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Saturday, 14 April 2012

Bicycle law changes in Western Australia

Changes to poorly designed laws are always welcome, especially when illicit activities which you commonly  perform become legal. For Western Australian cyclists the latest amendments are particularly welcome - Amendments to Bicycle Regulations (September 2011).

My two highlights are:

  • pedelec bicycles are now allowed on shared paths, so if I'm riding on an electric bike and my partner is on a normal bike I don't need to stick to the smelly, noisy, busy and dangerous road while by partner frolics along the lovingly-designed, flat scenic shared pedestrian / bike path, and
  • when bicycle lights are required the front white light does not need to be steady, but can be flashing. I much prefer this because my front light is used to make me visible to other road users, but not for me to see with, and I believe flashing assists this. Also, flashing lights use much less power than steady lights. 

Now the two rule changes I am most waiting for are for the maximum power of pedelecs to be increased from 200W to the European standard of 250W, and for pedelecs to be allowed on public transport. Maybe next year...