There’s a major gray area in Japan’s new blue ticket cycling violation system. Bicycles are often a great way to thoroughly explore Japan’s local communities, providing more range than you’d get walki

There’s a major gray area in Japan’s new blue ticket cycling violation system.

Bicycles are often a great way to thoroughly explore Japan’s local communities, providing more range than you’d get walking, more flexibility than taking the train, and less complexity to deal with than renting a car. However, bike-riding has gotten more complicated in Japan as of April 1, with the introduction of the aoi kippu, or blue ticket, system.

Under this new system, police officers in Japan can issue fines for violations of bike safety laws, similar to the authority they have to ticket automobile drivers for traffic infractions. That means that many kinds of cycling behavior that up until now carried no greater threat than a stern verbal warning could now come with a fine to be paid, so let’s take a look at what they are and how much of a penalty they carry.

3,000-yen (US$19) fines ● Riding double (i.e. a second person bracing themselves on the rider’s shoulders or hanging on to them around the waist) ● Riding side-by-side with another cyclist

5,000-yen fines ● Using/holding an umbrella while riding ● Using earphones while riding ● Riding at night with no bike light ● Failing to come to a complete stop at a stop sign ● Running a flashing red traffic light ● Riding a bike with defective brakes

6,000-yen fines ● Running a non-flashing red light ● Riding on the right (i.e. not left) side of the road ● Obstruction of pedestrian crossing

7,000-yen fine ● Passing through closed railroad crossing gate

12,000-yen fine ●　Talking on or holding a mobile phone while riding

▼ You can’t buy love, but this kind of romance will cost you 3,000 yen

There’s also a gray area to the bicycle blue ticket rules, involving riding bicycles on sidewalks. In-road bike lanes are relatively rare in Japan, and with many streets themselves already being narrow, it’s common to see cyclists on sidewalks in Japan, or at least it has been. Under the new rules, though, riding on the sidewalk is considered a violation and grounds for a 6,000-yen ticket, but there are a number of exceptions. Riding on the sidewalk is allowed in areas where signs designate it as permitted, and is always allowed for cyclists under the age of 13 or over the age of 70 (though with only cyclists 16 and older subject to blue ticket fines, the “13 and under” exemption is essentially moot). Riding on the sidewalk is also still allowed for cyclists of all ages on streets with very heavy traffic or very narrow widths, though that then leaves the situation open to a subjective judgement call by police officers. Finally, even when riding on the sidewalk is allowed, cyclists must remain on the side of the sidewalk closest to the road and ride slowly, with failure to yield to pedestrians on the sidewalk carrying the risk of a 3,000-yen ticket.

Issued tickets can be paid at post offices or banks, and if the fines are paid by their due date, the violation will not be recorded as a committed crime. Failure to pay the ticket, though, then leaves the police with the option of proceeding to a criminal trial to prosecute the cyclist.