tim's experiment

The legal status of cyclists in Hong Kong is interesting. In theory they are subject to the same rules as the rest of us. In practice they can be seen every day flouting traffic signals and rules, riding without lights at night, occupying more of their share of the road – or in other places the pavement – without any consequences.

Happily, though, an exception has occurred. According to today’s papers tomorrow will see a cyclist hauled into court and prosecuted … for not having a bell. It appears that I was quite wrong in supposing that cyclists were above the law. You can do all the things outlined in the first paragraph. But you must have a bell.

I must in the interest of completeness add that the cyclist concerned is not being prosecuted for said absence of bell alone. He is also being prosecuted for careless cycling. This is, in my experience, another first. What on earth is going on? Well the defendant is 50-year-old cycling fanatic Martin Turner. Apparently Mr Turner was on his bike, as he often is, when he stopped at a traffic light in Central. He then collided, as legally careful copy puts it, with a car which was coming up behind him. The bike was mangled and Mr Turner also needed some running repairs at Queen Mary Hospital.  The car was driven by a retired Assistant Commissioner of Police, a feature of the case which certainly sets the mind running down interesting channels but on which I dare not comment.

Suffice to say that I hope the magistrate in Kwun Tong Court tomorrow is awake, because his disposition of the case will certainly attract close scrutiny. Without trespassing on the matters which will be in dispute before the court I can I think say with some confidence that this case is going to be really interesting.