Japanese Police Arrest Teenager For Riding Double On A Bicycle

If you’ve ever been outside in Japan, you’ve probably noticed that a some people engage in the illegal practice of riding double on a one-person bicycle. It has been reported Japanese police have arrested such a lawbreaker:

SUWA, Nagano — A teen has been apprehended for violating the Road Traffic Law for repeatedly riding double on a bicycle, police said.

Police apprehended the 15-year-old, whose name has been withheld because he is a minor, following an incident in Suwa over the weekend. Law enforcers said they had not heard of any cases of people being apprehended for riding double in the past 20 years.

Just a single arrest in 20 years? No wonder everyone is doing it….

6 comments - What do you think? Posted by James - May 22, 2007 at 5:10 pm

Categories: General Japan Tags:

Gragra

One of the reasons I love being in Japan is that you can do just about anything you like on a bicycle – in fact I thought it was enshrined in the Constitution that bike riders were above the law.
Stop picking on the poor lad and get doing some proper police work.
For heavens sake don’t become like England where you get arrested just for riding on the pavement ( that’s sidewalk for my american chums ).

the overthinker

You are correct; it is. I recently found this early version of the Meiji Constitution in the Ketsukaranuku Archives:
CHAPTER I. THE CYCLIST
Article 1
The Roads of Japan shall be reigned over and governed by a line of Cyclists unbroken for ages eternal.
Article 2
The Bicycle Seat shall be succeeded to by Cycler male or female descendants, according to the provisions of the Bicycle Seat Law.
Article 3
The Cyclist is sacred and inviolable.
Article 4
The Cyclist is the head of the Roads, combining in Himself the rights of passage, and exercises them, according to the provisions of the present Constitution.
Article 5
The Cyclist exercises the commuting power with the consent of the Imperial Diet.
Article 6
The Cyclist gives no sanction to laws, and orders them to be disbanded and nullified.
Article 7
The Cyclist convokes the Roads, rides, parks, and ignores it, and squeals the brakes incessantly.

Et Cetera.

http://www.japanprobe.com James

Boy, I’m glad we didn’t even bother looking at that dusty old constitution when we wrote them the one they have now.

http://l33tminion.livejournal.com/ L33tminion

It’s probably like jaywalking laws in the US: Not usually enforced, but there in case the police observe someone committing that offense in a way that’s egregiously stupid.

http://tofusando.blogspot.com Akoua Doffou

Yes, everyone jaywalks in the U.S., it’s a fact of life.

http://www.usguyintokyo.com Dave Faulkmore

jaywalking should be appealed to the US Supreme Court. When I describe to people good qualities about Japan having no jaywalking law and cops that are too busy banging 16yo is near the top of the list.

Japanese Police Arrest Teenager For Riding Double On A Bicycle

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