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Vienna (pte014/26.03.2013/11:16) - New Austrian legislation on cycling means people caught using their mobile phones on their bike could be fined 50 Euros, the Austrian Traffic Club (VCÖ) warned.
The new set of laws which apply in Austria from this year (2013) has made using a mobile phone while cycling illegal.
Other points of law include giving municipalities the discretion to lift the obligation to cycle on individual bike paths, such as is already common practice in the Netherlands and Denmark.
According the Traffic Club, there are many cycle paths in Austria which are dangerous because they are too narrow.
Traffic Club expert Markus Gansterer said: "If it's permitted to ride on the normal streets, some experienced cyclists will cycle on the road. That way, those who aren't that experienced have more room and are safer on the cycle paths."
Individual regions and towns are also now allowed to introduce "Bike Streets" to facilitate a cheap way of commuting from the outskirts of the towns by bike.
The Austrian Traffic Club said these streets were reserved for bikes. Cars can use the road, but they are not allowed to hinder cyclists and speed is limited to 30 kilometres per hour.
The Austrian Traffic Club is committed to further improve the traffic conditions for cyclists.
Vorarlberg in the West of Austria is the region with the most cyclists in Austria. Some 260,000 people from Vorarlberg ride their bikes as part of their daily routine with one in two cycling daily or several times a week.
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