Chuckles echoed around Magistrates’ Court this morning after a Devonshire man was charged for riding his bicycle while drunk.

Forty-eight year-old Dion Burgess, of Cedar Park, was charged with pedalling the bike while intoxicated after he allegedly crashed into a car and then rode away from the scene of the accident.

Prosecutor Loxly Ricketts pointed out that under the Road Traffic Act, pedal cycles were covered in the list of conveyances a person is not allowed to drive while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Mr Ricketts said the only exception to the law were baby carriages and prams, which are also classified as conveyances.

Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner agreed with Mr Ricketts that under the letter of the law, pedal cycles are illegal to ride while intoxicated. However, he asked Mr Ricketts to withdraw his submissions and conduct due diligence to ensure that the law was constructed intentionally to include pedal cycles.

In England, the law states clearly that “riding a cycle on a road or other public place while unfit to ride through drink or drugs” is illegal. It is also an offence to be drunk while “in charge of a carriage on any highway or other public place”, meaning a person can be charged even if they aren’t physically riding the bicycle.

Mr Ricketts will put the conundrum to Parliament before bringing the case back to court.