A single mother who was reportedly hit by a bike during a road rage incident in Sydney’s north has described her dread.
An angry man biker approached Monique as she was travelling along Pittwater Road and accused her of cutting him off in traffic.
He opened her driver’s side door and started screaming at her as the mother, fearing for her safety, pulled out her phone to record the altercation.
In the video, Monique replies, “You hit me.”
The man appears to repeatedly smack her face as he leans into her car and yells, “You f***ing c***,” at her.
Don’t strike me, she cries.
“You just struck me twice!”
The unidentified man then turned around and cycled away from the scene while sporting a green lycra shirt that stated, “Tour of Ireland.”
“I simply fell apart the day after it happened,” Monique told 7News.
I was trembling. I was unable to drive. Driving wasn’t secure.
Although Monique has given the police the video, they have informed her that they are powerless to intervene in the absence of the cyclist’s identity.
The incident has renewed calls for registration requirements for cyclists travelling on NSW roads.
Sam Macedone, a lawyer, stated, “There is nothing you can do because there is no registration plate, there is no identification, there is nothing.”
In NSW, the debate over whether cyclists should be required to have licences has persisted for a while.
Aussies claimed that bikers posed a larger risk than 4WD drivers, prompting online calls for bike riders to need licences in May.
This was in response to requests for 4WD drivers to be licenced due to an increase in visitors renting out vehicles becoming stuck.
Peter McLean, CEO of Bicycle NSW, the state’s top advocacy group for cyclists, said at the time that the discussion is complicated because it raises the issue of whether the licence should apply to the rider or the bike, or both.
While his organisation engages with the government about such measures, he claimed that education is the key to improving biker and motorist safety.
We’re also trying to make sure that everyone can access and afford the roads and that there are more people on them, he added.
‘So although we obviously engage [with the government], we want more education on safety for cyclists and users.’
The majority of cyclists, according to Mr. McLean, also possess driver’s licences and are aware of traffic laws.
Drivers must be respectful of bicycles taking up less space on the road, and cyclists must be considerate of drivers.
To change the culture in Australia, education and awareness are essential steps. We also need to show more consideration for other road users.
Following an increase in horrific accidents, NSW Roads Minister Duncan Gay advocated for the introduction of a cycling licence in 2014. His goal was to reduce road fatalities.
Advocates did not embrace the idea, and it was never implemented. Instead, Mr. Gay increased fines starting in March 2016 for cyclists who broke traffic laws.
In NSW, fines for cyclists were increased to match those for vehicles. As a result, the cost of not wearing a helmet is now $330, the cost of running a red light is $439, the cost of riding carelessly, violently, or recklessly is $439, and the cost of failing to stop at a pedestrian crossing is $439.