Douglas police officers say new road rules enforcing a minimum gap between motorists and cyclists on Queensland roads will save lives.

From Monday motorists are now required to keep at least one metre clear of cyclists when travelling up to 60 kilometres per hour. 

When travelling faster than 60 kilometres per hour the minimum distance will be 1.5 metres.

The law will come into effect next week with far north Queensland police warning a 'blitz' will be on to ensure the new laws are abided.  

Mossman Sergeant Matt Smith said the new rules were about commuters being courteous and mindful of each other on the road.

"It's all about preventing loss of life," Sgt Smith said. 

"A fatal accident not only affects the cyclist but the person driving the vehicle ... the ripple effect can be felt through the community.

"The more we can prevent loss of life through simple road rules and courtesies the better off we are."

"They're not hard rules. We're not asking anything too taxing. It's simple courtesty. It's just now been legislated."

Motorists need to be mindful of the high volume of cyclists travelling along the Captain Cook Highway, particularly between Cairns and Port Douglas, Sgt Smith said. 

"This legislation is important to us [in far north Queensland] because cyclists are prevalent in our region and it's part of our lifestyle," he said. 

Port Douglas Sergeant Damian Meadows said motorists should be aware cyclists could be around any corner.

"There are a significant number of avid cyclists in the region and they ride throughout the shire," he said.

Under the new laws motorists will be able to cross double white lines in order to give cyclists enough space. 

Cairns-based Senior Constable Russell Parker told ABC Far North that the new laws were about using 'common sense'.

"Obviously police aren't going to be arguing over a couple of centimetres... so it is going to be more for cases where there is clearly nowhere near a metre or clearly nowhere near 1.5m has been allowed and that is where action will be taken," he said.

The penalty for breaking the one-metre-rule will be $330 and three demerit points.

"Commuters should be mindful .... Douglas police will be out in force and we will be given assistance from road policing units in Cairns, Mareeba and Atherton to make sure the new traffic legislation is adhered to," Sgt Meadows said.