Like the UK, Australia drive on the left hand side of the road. When cyclist, Laurie Duncan passed a car to left of it, he was stopped and handed a fine of AU$152 (£95).
The stationary car was indicating to turn left, but owing to pedestrians crossing the road, the car remained immobilised. At this point, Duncan cycled past the car on the left hand side.
Spotted by the police, Duncan was pulled to aside and informed that under Australian law: “the rider of a bicycle must not ride past, or overtake, to the left of a vehicle that is turning left and is giving a left change of direction signal”.
Tips for staying safe on your bike
Laurie Duncan said he had no idea what he did was illegal, as he went on to tell The Age: “I get, 100 per cent, that if you pass on the left and there aren’t pedestrians there, you’re an idiot because you’ll get knocked over. But when a car is stationary and can’t turn because either there’s a red light or there’s pedestrians there, it happens thousands of times a day that cyclists stream past cars.”
Tell us what you think about this fine. Is it justified, or just silly?
