German police clamp down on cyclists who break the law
I watched this segment on DW-TV this morning. 100 Euro fine plus administration fee if cyclists for each red light they are caught running by police bike units in Germany.
If you argue or the police think you did this on purpose the fine is increased to 200 Euros plus and administration fee. In both cases points are also lost from your drivers licence. The police run video cameras which are mounted on their handlebars. Any claims that “you must have been mistaken officer” can and are, quickly dealt with.
If Qld police were more active in policing the laws for bikes I’m guessing there would be less animosity towards cyclists from motorists who are sick and tired of seeing the bonehead cyclists in Brisbane running red lights constantly.
I recall my last conversation with one of our bike squad policemen in Brisbane when I observed the officer and his colleague taking turns at rolling out of a lane way on Queen St next to the GPO to “scare away” the taxis who were queuing onto the bus stop, impeding the buses from taking several hundred people home . When I asked why they didn’t book the taxi drivers he replied “its only a $40 fine, so its not worth it”
So where is the deterrent? I can’t imagine the German Polizei going along with that one! The bike squad officers in Germany spend up to about two hours at the end of their shift completing their paperwork.
http://www.dw-world.de/popups/popup_printcontent/0,,5441687,00.html
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