Japan Issues 2,147 "Blue Tickets" to Cyclists in 1st Month

Tokyo, May 14 (Jiji Press)--Japanese police issued 2,147 "blue tickets" to fine cyclists for minor traffic violations in the first month since the blue ticket system was introduced April 1, National Police Agency preliminary data showed Thursday.

The system allows bicycle riders to avoid criminal punishment for minor violations by paying fines. It has added to the conventional "red ticket" system for serious violations subject to criminal punishment.

The total number of blue and red tickets issued in April reached 2,980, down some 40 pct from the same month last year, before the introduction of the blue ticket system.

Meanwhile, the number of guidance and warning slips issued to cyclists jumped 1.5-fold from the previous year's monthly average to 135,855.

An NPA official said that the results seem to reflect the emphasis police placed on guidance and warnings at the scenes of minor traffic violations as they tried to make the new traffic rules known more widely to the public.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]