Police officers inform a bike rider about new rules to be implemented from April 1. (Natsuno Otahara)

EDITORIAL: Ticketing system for bikes offers chance to share traffic rules

（社説）自転車「青切符」　ルール共有の契機に

Many people likely still remember the thrill that they felt the first time they rode a bicycle.

Bicycles are a necessity for those who use them to commute to work or school or go shopping.

They are also appropriate vehicles for a carbon-neutral society since they do not burden the environment.

There has also been an expansion of bike sharing.

On the other hand, last year saw a record number of accidents involving bicycles and pedestrians.

More than half occurred on sidewalks or at pedestrian crossings.

For accidents in which a pedestrian was struck, 99.9 percent of the cases found a legal violation on the part of the bike rider.

A new system of minor bicycle traffic violations called blue tickets will be introduced from April 1.

Covering riders 16 and older, there are 113 possible violations, such as distractedly riding a bike while looking at a smartphone or ignoring traffic lights.

No criminal penalties will be involved as long as a violator pays the fines of between 3,000 yen ($19) and 12,000 yen.

According to the National Police Agency, the blue tickets will be written by police officers who observe egregious or dangerous acts.

Until now, either red tickets, which involve criminal penalties, were issued for violations by bike riders or the riders were simply given a warning and guidance.

The blue tickets are intended to quickly penalize egregious bike riding to prevent even more tragic accidents.

Pedestrians are fearful of having bicycles pass them on sidewalks at high speeds.

Meanwhile, bike riders also fear being passed on roads by cars or having to maneuver around illegally parked vehicles.

There will be a need to thoroughly disseminate traffic rules so that everyone can use roads without worry.

The NPA compiled a bicycle rule book last year, but it has not been widely made available.

Efforts should be made to distribute those books more widely, such as handing out a summary version to those purchasing a bicycle.

While bicycles, in principle, should be used on roads, there are also exceptions, such as for riders younger than 13 or aged 70 and above: and where sidewalks can be used in unavoidable circumstances, such as during road construction work or in areas of heavy car traffic.

It is desirable to teach elementary and junior high school students basic rules, such as riding at slower speeds nearer to roads when using sidewalks.

This will also be an opportunity for car drivers to once again share in knowledge of traffic rules.

Under the new system, car and bike users will both have new obligations when cars pass a bicycle on its right side.

When there is insufficient space between a car and bicycle, the car should be driven at a safe speed while the bike rider should try as much as possible to stay on the left side of the road.

That is a rule needed to ensure that both sides can use roads without concern.

The wearing of helmets while riding a bike was encouraged from 2023 and everyone should reconfirm the significance of the measure to protect the life of the bike rider should an accident occur.

While there has been an increase in bike lanes, roads in Japan are still primarily for use by cars, compared to the West.

We hope that governments will also promote urban planning and the securing of space for safe riding by moves that can be implemented relatively quickly, such as restricting where cars can be used.

--The Asahi Shimbun, March 30

初めて自転車に乗れた日の爽快さを思い出す人は多いだろう。通勤・通学に買い物にと生活必需品であり、環境に負荷をかけず脱炭素社会にふさわしい乗り物でもある。シェアサイクルも広がる。
　一方で昨年、自転車と歩行者の事故は過去最多だった。半数以上が歩道や横断歩道で起き、歩行者にぶつかった事故の９９・９％で自転車側に法令違反があった。
　そんな中、４月１日から自転車の交通違反に「青切符」（交通反則告知書）が導入される。１６歳以上が対象で、スマートフォンの画面を見ながらの「ながら運転」や信号無視など１１３種が違反となる。３千～１万２千円の反則金を納めれば前科はつかない。警察庁によると、悪質、危険な行為に警察官が青切符を交付する。
　これまでは自転車の違反に対して、刑事罰の対象となる「赤切符」か、単なる指導・警告かしかなかったが、青切符の導入で悪質運転に迅速にペナルティーを科し、悲惨な事故を防ぐ目的だという。
　歩行者からすれば、歩道でスピードを出した自転車とすれ違うのは怖い。一方、自転車で車道を走ると追い抜く自動車や違法駐車車両に危ない思いを抱くこともある。
　誰もが安心して道路を通れるよう、まずは交通ルールの周知を徹底する必要がある。警察庁は昨年「自転車ルールブック」をまとめたが、普及が進んだとは言いがたい。自転車購入時に要約版を配るなど、活用を広められないか。
　自転車は車道通行が原則だが、１３歳未満や７０歳以上▽道路工事中や著しく自動車の交通量が多いなどやむを得ない場合は歩道を走れる。その際は車道寄りを徐行する――といった基本ルールは小中学生から学べることが望ましい。
　自転車だけでなく、車の運転者なども改めてルールを共有する機会としたい。
　今回、自動車が自転車の右側を通過する際に双方に新たな義務が課される。自動車と自転車に十分な間隔がない時、自動車は安全な速度で進行し、自転車はできる限り道路左端に寄る必要がある。お互いが安心して車道を走れるために必要なルールだろう。
　２３年からは自転車のヘルメット着用が努力義務となった。万一の事故時に命を守る意義を再確認したい。
　自転車専用通行帯などが増えてはいるものの、欧米に比べ国内の道路はまだまだ自動車優先だ。自動車の通行制限など、比較的すぐできる工夫を出発点に、安心して走れる空間の確保や都市計画を行政に進めてもらいたい。

(2026年3月30日)