Cyclists without helmets ‘targeted’

Thousands more fines have been dished out to helmet-less cyclists in Canterbury than in other regions.

An advocate believes this is because police once saw them as ‘‘an easy target’’.

Nearly 30,000 fines were issued in New Zealand for the infringement over the past four years. Kiwis face a $55 fine for not wearing a helmet or not having their helmet securely fastened. People can get out of the fine by buying a new helmet instead.

The figures showed police issued 8498 fines in Canterbury, more than double the 3551 issued in the next closest region, in the eastern North Island, and more than 20 times more than in Auckland, where 380 were issued.

Spokes Canterbury chairman Don Babe said there were more cyclists on the road in the Canterbury region, ‘‘but not to that point’’. ‘‘We haven’t got 20 times more people biking than in Auckland,’’ he said.

‘‘I think cyclists were seen as an easy target for a while. I don’t think it’s happening so much now. I see a lot of people around without helmets and they’re just biking along and not really fazed.’’

The number of fines issued in Canterbury dropped each year over the four years. If all of the fines were paid, that equated to more than $467,000.

A group of Wellington cyclists plan a protest ride to have helmet laws relaxed.

Babe said he supported the idea because helmets were a barrier to getting more people cycling regularly, which could itself reduce the number of cycling-related accidents. Already some people were not required to wear a bicycle helmet, with 135 people given exemptions on medical grounds since 2004 and 16 on the grounds of religion, mostly Sikh.

‘‘The more people you have cycling, the less common accidents are. I can see that myself.

‘‘Motorists are much more aware of cyclists now than they were five years ago, just because of the sheer numbers.’’

Canterbury road policing manager Inspector Al Stewart said police worked with the Christchurch City Council to run road safety operations, but ‘‘unfortunately not all cyclists take these messages on board and this results in enforcement’’.

‘‘Where possible these cyclists are offered compliance – a chance to avoid to $55 fine for not wearing a helmet, and the opportunity to put that money towards purchasing a helmet so they are safer.

‘‘You are so much safer cycling with a helmet.’’

Christchurch City Councillor Sara Templeton, who cycles about 10km to work each day, said she would continue to wear her helmet if the laws were relaxed, but mostly because of the route she took.

‘‘I come along Port Hills Rd where we have the big inland port and lots of trucks. If I was biking around town and it was shared space, 30kmh, I would prefer not to wear a helmet in that situation.’’

She said she would like to see the current laws relaxed enough to trial non-compulsory helmet areas, such as where bike-share schemes operated.

‘‘Maybe we could try something nationally where the shared space in the Christchurch city centre is ... a non-mandatory helmet zone and our separated cycleways potentially as well.’’