Police talking to a man in Yuen Long during a campaign targeting food delivery cyclists

Almost 100 people were prosecuted for cycling offences this week as police swept through Yuen Long on a “cycle safety” campaign.

Police said food delivery cyclists were the main target of the operation, aimed mainly at offences such as non-compliance with traffic lights, while also tackling “serious violations” such as not turning on lights at night or dangerous driving on the bikes.

The operation ran from 12-14 September, with 94 summonses and tickets issued.

“The police attach great importance to road safety and will continue to take relevant publicity and enforcement actions, and call on all cyclists to abide by the traffic regulations, otherwise they may violate the Road Traffic Ordinance, Chapter 374 of the Laws of Hong Kong and other related laws,” said a police statement.

In March this year, lawmaker Priscilla Leung claimed food delivery cyclists were causing many road accidents. “There are often takeaway food couriers cycling in urban areas on roads in the opposite direction of the traffic or on pavements, causing dangerous situations frequently,” she said. In fact, government figures, released last year at a joint police and Transport Department (TD) press conference, show only 1% of injuries involving bicycles in the first nine months of 2020 were attributed to food delivery cyclists.