Fredericton police step up enforcement of cycling safety laws

The Fredericton Police Force will begin enforcing bicycling safety next week and will issue tickets to cyclists who violate the law, the city advises.

Police will focus on cyclists who aren't wearing a helmet, as required under the provincial Motor Vehicle Act, or are travelling on pedestrian sidewalks instead of roads, against the city's bylaw, said spokesperson Heidi Cyr.

• Cyclist using pool noodle to demonstrate Ellen's Law says he was hit by car 
• Ellen's Law takes effect in New Brunswick

The offences carry fines of $29.70 and $50 respectively, she said.

The crackdown starting Monday follows an education campaign conducted in the downtown core during the past few months, said Cyr.

Officers have been distributing an informational brochure, titled Cycling in Fredericton, developed earlier this summer by the city and the police force to help raise awareness of the importance of sharing the road.

Police have also been giving warnings to anyone breaking the rules.

About half of all head-related injuries in Canada are bicycle-related, according to the statement from the city. Half of all bicycle-related head injuries in Canada occur in June, July and August, it said.

Lacking infrastructure  

Benoit LeBlanc, a member of the New Brunswick Bicycle Advocacy Group, says it's not always easy to follow some of of the cycling rules in Fredericton.

"Ticketing cyclists on the sidewalk is just going to make people not cycle, more than it's going to actually force them onto the road," said LeBlanc, a student at the University of New Brunswick.

He said the city is missing core infrastructure in the downtown area for cyclists to get around and feel safe.

Often, cyclists feel caught between parked cars and moving vehicles, LeBlanc said.

Fredericton is "missing places where you can bike in the downtown, where you can feel safe," he said, citing the need for a bridge across Route 8.

Cyclists are also trying to meet with members of the legislature to discuss cycling laws and to push for legislation separate from the Motor Vehicle Act, LeBlanc said.

"Fredericton has put in the bike lanes that go from the outside into the city," he said. "It's just that they haven't taken that last step and done the inside of the city to complete the network."

"We need some sort of infrastructure to rejoin the city that is not based around cars [but] that is based around cycling and pedestrians."

Copies of the Cycling in Fredericton brochure are available at City Hall, Tourism Fredericton's Visitor Information Centres, the Fredericton Police Force station and their community offices.