A British tourist could be forced to pay a $2,200 fine after accidentally breaking one of Australia’s major road rules by unintentionally riding an e-bike onto a motorway.
Emma Louise was holidaying in Sydney on Friday when she decided to rent a Lime Bike to explore the CBD.
The young tourist explained she entered an address on her navigation app and selected the walking mode.
However, Ms Louise inadvertently became stuck in the middle of a dual carriageway after her navigation maps switched to the driving mode due to the speed of her bike.
In a video shared to her TikTok, Ms Louise is seen standing in the middle of the motorway waiting for a police car to help her out of her predicament.
‘I called non-emergency police and she said ‘okay I’m sending a police car’,’ Ms Louise said.
Ms Louise then had the realisation that she had broken one of Australia’s major road rules as she was not wearing a helmet.
‘I don’t have a helmet, they’re going to fine me for not wearing a helmet. I don’t know what to do,’ she said.
British tourist Emma Louise found herself stuck int he middle of a busy motorway in Sydney while on her e-bike (pictured)
In NSW riders can be fined $410 for not wearing a helmet and anywhere between $320 to a court-imposed penalty of $2,200 for disobeying road access rules.
Transport for NSW was able to dispatch two emergency response workers and a tow truck to help Ms Louise and her bike out of the tunnel.
Ms Louise labelled the Transport for NSW workers as her ‘heroes’ and thanked them for rescuing her with social media users seeing the lighter side.
‘Ah those Transport workers were so nice, they didn’t seem condescending or impatient or anything, they must have seen how stressed you were. Bless,’ one person commented.
‘The way u get in the truck and say “hello” like this is an Uber,’ a second person joked.
A third joked: ‘A full a full tow truck for a lime bike!’.
Transport for NSW said it was ‘crucial’ for bike and e-bike riders follow the road rules.
‘[The rules] are in place to keep riders, and those they share the road or path with, safe,’ a spokesperson told Yahoo News.
‘Most tunnels are not designed for bicycle use and are high-speed vehicle thoroughfares that do not have the infrastructure or provisions in place for cyclists or pedestrians.
‘It is also really important for riders to always wear a helmet, which can dramatically reduce the risk of being injured in a fall or crash.’
The spokesperson added riders should ensure their navigation apps are set to the bicycle mode and also set to exclude any tunnels and motorways.
