Three times more cyclists than motorists being nabbed under new Queensland road rules

New Queensland traffic rules aimed at increasing the safety of cyclists have seen more than three times as many bike users than motorists fined.

The new rules state cyclists must be given a one metre buffer by motorists passing on roads with a speed limit of 60km/h or less.

In zones of greater than 60km/h speed limits, that gap increases to one and a half metres.

Since the road rules were introduced in April last year, at least 101 cyclists have been nabbed by police for riding too far from the road shoulder, The Courier-Mail reports.

In contrast, just 32 drivers have been hit with the hefty $353 fine.

The fine for cyclists riding too close to the middle of the road is just $94.

Traffic and Main Roads (TMR) said cyclists’ safety was a responsibility for all road users.

“A cyclist is not restricted to riding on the road shoulder,” a spokesman from TMR told the newspaper.

“On a single-lane road, a cyclist should ride as near as practical to the far left side of the road.

“On a multi-lane road, a cyclist can take up any part of the lane space that suits them to continue their journey. This has been a provision of the road rules since at least 1999.”

Cyclist advocate groups say the figures only reflect the incidents observed by police and were not a true reflection of bike users’ behaviours.