The Tokyo Metropolitan Police are stepping up their crackdown on cyclists that recklessly violate traffic rules.

Officials are tightening restrictions as the number of accidents involving bicycles surges.

Tokyo police started issuing citations to bicycle riders whose violations could lead to a serious accident.

The stricter enforcement of the rules began on Monday. Previously, police had only issued warnings in such cases, with no penalties.

Cyclists who receive so-called "red tickets" could be liable to criminal punishment. Red ticket violations include ignoring traffic lights or stop signs.

Officials say more than 10,000 traffic accidents involving bicycles have been reported in Tokyo this year as of the end of September.

That accounts for about 46 percent of all traffic accidents, up more than 1,700 cases from the same period a year ago.

Tokyo police plan to expand their crackdown on bike rule violators, focusing on places with heavy traffic.