Over a four-year period, Canberra police fined 201 cyclists for riding without helmets. Another 367 were issued with cautions or warnings.
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The statistics were detailed by ACT Policing after the ACT government floated the changes to roads that would allow cyclists to travel at low speeds in shared zones and university campuses.
The government's new five-year road safety plan, released by Road Safety Minister Shane Rattenbury last week, included 39 recommendations to improve safety and encourage more Canberrans to cycle.
The proposal is in stark contrast to new rules and penalties to be introduced by the NSW government, which require cyclists to carry photo identification at all times.
Those caught riding without identification after March will be presented with a $106 fine, which is the same penalty applied to drivers caught without a licence.
Cyclists will also be fined $319 for not wearing a helmet; an increase of 350 per cent on the current NSW penalty. In Canberra, cyclists caught riding without a helmet are fined $118.
An ACT Justice and Community Safety Directorate spokesman said an expert would examine whether people should be able to ride without a helmet in low speed areas, including shared zones, cycling paths and university campuses.
"This action item is not to hold a trial, nor is it flagging an intention to change the laws," the spokesman said.
"It simply recognises that there is some analysis to indicate that the requirement to wear helmets discourages some people from cycling."
The spokesman said the expert would present the government with a balanced review of the initiative and recommendations.
Mr Rattenbury has admitted there is evidence helmets reduce the rate of injuries, although he said there was evidence they were stopping people riding.
"The ANU campus in the city… is all a low speed environment and we can imagine a scenario where people would move across campus or ride to a meeting across the city without having to wear a helmet," he said.
Mr Rattenbury said no helmet rules already existed in other cities across the world and could be used for share bikes offered by buildings or departments.
Late last year, the ACT government introduced a two-year trial requiring motorists to keep at least one metre away from cyclists on territory roads.
Amy Gillett Foundation chief executive Belinda Clark said the trial would help reduce crashes and change the behaviour of motorists.
"A metre matters because it provides a practical measurement for drivers when overtaking bike riders," she said.
"This trial is about sharing the road safely together. A metre matters on all roads in the ACT, regardless of whether there are bicycle lanes or not.
