Victoria Police now handing out No-bell Awards

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Comment by AlexZ on May 31, 2009 at 2:52am

LOL, so where the hell do you put one on a unicycle???? No to mention relectors, brakes, etc. LMAO

"Bicycle means a vehicle with 1 or more wheels that is built to be propelled by human power through a belt, chain or gears (whether or not it has an auxiliary motor), and:
(a) includes a pedicab, penny-farthing, scooter, tricycle and unicycle"

Comment by RobE on May 30, 2009 at 11:21pm

well, weve been telling folks for weeks ( here, and on the radio and its been in the press often enough) the Police are blitzing defect bike infringements, ( lights, reflectors, warning devices) and if anyone gets pinged, I'm sorry its pretty much an " out there in your face issue" ... even if its not " what we would call loud enough to wake the average pedestrian out of a stupour" , its still required or infringement is likely.

as for where to put a " warning device" on a roadie without mucking up your hand position, try getting a rubber " honker" style hooter, cut off the bar clamp bit ( its only plastic), and get two long zip ties and wrap them around the roadie's stem and through the honker's little holes.. it will fit nicely UNDER the stem and is easily reached and out of the way, and comes at quiet a surprise when Constable "Plod" thinks he is going to ping you for no warning device and you " honk" back! its in this pic

Comment by Jaeger on May 30, 2009 at 9:43pm

Interesting. So my ignorant speculation was wrong. I was never questioning the requirement to have a bell when you ride (although I don't have one on my bikes -- I only ride on the road and until I am fined I won't feel compelled to add something completely useless to cluttered handlebars.).

It is probably a good idea that responsibility is placed with retailers rather than consumers -- I imagine that disaster would ensue if it were not compulsory to fit cars with seat belts but instead motorists were required to fit them before driving.

Comment by GeeBee on May 30, 2009 at 1:24pm

Definition of bicycle in the Australian Road Rules, available on the VicRoads website.
Bicycle means a vehicle with 1 or more wheels that is built to be propelled by human power through a belt, chain or gears (whether or not it has an auxiliary motor), and:
(a) includes a pedicab, penny-farthing, scooter, tricycle and unicycle; but
(b) does not include a wheelchair, wheeled recreational device, wheeled toy, or any vehicle with an auxiliary motor capable of generating a power output over 200 watts (whether or not the motor is operating).
Note Vehicle is defined in rule 15, and wheelchair, wheeled recreational device and wheeled toy are defined in this dictionary.

From AS/NZS 1927 Pedal Bicycles: 1.4.1 Bicycle—a two-wheeled pedal vehicle that is either solely human-powered or is power-assisted by an engine having a power output not exceeding 0.2 kW.

From the Pedal Bicycle Safety Standard, available on the ACCC website www.accc.gov.au
The requirements of the mandatory standard apply to all manually powered bicycles including fully
assembled and partially assembled bicycles.

Compliance with consumer product safety standards is mandatory. This means that all suppliers of pedal bicycles — including manufacturers, distributors, importers and retailers — must ensure their bicycles comply with the mandatory requirements.

So, putting that all together, a bicycle without pedals is required to comply with the mandatory standard and have a bell or warning device on it at the point of sale. The standard does not apply to obviously secondhand bikes and a rage of other exceptions. But, the road rules in all states require a bell or warning device on a bike, end of argument from the point of view of the police.

Why do people express shock/horror that a bike should have to have a bell? Is it not 'cool' to have a bell? Fit a bell, and get over it!

And yes, Consumer Affairs have undertaken inspections of bikes for sale in bike shops, however they usually advise the shop owner to comply, rather than issue penalties immediately.

Comment by Jaeger on May 30, 2009 at 11:53am

My point was that I'm not convinced there exists a legal definition of "bike" in this context. To take the example a different way, must a frameset be sold with a bell? Where do you draw the line? Are you saying that consumer affairs has taken some sort of legal action against a retailer for not including a bell on bike? This seems highly implausible, I'd love to see evidence.

Comment by GeeBee on May 30, 2009 at 8:59am

An inner tube is an inner tube, a bike without pedals is still a bike and requires a bell at point of sale (and in use on the road).

Comment by Jaeger on May 30, 2009 at 12:11am

GeeBee, you'll note that without exception the "expensive bikes" you talk about are sold minus pedals. Therefore what is being sold is not a bike (only part of it, otherwise all spare inner tubes, for example, would need to be sold also including a bell).

Comment by Ritsardo on May 29, 2009 at 2:21pm

A good reason to have a bell on your bike (apart from the safety angle) is that it is required by regulation.
And of course all good citizens in a democracy behave, don't we ;)

Comment by matthew on May 29, 2009 at 11:34am

I use all three alternatives depending on the situation.

On a quiet bike path, I might use the bell 20 metres away so peds have a chance to recognise what the noise is, look around, get in my way, tap their friend on the arm, for them both to block the path completely while having a discussion about what to do; and then move out of the way. I can then quietly thank them as I whistle past.

My Thunder Horn I reserve for cars who get in my path unnecessarily and illegally (e.g. blocking a bike lane when not turning or whatever) while I can still come to a halt if need be.

And very occasionally I scream at some idiot who turns, steps out or opens a car door just in front of me.

Comment by GeeBee on May 29, 2009 at 10:02am

The statement in the recording that you can sell a bike without a bell is incorrect. The Australian Standard, which is mandated by the ACCC and occasionally policed by Consumer Affairs, requires a bell or warning device to be fitted to the bike at the point of sale. After the bike is sold, the customer can do what they want to with the bell, except that road rules require one. Many retailers sell bikes, particularly the more expensive types, without the bell, knowing that the customer doesn't want the bell anyway. Same with wheel reflectors, pedal reflectors, etc. See the product safety standard on the ACCC site for the full list.

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