The police of Aichi, Japan, have shared the first figures from their new penalty system for cyclists, known as the blue ticket. Since April 1, 257 tickets and 2,091 guidance warnings have been issued. This latter figure represents half of those recorded in the same period last year, suggesting a change in cyclist behavior.
How the warning and technical penalty system works 🚲
The system classifies infractions into two levels: the blue ticket for serious offenses such as running red lights or riding against traffic, and the guidance warning for minor infractions. Officers record the offender's data on a tablet connected to the prefecture's database. If a cyclist accumulates two warnings within a year, they receive a blue ticket and a fine. The 50% reduction in warnings suggests that the initial deterrence is working.
Japanese cyclists: from kamikazes to model citizens 😅
It seems that Aichi's cyclists have decided that receiving a blue paper is not their new favorite trend. The drastic drop in warnings indicates that many prefer to brake rather than pay. Who knows, perhaps soon we'll see otakus on bicycles respecting even pedestrian signals. That said, no one has yet managed to get them to stop using their phones while pedaling.