Mountain biker is fined $1,652 for 'unnecessary travel' after being pulled over by cops while driving to a riding trail 15 MINUTES from home
- Cyclist was slapped with $1,652 fine for breaching coronavirus regulations
- Pat Riordan, 34, was driving to go mountain biking alone in Red Hill, Victoria
- He thought he had been complying with the strict social distancing measures
- Infringement comes amid confusing enforcement of coronavirus restrictions
A cyclist was fined $1,652 fine for breaching coronavirus laws after being stopped by police while driving to a mountain bike trial.
Pat Riordan, 34, thought he was complying with the social distancing measures when he left his home in Bonbeach, in Melbourne's south-east, on Sunday to go mountain biking alone.
Under the restrictions introduced on March 31 to curb the spread of the deadly coronavirus, residents are only allowed to leave their houses for essential reasons, including exercise and work.
No more than two people can gather together outside under the rules.
Mr Riordan was 15 minutes from his home, driving to a bike trail in Red Hill, when he was pulled over.
He was stunned when he was slugged with the $1,652 fine for unnecessary travel.
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A Melbourne man was hit with a $1,652 fine for breaching coronavirus regulations after he was stopped by police while driving to go mountain biking (stock image)
Pat Riordan, 34, was 15 minutes from his home, driving to a bike trail in Red Hill, when he was pulled over (Pictured: The infringement notice)
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'I had my bike in the back of my car. I was on my own. I was just headed off to the trail to have a ride and do some exercise,' he told The Age.
'The policeman said it was a routine stop and asked what I was doing today. My answer was ''I'm going mountain biking alone''. I didn't think I was in the wrong at all.
'The police officer said you shouldn't be leaving your home unless it's for work. If you want to exercise you should do a run around your local area.'
He said he felt he was caught out by vague guidelines and should've been issued a warning, instead of a fine.
Hunter Reynolds (pictured), 17, was issued a fine for learning to drive in wet conditions with her mother as the passenger on the weekend
The duo had travelled about 30km from their Hampton home to Frankston in Victoria before a police officer pulled them over and said they were breaking the stage-three restriction rules (pictured: Ms Reynolds with her mother, Sharee)
Chief health officer Dr Brett Sutton tried to clear up the confusion by tweeting: 'Yes, you can drive directly to a place of exercise if there's nothing adjacent to your home'.
The infringement comes amid confusing enforcement of coronavirus restrictions around the country, which have seen thousands of beachgoers allowed to break social distancing rules while others have been penalised for taking a breather on a park bench while staying more than 1.5 metres apart.
Hunter Reynolds, 17, was slapped with a $1,652 fine for unnecessary travel on Sunday too.
She had been learning to drive in wet conditions with her mother, Sharee, as the passenger, when she was pulled over by police.
She was slapped with a huge fine but after publicly sharing their story, the police hierarchy reviewed the fine
The duo had travelled about 30km from their Hampton home to Frankston in Victoria.
The teenager was issued with a $1652 on-the-spot fine for breaching the stage three restrictions relating to COVID-19.
She had planned to fight the fine in court, however, after sharing her story publicly, the police hierarchy reviewed the fine.
Since last Monday, residents in NSW, Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania and the ACT have been banned from leaving home except for food and supplies, medical care, exercise, and work or education.
