New cycling laws
On April 1st new cycling laws will go into effect. Do you know anything about the new laws?
Basically police can give bad riders on-the-spot fines for breaking cycling rules. You must pay the fine in 8 days (at a bank or post office) or you’ll receive a more serious punishment
Match the fine to the crime
| Crime | Fine |
|---|---|
| Riding on the sidewalk (unless signs allow) | no fine |
| 2 people riding one bicycle | ¥3000 |
| Cycling without a helmet | ¥6000 |
| - | - |
| Cycling at night without a light | ¥5000 |
| Using a phone while cycling | ¥6000 |
| Holding an umbrella while cycling | ¥12,000 |
| - | - |
| Listening to music while cycling | no fine |
| 2 bicycles cycling next to each other | ¥3000 |
| Cycling on the sidewalk if you're over 70 | ¥5000 |
| Cycling on the wrong side of the road | ¥6000 |
Have you seen cyclists breaking any of these rules?
Which rules do you often see broken?
Are you surprised by any of these laws?
Kids under 13 and seniors over 70 can ride on the sidewalk.
By law, it’s illegal for everyone else to cycle on the sidewalk if there are no signs allowing biycles. The Police said they won’t be strict about the law if people are cycling slowly and carefully. If anyone cycles too fast on the sidewalk, they can be fined.
The rule is everyone must wear a helmet while cycling but there is no punishment for people breaking the rule.
Answers
2025 Best Cycling City Rankings
Utrecht, Netherlands - World's largest bike parking; one-third of trips by bike
Copenhagen,Denmark - 52 km of protected lanes per 100 km of road
Ghent, Belgium
Amsterdam, Netherlands- Long-time leader; now focusing on e-bike and traffic management
Paris, France - bike use rising rapidly (from 5 to 11% in 5 years)
Helsinki, Finland - 48% of road network has bike lanes
Münster,Germany
Antwerp,Belgium - Huge city-wide bike-sharing system
Bordeaux,France - 89% of street network under 30 km/h limits
Nantes,France
The top 3 US cities are:
Brooklyn, New York
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Seattle, Washington
The highest ranked cities have:
lots of protected biycle lanes
lost of parking areas for biycles
lower car speed limits
bicycle sharing systems
Would you like Japan to improve it’s cities for cyclists?
What are the good and bad points of cycling in Tokyo? How about in Osaka?
Can you guess what the best cycling city is in Japan?
48. Fukuoka, Japan
For the first time it has appeared in the top 50 because they’ve built new cycling lanes and a city-wide bike rental program
Tokyo
Generally Japan is seen as having safe and polite drivers for cyclists.
Tokyo is seen as dangerous for cyclists because the roads are too narrow for cyclists and cars.
In many areas cyclists cycle on the sidewalk which is often slow for cyclists and dangerous for pedestrians.
Osaka
Osaka has the best bicycle parking system in Japan however drivers are seen as more aggressive than Tokyo drivers and the rate of car-bicycle accidents is higher than in Tokyo.
Cyclists say many drivers (especially taxi drivers) don’t indicate when they change lanes and will speed up to avoid red lights.
Osaka drivers say Osaka cyclists also break many road rules (e.g. going through red lights or go the wrong way down the street).