Summary: Japan has introduced strict new penalties for cyclists using mobile phones or riding under the influence, aiming to curb rising bicycle accidents. Cyclists caught using phones now face up to six months in jail or a 100,000 yen fine ($655; £508), while riding drunk can lead to three years in prison or a 500,000 yen fine ($3,278; £2,541). These rules follow a rise in bicycle accidents, which now account for over 20% of Japan’s traffic incidents, as cycling grew during the pandemic. The measures build on recent laws requiring helmets and imposing fines for cycling violations.
Something similar was done in Japan for walking and texting (or looking at your phone screen). Makes sense the same would translate to all modes of transportation including cars.
https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20200810-yamato-japan-smartphone-ban-while-walking
Though, jail time may be a little harse for communicating with people over a phone.
What are those cyclists having accidents with? Magical monoliths that appear out of nowhere or… cars?
While cycling in Tokyo, you either zigzag through convoluted residential street, risk it on large avenues with sharrows or annoy pedestrians by riding on sidewalks. This is not sustainable, something has to give.
What are those cyclists having accidents with? Magical monoliths that appear out of nowhere or… cars?
Yeah… Whenever I’m on foot in the city I’m twice as nervous about being hit by a cyclist as I am a car.
They ride on sidewalks, don’t stop at lights, weave through pedestrians at crosswalks, etc.
They seem to be so full of themselves for not being in a car that they forget that they can also injure people.
This might be survivorship bias. If you get hit by a cyclist, you might - worst case Ontario - break a limb or something if they send you flying into something else. If you get hit by a driver, you are definitely going to break something and you will most likely die.
As for how likely it is that you actually get hit - do you think it’s easier to avoid a 2’ x 6’ object moving at 15 mph or a 8’ x 16’ object moving at 45 mph?
As for how likely it is that you actually get hit - do you think it’s easier to avoid a 2’ x 6’ object moving at 15 mph or a 8’ x 16’ object moving at 45 mph?
The cars are where I expect them to be - and they are much more likely to slow if they see me on the crosswalk. Dude on a bike just swerves around me at speed.
Cyclists like to think they’re still pedestrians when it suits their purpose.
I used to bike like this when I was a teenager, and I try not to now. If someone was in the crosswalk, I’d slightly adjust my speed and path to pass behind or in front of them as space allowed, just like they were any other obstacle. Because I didn’t realize how unpleasant it feels to be startled by a bike going past, or even if you know they’re coming it’s still uncomfortable that they’re going fast.
As a biker it took me a lot of life experience to realize that even if the situation was perfectly safe (I’ve always been in control and never hit anyone), pedestrians are not unreasonable for disliking bikes riding fast in their personal space.
But in a lot of countries, bikes have to be like pedestrians sometimes because the bike infrastructure is so spotty or non-existant. You’ll try to use the bike path but it just ends. Or there’s so safe way to turn left, or whatever.
But in other places, like Berlin, Germany, old people will yell at you if you’re biking in the wrong place and it’s pretty great because there’s usually a good bike path right there that you could be using.
PS. In my walking experience, bikes are way more likely to see me if I’m crossing a crosswalk than cars. Sometimes cars drive right through when you’re waiting to cross, where a biker will usually acknowledge me and let me cross.
Fair response - thanks for your insight.
shrug Where I live, cars feel (and know) that they’re invincible and likely to suffer no punishment if they kill someone.
Drivers like to think that they can do no wrong all the time, not just when it suits their purpose.
Whenever I’m on foot in the city I’m twice as nervous about being hit by a cyclist as I am a car.
Then you don’t care about your life.
🙄 bikes can do no harm
I hope people don’t get pulled over for gaming a navigation app and a phone mount on their handlebars. That would suck.
Imo it’s a waste for police to pull anyone over for this, unless they’re actually a danger to someone. Biking and being on the phone is way safer than driving a 1000 pound battering ram with limited visibility doing the same.
Good.
Shitty cyclists suck. I ride my own bike every day, and I can’t get over how often I see someone riding among pedestrians, (often along a road clear of cars, or worse yet, along an actual bike lane right there).
I must have shouted “the bike lane is literally right here” as I go past people like this over a hundred times in my life.
It’s obvius to me that hitting someone with my bike would be horrible, yet I see people riding them all the time like it’s the same as lightly jogging.
I have seen such an idiot riding downhill with 40km/h and texting. I stayed far behind him so I at least had a chance to brake in case he made a meat crayon. Luckily I had to leave the road shortly after while he was still texting.
Good, last time I was in Osaka the urban cyclists were plenty dangerous even without texting. Japan doesn’t have a great cycling infrastructure and definitely needs more safety rules because of it.
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