As reported earlier, Japan’s Road Traffic Act has undergone some revisions that are set to take place in April of next year. Most notable among them is the addition of a “blue ticket” (aokippu) which is a fine for reckless cycling behaviors, such as 12,000 yen (US$83) for using a smartphone while riding, 6,000 yen for running red lights, and 111 other types of traffic violations.

Many of them are clearly dangerous and hard to argue with, but one that has been turning heads is a 6,000 yen fine for riding on the sidewalk. This one is especially surprising since most cyclists in Japan always use the sidewalk. After the fine was announced, the National Police Agency was flooded with nearly 6,000 complaints that it was an unreasonable law.

Japanese streets tend to come in all shapes and sizes with some dating back centuries and lacking the size or shape to accommodate things like bike lanes. And even when they do, many motorists seem to interpret them as a convenient place to park their cars on the side of the road. This can make riding on the road daunting for many people who fear getting into a much more serious accident than they might on a sidewalk.

▼ People just tend to make do with the space available.

In response to the blowback, the police issued a statement saying that they wouldn’t hand out tickets for the mere act of riding on the sidewalk. Instead, they said tickets will only be issued in cases where someone is exhibiting aggressive and dangerous behavior while on a sidewalk. However, a writer for President Online pointed out that their criteria is a very subjective thing, and riding even at average speed would be considered dangerous.

▼ The National Police Agency suggests 7.5 kilometers per hour (4.7 miles per hour) as a safe speed for sidewalks, but that’s about half the speed of even a casual cyclist.

Comments online largely agree that the National Police Agency is putting the cart before the horse by punishing cyclists for using sidewalks without giving them a reasonable alternative.

“Riding a bike on the road is too scary, so I usually use my car.”
“Reserve the left lanes for cyclists and elderly motorists.”
“If cyclists go slowly on the sidewalk, it’s no problem. But they don’t understand that and go too fast, so it’s their own fault.”
“Taking a bike on the road along Shinome-kaido in Tokyo would be suicide.”
“They should let us ride on the sidewalk and use umbrellas as long as we go slowly.”
“Riding with headphones isn’t dangerous.”
“This country is stupid to just throw rules at us without fixing the infrastructure first.”
“I’d rather stop using a bike completely than take it out onto the road.”
“It’s idiotic to force us into the streets if the streets aren’t equipped to handle us.”
“Get rid of those roadside trees and put in bike lanes that are separated from both the sidewalk and the road by curbs.”

Getting rid of the few trees that exist in Japan’s urban areas probably isn’t the best solution, but I’d have to agree that a separate conduit for bicycles would be ideal if possible. It’s a colossal logistical challenge though, as the streets in many cities are so chaotic they can barely accommodate pedestrians and cars properly, let alone bicycles.

It certainly doesn’t look like that’ll be happening soon, so just be sure to be on your best behavior when riding bikes in Japan, especially after the new laws go into effect next year.

Source: President Online, My Game News Flash
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