Operation River Run

Southbak Police Station A long-standing source of frustration for Southbank residents and businesses are speeding cyclists on Crown and Southbank promenades. Both Crown and Southbank promenades have a posted speed limit of 10 km/hr. This is a shared path between pedestrians and cyclists. Southbank Police have received a number of complaints regarding cyclists not adhering to the posted speed limit. Southbank and Melbourne East Police, as well as the Melbourne Bike Patrol Unit worked collaboratively and conducted Operation River Run from Monday, February 22 until Friday, March 12. The operation consisted of a one-week education phase and a two-week enforcement phase targeting speeding cyclists and electric scooters. Most of you would have noticed a considerable increase in the number of cyclists and also the rise of popularity of electric scooters in the CBD post-COVID. During the education phase police used a speed detection device to measure the speed of the cyclists and electric scooter riders. Cyclists were informed of their detected speed and provided with a pamphlet. In excess of 500 warnings were issued during the first week of the operation. The education phase was followed by a two-week enforcement phase. The police members moved between Crown and Southbank Promenades mainly during the morning peak and early afternoon. At the conclusion of Operation River Run, around 1620 speed checks were conducted. A total of 40 cyclists were summonsed to court for exceeding the posted speed limit. Another 26 cyclists were issued a Traffic Infringement Notice (TIN) for failing to wear a helmet, eight TINs were issued for cyclists using their mobile phone while riding and 21 cyclists were issued with TINs for various other offences such as failing to have proper control, fail to dismount and disobeying a police direction. A total of eight electric scooter riders were summonsed to court for exceeding the speed limit, 14 riders were fined for not wearing a helmet and two were fined for using their mobile phone while riding. A further nine riders were issued with a TIN for using an unregistered motor vehicle (electric scooters must not exceed 10 km/hr or have a power output exceeding 200 watts or they are classified as a motor vehicle). A number of arrests were also made for offences such as criminal damage, armed robbery and possessing a weapon. In total, police detected 135 offences during the two-week enforcement phase. The majority of cyclists were detected doing around 14 or 15 km/hr. The highest speed detected was 35 km/hr. The members involved in the operation received an overwhelmingly positive response from the pedestrians and public. Southbank Police will be conducting Operation River Run in the future. As always, if you have any questions you can reach Southbank Police using the following email address – [email protected] •