may have been," he said. As he and a pack of other riders rounded a bend on the popular cycling route, two half-bricks were thrown at them from a passing car. "They just came out of nowhere and flew right past my head," Mr Edwardson said. "Luckily they were a poor shot, but it could have ended a lot worse. "A few riders wobbled and because we were all riding so close together, if one had been hit, it would have brought the whole group down." Mr Edwardson, president of the Canberra Cycling Club, said his experience is "unfortunately all too common" for cyclists. The ACT government has passed new laws making it illegal to throw objects at or place them in the way of cars and bicycles, and anyone found guilty faces up to two years in jail. "These new laws will help protect the territory's road users from irresponsible and dangerous actions, such as throwing rocks at cars or cyclists," Road Safety Minister Shane Rattenbury said. "Throwing objects at cyclists is unfortunately a relatively common practice, and many regular cyclists will have a story of being hit or nearly hit by an object thrown from a car. These days, with the popularity of helmet cams, a quick internet search will bring up videos of cyclists being subjected to dangerous behaviour." The laws will be implemented alongside other measures already in place for vulnerable road users, include minimum passing distances when overtaking cyclists, allowing cyclists to cycle over crossings at low speeds, and a trial of motorcycle lane filtering. "Initiatives like these aim to improve accessibility and connectivity, improve safety and raise awareness of cyclists on our roads," Mr Rattenbury said. "This is all extremely unsafe, criminal behaviour, and it is appropriate that our laws recognise it. People need to be able to travel around our city safely." Cycling ACT president Lisa Keeling said it was a "no brainer" that she strongly supports the new legislation, after having several things thrown at her while riding, including eggs and a McDonald's thickshake. "It is only a small minority who throw things at cyclists, but they need to have consequences and take it seriously that someone could get hurt. A lot of our members talk about their stories of how dangerous it is and how unsafe they feel." The new laws will also apply to throwing objects at vehicles, such as car drivers throwing objects at other drivers, or pedestrians throwing objects at cars or trucks. Mr Edwardson said he hoped that these laws would help to bring about a cultural change. "If the laws are enforced, then over time behaviours and attitudes will change," he said. "People just don't realise that even if it is only an apple core or a banana peel it can have a serious impact on someone's life."

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