Poland launches free bike safety tours and enforces new equipment rules

Kraków has begun offering free educational bike tours for residents, organised with the Kraków City of Bicycles association and funded by district budgets. Participants receive practical instruction on safe urban riding, legal sidewalk use, contraflow routes, required equipment and helmet use.

Polish police are simultaneously stepping up checks of bicycles, reminding riders of the mandatory equipment list for 2026 – front and rear lights, a functional brake, a bell or similar warning device – and applying fines of about 100 zł for non‑compliance. A new helmet requirement applies to cyclists and electric‑kick‑scooter users under 16, with a 100 zł penalty for violations. These measures aim to improve road safety for the growing number of cyclists nationwide.