A woman has been fined more than $2,500 for allegedly riding an electric bike with a child without a seat belt.
The 42-year-old woman was on a school run on Monday morning in Sydney’s southwest when she was stopped by Liverpool Highway Patrol officers.
She received four separate fines totaling $2,575 after she was caught violating a series of offences.
The offenses included using an unregistered and registrable Class A motor vehicle, not having a license and using an uninsured motor vehicle on the highway.
The other violation was traveling with a passenger under the age of eight who was not in a sidecar.
The 42-year-old Sydney woman was running to school on Monday morning when she was stopped by Liverpool Highway Patrol officers.
New South Wales Police shared photographs of the incident on Facebook, warning the public about the dangers of riding e-bikes unsafely.
Some social media users praised the police for arresting the woman.
“These electric bikes are a vehicle, which is why many forget,” one wrote.
Meanwhile, others called New South Wales a “nanny state”, saying the woman should have been shown leniency.
In November, Daily Mail Australia reported on new calls to allow cyclists of all ages to ride around pedestrians in New South Wales.
Under current rules, children under 16 and accompanying adults can ride on trails in New South Wales.
This means that children can ride the trail unless there is a “no bikes” sign, but older cyclists cannot ride unless they are supervising a younger person.
Similar rules also apply in Victoria, where drivers over the age of 13 must be on the road.
The heated debate was back in the spotlight after Wollongong City Council, south of Sydney, officially proposed a statewide change this week.
If approved, adult cyclists will be able to share the trail with pedestrians.
New South Wales Police posted about the incident on social media warning the public about the dangers of riding e-bikes unsafely.