A Suzuki on the Butelska bike lane: police found the driver, thanks to TikTok

A Suzuki passenger car with Skopje plates, driving down the bike lane along Butelska Street, from the roundabout towards the junction with Bosnia and Herzegovina Boulevard. The scene ended up on TikTok, and from there on the desk of the Road Traffic Safety Unit at the Skopje Internal Affairs Sector.

Police identified the driver: N.K. (46) from Skopje. On October 28 he was called in for an official interview and penalised for an offence the Interior Ministry describes as "operating a vehicle on an inappropriate traffic surface". The size of the fine was not disclosed.

The quick response deserves credit. But notice the order of events: first the video, then the viral post, then the police. How many similar rides down bike lanes never made it onto TikTok, and so never ended in a fine either?

The ministry is urging all road users to respect the rules and not endanger the safety of others. If that appeal is supposed to mean anything, the lanes need to be guarded by a patrol, not by the phone of a random passer-by.