Law change lets Japanese police crack down on rule-breaking cyclists

They’re always talking about this. But nothing really changes. Bicycle riding is dangerous to pedestrians as well as dangerous to the riders themselves. One of the dangers to riders is - other riders! Do you see them piled up together at traffic signal stops? ( That’s IF they stop ) As far as riding on the road, we’ll good but that’s also dangerous because roads are too narrow! So, if you’re a rider, you’re always under stress from a car driver coming perilously close to you.

It comes down to the usual problem of Japan. Of having dug itself into dilemmas from which there simply is no escape.

Its the smartphone zombies on two wheels, the Lycra louts who have little or no respect for pedestrians.

Every effort and expense is being thrown at providing designated cycle routes paths where financially logistically capable.

Yet every week I see the belligerent smirking biker, drink in one hand, head in the clouds as pedestrians are forced to give way.

Corey,

They’re always talking about this. But nothing really changes

Absolutely.

Nonetheless, I'll have to get another GoPro for my commuting bike. If the cops in my town pull over one cyclist this year for "allegedly" not stopping at a stop sign, it's going to be the foreign looking one.

Yawn. This is just a waste of money and energy. Cops didn't stop anyone doing things they shouldn't in their mamachari's before, and they won't do anything now either.

Yawn. This is just a waste of money and energy. Cops didn't stop anyone doing things they shouldn't in their mamachari's before, and they won't do anything now either.

They'll just choose whenever they want to enforce, which happen only occasionally.

revised Road Traffic Act comes into force, police will be able to issue people aged 16 and older so-called blue tickets for about 115 relatively minor violations

Basically they make it easier for cyclist to get a ticket.

Basically a good move, but the punishments are Draconian! Three years in the slammer for riding drunk? And a year for using a cell phone? Admittedly some deterrent is needed, but this is over the top.

But, as others have pointed out, it probably won't get applied anyway. Or, if it is, only in the more comfortable cooler seasons.

Basically a good move, but the punishments are Draconian! Three years in the slammer for riding drunk? And a year for using a cell phone? Admittedly some deterrent is needed, but this is over the top.

Draconian? Tell that to the people who are injured or heaven forbid worse, because of a drunk driver!

Drunk "driving" is drunk driving, whether it be on a bicycle or a car. This is mild and should be harsher!

Obviously you have never experienced getting hit by a bicycle, guano hurts big time, and bones take a while to heal after they are broken too!

Riding crowded sidewalks is crazy. Can't go a decent speed! If you want to go fast (15km+) then stay in the road. Still, you're gonna upset drivers if you're doing less than 25km and blocking traffic.

So, go really fast on the road, or really slow on the sidewalk.

It’s just a bike tax enforced randomly by the police when they feel like it. It’s not going to change anything.

I regularly see people riding their bikes with their elbows on the handlebars and both hands on their phones while they watch videos where I live. However, what is worse is the number of people doing practically the same thing but while driving cars.

I visit Japan every couple of years and the first time I saw cyclists using pavements mixed with pedestrians I was shocked. Pedestrians have to jump out of the way for cyclists who seem to have priority, why is this legal? It wouldn't be allowed in Europe. For a civilised country like Japan they need to create cycle lanes or get cyclists off pavements, it is unacceptable.

Pedestrians have to jump out of the way for cyclists who seem to have priority, why is this legal? 

I agree with you. I think there are several reasons. Bicycles are permitted on sidewalks under some circumstances, bicyclists are probably scared to ride on the road where illegal parking and blocking bike lanes is common, and the law is not enforced except once in a while so it is completely normalized. The bigger change I have noticed the past 3-4 years is that e-bicycles are more common, and they are heavier, faster and more dangerous; and many bicyclists are now using i-phones while riding so inattentive.

 those cycling while using a phone could be given a prison term of up to one year or a 300,000 yen fine.

If the police focused on dishing out fines for using a phone while riding a bike they could pay off the national debt in six months.

Bradenton1963Today  06:52 pm JST

I visit Japan every couple of years and the first time I saw cyclists using pavements mixed with pedestrians I was shocked. Pedestrians have to jump out of the way for cyclists who seem to have priority, why is this legal? It wouldn't be allowed in Europe. For a civilised country like Japan they need to create cycle lanes or get cyclists off pavements, it is unacceptable.

I ask myself the same thing all the time. Very rarely do I see many bikers here who don't seem to expect the pedestrians on the sidewalks to get out of their way! Recently, I watched a young woman on a bike nearly knock a walking elderly woman over. If that elderly woman hadn't jumped out of the way in time, she would very surely have been hit - ridiculous that she had to move like that at all at her age. And the young woman on the bike didn't even stop to say a quick apology, she just sped on. I mean, it's called a sidewalk, not a sideride. Get in the road! And like Redemption pointed out above, the electric bicycles that I see in double-digit numbers now in my small neighborhood (usually for Uber Eats) are a genuine danger to pedestrians. They don't stop, and they don't care.

Obviously you have never experienced getting hit by a bicycle, guano hurts big time, and bones take a while to heal after they are broken too!

Well, I have been hit by a bicycle, someone doing quite a bit of speed on a pavement. By the time I had got up, he/she had sped off. But I don't see where guano (seabird/bat manure) comes into it. It stinks, but is not painful. What on Earth are you talking about?

It never really registers, does it, until the victim a person dear close to you, a family member, son, daughter grandfather/mother is directly affected in a senseless irresponsible avoidable collision.

A neighbours family member was mowed down by a lout on a bike, he refused to take responsibility, he insisted it was an "accident" even when witnesses presented evidence to the contrary.

The lady in later years is still suffering from this reckless moronic cretinous fool selfish attitude.

I'll believe it when I see it. They're going to be busy fining the old biddies riding on the pavement without a helmet if they're genuine about enforcing this.

police will be able to issue people aged 16 and older so-called blue tickets for about 115 relatively minor violations like ignoring traffic lights

I wonder when they’ll start cracking down on drivers running red lights or talking on the phone…

If the cops don't pull over cars for using smartphones while driving, why would they expect us to believe they'll pull over bikes?

Also, they don't need to make the fines so damn high and give out such long prison sentences. They just need to start enforcing the laws consistently. (You know. Doing their jobs.)

Make them use the damn road like in the UK.

I totally agree cyclists (including myself) should be using the road, not sidewalks. But unfortunately most roads just aren’t wide enough for bikes to ride alongside cars, buses, garbage trucks, lorries. When people are riding mama charis with a kid (or kids), it’s a bit risky.

Nothing about kids on this? Asking high school kids to pay a fine? Or are their parents are going to be punished?

Unless there's an explicit signage that allows mixed pedestrian and cycle traffic on sidewalks, cyclists must use roads. Also if there is a dedicated cycling lane, it must be used instead of a road or sidewalk.

Riding in wrong direction (right), wearing headphones, speeding through interjections without even looking, smartphone usage, riding completely drunk… all these I can see all the time.

The real question is, will police actually do something about it finally? It's for the sake of everone.

If convicted, those found cycling under the influence and issued a red ticket could be subject to imprisonment of up to three years or a fine of 500,000 yen, and those cycling while using a phone could be given a prison term of up to one year or a 300,000 yen fine.

Hold on a second !

Is this Japan or China ?

Japan is going down the tubes !

Pedestrians and Bikes can share the pavement, if bikers were to progress single file, and dismount and walk when faced with "sidewalk" congestion.

Turn off the cell phone.

It is that simple, my UK grandpa bless once stated to me, pipe in hand, you cannot argue with stupid, as he put the lit pipe in his pocket and set fire to himself.

Never rode a bike

For a civilised country like Japan they need to create cycle lanes or get cyclists off pavements, it is unacceptable.

Try actually living in Japan instead of visiting and realize Japan isn't a civilisation like the west .

Most Japanese are more courteous and communicate more during public movement

Sure accidents happen sometimes however not as frequently as your assumptions.

It's not an arrogant right of way scenario here in japan

Japanese are united

For a civilised country like Japan they need to create cycle lanes or get cyclists off pavements, it is unacceptable.

They could maybe do that on some main arteries, but few roads in Japan are wide enough to allow for a bike lane to be removed from the driving lane.

I was told by my motorcycling friend that motorcyclists' helmets have a speaker in them, so why is there so much fuss made about cyclists and their earphones? I really don't think earphones are that distracting unless you are listening to very loud music at a very high volume.

And how is it that cars can have small TVs in or over the dashboard and almost every car has a distracting navigation screen? You can even play music as loud as you want and have potentially five people in a car who you can hold a conversation with you that could be about very stressful subjects that you didn't anticipate having to have before you got in the car. And yet cyclists who are on their own and have far fewer distractions are hunted down by the police for petty infringements. I agree that cyclist should be punished for riding dangerously but not persecuted for these spurious justifications.

Today we were in Osaka where they ride their bikes like speeding lunatics. I am more afraid of the bikes than all the road traffic.

Wallace, totally agree. I don’t drive and my biggest hazard is the e-bikes on sidewalks in Tokyo.

Too many e-bikes speeding on the sidewalks.

So, riding a bike home now after one beer you can go to prison or be fined ¥500,000. Riding a bike to your home takes 4 times as long as driving a car. On a bike you are fully visible for a longer length of time vs in a car well hidden for a shorter length of time. Can see whats going to happen here.

I was told by my motorcycling friend that motorcyclists' helmets have a speaker in them, so why is there so much fuss made about cyclists and their earphones?

Because they block sensory perception in a situation that has life or death consequences.

Today we were in Osaka where they ride their bikes like speeding lunatics. I am more afraid of the bikes than all the road traffic.

Now you have a three day journey back home.

How about fining police officers who sit in the Koban all day eating yaki soba pretending to be busy?

A case of 2% causing 98% of the problems. Leave cyclists alone. The red tickets are fine for distracted driving and intoxicated driving but the 115 relatively minor violations blue tickets are bad and fearful lifeless Tokyoites spreading their zombie spiritless life to the entire nation. Kanto is the only area of Japan where one can see pedestrians on small local streets with no cars waiting at a red light at 6:00 AM. People in the rest of the country are not brain dead and just look for cars before walking 1.5 meters against a red light across the street.

Still they will probably only pull over cyclists during their "campaigns" which is always railroad crossings. Nobody cares if they don't come to a full stop or if they went over the rails after the lights started blinking, that's only a danger to themselves. Start cracking down on the cyclists that come right at you on the wrong side of the road or the ones suddenly doing 90 degree turns right into the road without looking.

Someone cycling alone the Kagami River in Kochi doesn't need to wear a helmet or stop at every stop sign and it would be a huge government overreach if police started handing out blue tickets for ignoring minor infractions.

I am an avid cyclist and it is the best way to get around in Tokyo. I think the powers that be should be doing more to encourage cycling (but safely!). I don't agree with these draconian measures but I do agree there should be reasonable rules and there needs to be limits for the e-bikes. Also the taxi drivers are the menace on the streets and endanger me greatly when riding bike on the street and need to be managed better.

@chiseledknox

Classifying e-bikes the same as 5cc scooters would solve most of the problems without these draconian measures.

50cc

I think it would be wise to retire the bike. This is a licence to bill cyclists.

And yes, painting a cycle lane on a pavement in a country that can occasionally be a tad busy, is a recipe for disaster.

Yep, this is a major issue in Tokyo, both as a pedestrian and a driver.

Cyclists want to use the road and sidewalk interchangeably and flout the laws of both, if there are any that actually apply to them. Add to this, the completely ridiculous blanket law in Japan that says that any incident involving a car and a cyclist, or pedestrian is automatically the car's fault, regardless of circumstances. What I see from this as a driver, is that cyclists almost play chicken with cars and balk them into stopping by threatening to move onto the road at intersections etc. They clearly know and behave as if they are exempt from responsibility, which is true.

My wife recently hit a cyclist (minor bump, luckily) who flashed across an intersection riding down the wrong side of the road. The cyclist was 100% to blame and damaged the car, but the woman on the bike was haughty and unapologetic. My wife reported the incident to police, to do the right thing, and was told that if the the woman chose to press charges, it would have been my wife's fault, simply due to the nature of the law.

So yes, I fully support these measures, but they need to go further and amend laws pertaining to responsibility for accidents.

Excellent..

Their country, their rules..

Bikers, behave well..

GO JAPAN!!..

Someone cycling alone the Kagami River in Kochi doesn't need to wear a helmet or stop at every stop sign and it would be a huge government overreach if police started handing out blue tickets for ignoring minor infractions.

agree, when I first moved to Japan I loved the lack of “nonsense” that seems so pervasive back home. The lack of helmet enforcement was up there as a plus to me

Most Japanese cities are death traps for pedestrians and cyclists and all this is doing is putting lipstick on a pig.

It is time for the motor car friendly cities modelled on the US that they set up in earnest after the War to be dismantled. And they should bring back street cars.

Well, I have been hit by a bicycle, someone doing quite a bit of speed on a pavement. By the time I had got up, he/she had sped off.

Right, if what you say is actually true, if you were hurt I guess you feel, by your "draconian" statement, they should only get a slap on the wrist.

But I don't see where guano (seabird/bat manure) comes into it. It stinks, but is not painful. What on Earth are you talking about?

I take it English isnt your first language so I will grant you the benefit of the doubt. Because of the restrictions on use of more colorful words in the English language, the word guano is a substitute, which conveys the same meaning, without it being rejected by the censor.

In other words, use the synonym of the word when reading the sentence.

So now we are going to have police pulling over people they don’t like who don’t follow the rules and ignore everyone else. Frankly the biggest cycle problems are the mothers with kids riding on sidewalks and riding on cross walks in any direction they want. Pushing their way thru traffics even in shinkuku. Worse anywhere else. So now will this be equally enforced or just with people they don’t like.

WandoraMay 18  04:38 pm JST

They need to do something about cyclists zooming up behind us on pavements. Make them use the damn road like in the UK.

I looked into this a few years ago because cyclists hit us while walking on footpaths more than once.

It is technically illegal to ride on undesignated footpaths unless you are in a specific age group and there are regional variations. Even with these laws changing, there are no punishments and no enforcement, so people still get injured and killed every day by riders with disabilities.

Make cyclists pay some kind of registration fee for their bikes and make it law to wear a fluorescent jacket with a registration number on the back to they can be reported when breaking the law. After all, they are road users so why not be able to report them. And they should be wearing fluoro jackets anyway. One who does not is a fool.

I must be living in an alternate Japan. I've never been close to being hit by a cyclist while walking. And I've never seen it happen.

That doesn't mean it won't happen tomorrow, I guess. And it obviously does happen, hence the new legislation.

Is a law change really needed? i don't think so. What is needed is police who make the effort to enforce existing laws. I believe it is already against the law to ride a bicycle on the pavement (sidewalk to Americans), yet you even see policemen on their white bicycles on the pavement.

The suggested maximum punishments for riding while drunk, large fines plus imprisonment, seem draconian. i doubt they will ever be enforced.

There is already a law that that states someone who has a driving licence can lose that licence if caught riding while drunk.

What I believe would be effective is riding licences for cyclists. That would make it possible to ban people from using their bicycle if they were a danger to others.

I had a pavement cyclist crash in to the side of my car a few years ago, and I had only been driving for about 6 months. He came zooming down the payment holding his phone in one hand, he did not look...or even care about those around him, but the crash left him quite injured in his hand and arm, oh, I was not moving at the time but parked behind queuing traffic. Any way his bike was ruined, so that is an indication of how fast he was travelling. I drove him to the nearest hospital and just left him there, because I honestly did not care at the time, and it made me very late for a job interview, which I did not get. And here in the UK things are nearly as bad, these cyclists think they own the pavements and roads, but I have never seen one that has been stopped by the police.

I had a pavement cyclist crash in to the side of my car a few years ago, 

You're not supposed to drive on the pavement.

HawkToday  08:10 am JST

I must be living in an alternate Japan. I've never been close to being hit by a cyclist while walking. And I've never seen it happen.

That doesn't mean it won't happen tomorrow, I guess. And it obviously does happen, hence the new legislation.

Japanese cyclists kill several pedestrians and seriously injure hundreds of pedestrians on average every year in Japan.

Footways the site of 40% of serious bicycle accidents with pedestrians (2023)

https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14857343

Japanese cyclists kill several pedestrians and seriously injure hundreds of pedestrians on average every year in Japan.

Footways the site of 40% of serious bicycle accidents with pedestrians (2023)

https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14857343

Wow. It's almost as if my entire second paragraph doesn't acknowledge that.

And you realise that that means 60% of them occur on roads, which probably makes it the pedestrians' fault in many cases.

Hawk

I must be living in an alternate Japan. I've never been close to being hit by a cyclist while walking. And I've never seen it happen.

I have seen it happen, and especially if you include these pesky electric kickboards that are everywhere now. Seems we live in different Japans indeed.

Particularly in Japan, behavior improves through consensus, though such can be aided by laws. Smoking is a good example. I did not pay much attention to bicycles in Japan until I started riding one myself. Accustomed to strict rules in northern Europe, I was surprised at how otherwise admirably law-abiding and considerate people could become anarchists on wheels...But again: consensus. Part of the problem is the difficulty of making bike lanes on already narrow streets and roads...By the way, as I understand it, people my age are allowed to ride on sidewalks. I do so--riding very slowly.

I have seen it happen, and especially if you include these pesky electric kickboards that are everywhere now. Seems we live in different Japans indeed.

I must be walking around with my eyes closed. I've only ever seen one electric kickboard here, too. And that was my friend's. At his house. Also, it's not like I live in a rural area or even a small town; it's the prefecture's capital. And I walk a lot and cycle a lot.

I'm not trying to dismiss anyone else's experience. It's just totally different from mine.

> HawkToday  02:47 pm JST

> And you realise that that means 60% of them occur on roads, which probably makes it the pedestrians' fault in many cases.

39.1% of accidents happened on off-street walkways.

6.1% of accidents occurred on the side strips of roads marked for pedestrian traffic.

23.4% of accidents occurred on crosswalks and other parts of roadways.

24.7% of accidents happened at intersections.

As you may know, sidewalks are nonexistent in many parts of Japan, which means pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles often share the same space on the road.

METATTOKYO,

Yeah. You're not disproving what I said.

And I know that the law is written to apportion most, if not all, the blame on the vehicle operator, making them guilty of an offense. However, that doesn't necessarily mean that the other party is 100% not at fault, and also guilty of an offense. For example, if a pedestrian is crossing on a red and is hit by a cyclist going through a green, the cyclist will likely shoulder some responsibility, but, according to the Civil Law Act's Percentage of Negligence, the pedestrian will, too.

Furthermore, far more traffic laws apply to cyclists than they do to pedestrians, so it makes perfect sense cyclists are blamed in the case of most accidents. It doesn't mean they are entirely at fault in practical terms.

HawkToday  04:25 pm JST

METATTOKYO,

Yeah. You're not disproving what I said.

And I know that the law is written to apportion most, if not all, the blame on the vehicle operator, making them guilty of an offense. However, that doesn't necessarily mean that the other party is 100% not at fault, and also guilty of an offense. For example, if a pedestrian is crossing on a red and is hit by a cyclist going through a green, the cyclist will likely shoulder some responsibility, but, according to the Civil Law Act's Percentage of Negligence, the pedestrian will, too.

Furthermore, far more traffic laws apply to cyclists than they do to pedestrians, so it makes perfect sense cyclists are blamed in the case of most accidents. It doesn't mean they are entirely at fault in practical terms.

Cyclists are more likely to hit pedestrians due to their greater speed and momentum, which increases the risk of collision and severity of impact. Also, pedestrians, especially vulnerable ones like children, seniors, or those with disabilities, may not be able to react quickly enough to avoid a collision.

Cyclists are more likely to hit pedestrians due to their greater speed and momentum, which increases the risk of collision and severity of impact. Also, pedestrians, especially vulnerable ones like children, seniors, or those with disabilities, may not be able to react quickly enough to avoid a collision.

Sure. That doesn't mean that in 100% of accidents between cyclists and pedestrians, cyclists are 100% to blame.

They won't though, same as they don't crack down on drivers. If they DID crack down on bicycle-law infringements and gave fines they could pay off Japan's debt in a week. But again, they won't do it in most cases, if not all.

The the cops actually enforced this in my area, they'd probably make over a million yen per day.

No-one stops at red lights, though bikes on the road are rare; they're all on the sidewalk. Most using a phone at the same time, going too fast and expecting people to move out of their way.

Sure. That doesn't mean that in 100% of accidents between cyclists and pedestrians, cyclists are 100% to blame.

It does if the pedestrian is walking on the SIDEWALK, and the vehicle is not using the ROAD.

Vehicles have no place on a pedestrian walking area.

I think most commenters are in major urban areas. In suburbs and rural areas, it’s a very different story, where roads are very narrow, and cars are zooming along, often over 70km, and a lot of the drivers being over 75 years old.

It’s a tough call for bicyclists. It’s often impossible to safely bike on the roads. So it’s necessary to use the “sidewalks,” such as they are. But then, in rural areas bicyclists seem much more civil and accommodating than in the city.

However, having the same rules nationwide, regardless of road conditions, put the rural bicyclists in danger of large fines. So far, the police have been very understanding. But with these new fines, we’ll have to see.

It does if the pedestrian is walking on the SIDEWALK, and the vehicle is not using the ROAD.

Vehicles have no place on a pedestrian walking area.

Except, of course, where cyclists are legally allowed to use the pedestrian walking area, which is the case in many places in Japan. You can see them clearly because there are blue signs with a picture of a bicycle on them. Agree with the rule or not, there it is.

The poor English aside, keeping to the left of the lane can be dangerous, as it encourages cars to overtake when there isn't room to do so. A safe cyclist knows when to take up the whole lane, as outlined in the UK's Highway Code.

Unfortunately though, this is the law in Japan. While it is not super clear, but you will find it in the 道路交通法 art 17. You have to keep to the left.

I completely agree with you that it is more dangerous to ride close to the kerb/side.

Cyclists in Japan breeze through stop signs as if they are not there.This is a real danger especially on downhill roads where speeds can be excess.

Well, let's see if the police actually crack down. They won't.