Police ticketed 111 cyclists over two operations in Yuen Long (left) and Tseung Kwan O

Police in Tseung Kwan O and Yuen Long have ticketed 111 cyclists after operations this week targeting offences such as riding on the pavement or failing to comply with “no cycling” signs.

In Tseung Kwan O, cops caught 52 cyclists on 17 and 18 November, under the longstanding “Goldensun” operation. In Yuen Long, 59 riders were nabbed in a three-day operation from 18 to 20 November.

“Police urge cyclists to abide by traffic regulations and pay attention to road safety. In particular, they must display lights when cycling at night and refrain from riding bicycles on pedestrian roads without obvious need,” said Yuen Long police.

In early 2020, the police-run Road Safety Council said it would prioritise cycling for police enforcement, based on statistics showing a rise in cycle crashes. Based on bicycle offence figures from the first nine months of 2021, cyclists will see a 70% rise in prosecutions this year, or a 190% rise since 2019.

While motorists enjoyed a 10% reduction in careless driving prosecutions from 2019 to 2020, bicycle riders saw police action against them rise 72% over the same period.