NSW police launch investigation after officer allegedly pushes cyclist off bike
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Version 0 of 1. New South Wales police have launched an internal investigation after an officer reportedly pushed a cyclist off his bike at a major Sydney intersection during peak hour. Witnesses said the police officer on a motorcycle rode up alongside the cyclist at the intersection of College and William streets about 8.25am on Wednesday and pushed him off his bike and into the middle of the road. Related: NSW cyclists must carry ID and will face same fines as drivers under new laws Police said in a statement the 30-year-old cyclist, who was not wearing a helmet, had ignored a red traffic light at the intersection of William and Yurong streets in Darlinghurst. The officer turned on his warning lights and sirens, but the cyclist continued riding west along William Street. Further attempts to stop the rider were apparently made near the intersection of College Street. Witness Marcus De Giorgio was cycling north on College Street when he saw the altercation. “The police motorcycle pulled up alongside of him and pushed him off his bike. That’s essentially what I saw. Basically, I saw the act and two, three seconds of lead-up of it,” he told Guardian Australia. “It’s not unusual to be verbally and occasionally physically harassed on a bike, but it’s generally not the police that do it. “The fellow was obviously in a state of shock. There must have been dozens of people who saw it happen.” De Giorgio said the motorcyclist’s lights were flashing, but he did not hear a siren. “I completely acknowledge that split-second memories like that could be completely fallible ... What I saw did not indicate in any way that he was giving [the cyclist] fair warning to pull over. “It just looked like he rode up alongside him and pushed him off his bike.” A second police officer joined the first shortly afterwards to shepherd witnesses, Di Giorgio included, off the road. The crash scene was cleared after about 10 minutes. Related: Advocates split over NSW government's changes to cycling laws The cyclist was treated by paramedics and taken by ambulance to St Vincent’s Hospital, but was discharged later in the day. Police said the cyclist fell from his bicycle. He will be issued with infringement notices for not stopping at a red light and not wearing a helmet. Bicycle Network spokesman Garry Brennan said the incident was “unprecedented” and police were “generally cyclist-friendly in most of Australia”. Chief executive Craig Richards condemned “the use of force against a rider moving on the street”. “NSW Police are very fortunate that they are not having to explain the incident to the family of someone who is seriously injured ... Police can make a vital contribution to safety on the roads, but there is no need to be aggressive and forceful in this way. “There needs to be a full explanation of why the rules were not followed.” Related: Australia's biggest bike-lane sceptic 'wants to destroy cycling in Sydney' Bicycle Network initially called for an independent investigation into the incident, but were satisfied an internal one had been launched. Richards said he was concerned by recent examples of anti-cyclist sentiment, pointing to roads minister Duncan Gay’s crackdown announced in December as evidence “that the government has bike riders in its sights”. “I hope this [Wednesday’s incident] does not mean that the police will declare open season on bike riders.” From March, riding without photo identification will result in a $106 fine and not wearing a helmet or holding onto a moving car will incur one of $319. Running a red light will cost $425. The new laws have been condemned by cycling advocates, including Richards, who said they would make NSW “the laughing stock of the world”. |