More on lane splitting

Hi all.

Prior to the recent thread on lane splitting and the proposed changes to the
aust road rules there was an earlier thread that linked to an article by Guy
Allen at traderclassifieds.com. I thought the article was interesting and
could be useful to anyone who wanted write a submission. He has given me
permission to post it here, so here it is:

Lane-splitting ban, part 2


Last week we mentioned that a national ban on lane-splitting was on the
cards, and promised to find out more. Here's the story so far...

Lane-splitting on a motorcycle is facing the possibility of a national ban,
according to draft regulations from the National Transport Commission
(www.ntc.gov.au).

The proposal, tagged rule 151A, says: "The rider of a motor bike must not
ride in a marked lane past the left or right of a vehicle (except another
motor bike or bicycle) that is travelling, or is stationary but not parked,
in the marked lane."

The regulation is part of a wider group of recommendations being put up by
the Australian Road Rules Maintenance Group (ARRMG), which reports to the
NTC. That group is designed to update road laws to keep them relevant.

So far the proposals have been run by the MRA in the ACT, and it's expected
to be put to other states and territories in coming months.

Guy Stanford of the NSW Motorcycle Council, which only recently heard of the
idea, told Bikepoint, "Every jurisdiction will be asked for comment by their
local dept of transport when the public consultation phase opens. That
becomes an issue for each group in their own state.

" In the meantime, I have agreed to supply some references... providing the
public servants with the necessary evidence and sound arguments to steer in
our favour, away from this poorly thought-through proposal."

Stanford said that one aspect of the discussion will be whether the ban
should apply only to splitting in moving traffic rather than stationary, and
whether road authorities should design intersection marking to allow space
for motorcycles to sit at the head of traffic without blocking pedestrian
crossings.

Meanwhile a couple of folk got grumpy with me when I said that some lobby
groups weren't great communicators. I'll stick by that statement, which was
really made to put some pressure back on legislators to get off their
backsides and use motorcycle media to reach a wider audience, rather than an
elite few on committees.

Tony Ellis of the MRAA in Vic, responded: "We may not be the worlds greatest
communicators however please bear in mind that we are unpaid volunteers who
try and have a life as well.

" Comments about an 'elite' don't help. Especially when we are actively
calling out for volunteers to assist with the increasing volume of crap we
have to deal with. I'm sorry if we don't react quite fast enough for your
liking however at the moment we are trying to deal with a lot of ongoing
issues."

He makes a fair point regarding volunteers and being stretched for time and
resources. As for the 'elite' term - by definition if you're one of a very
few purporting to represent many, that's what you are.

Once again, my beef is not with the lobby groups but with the legislators
who are perfectly capable of getting their message into media when they want
publicity but are remarkably coy when it comes to coughing up info that
people might be interested in.

It will be interesting to see where this whole issue goes. There's no
statistical info to support the move - just anecdotal whining. Several folk
have written to us on this (Warwick Shelton and Ed Gerner, to name a couple)
including Rob Smith, a road tester for Motorcycle Trader and bike accident
investigator. Here's what he had to say on the issue:

" At the present time motorcycling is enjoying rapid growth, partly by
people seeking greater mobility in increasingly congested traffic
environments, partly by people turning to motorcycles to avoid massive
increases in fuel costs and of course by those taking to riding as a form of
recreation. This growth is set to continue for the foreseeable future with
the largest growth being in small economy scooters.

" The use of motorcycles and in particular the practise of lane splitting in
heavy traffic environments has not resulted in a significant increase in
crash risk or incidence. In the MUARC 1995 Case Control Study (Howarth et
al) a statistically insignificant 0.2 per cent of crashes occurred as the
result of lane splitting. The majority of crashes occur at intersections, a
fact I'm sure you are aware of. In almost every major city in the world lane
splitting is tolerated and in some advocated. (Belgium for example where
drivers are required to make room for a lane splitting rider should they
sound the horn.)

" By making the passage of motorcycles illegal in all states NRR.151A will
increase:

" Illegal riding by those who will ignore the rule - As the numbers of
riders increase, riders will naturally wish to exploit the manouverability
of the machine. Especially as they know there is little risk attached to the
practice and also little chance of being caught.

" Congestion - by making riders sit stationary in traffic they will simply
add to the static traffic environment and cause frustration to those forced
to wait behind vehicles that can easily make progress without impeding
others.

" Difficult and largely unenforceable work for police officers - Police
officers currently have many tasks to carry out, many of which are of far
greater importance than handing out tickets to those who are riding safely
but simply easing traffic flow. In practice it will be Police motorcyclists
that will be saddled with the task of enforcing the rule. Please note that
many Police riders lane split both on Police motorcycles and in private.

" Crash risk. By making motorcycles sit in traffic and travel at the same
stop start pace they are increasing exposure and therefore crash risk. Small
low powered motorcycles will be forced into high risk situations more of the
time instead of getting out of the way of potential harm.

" The wearing of unsuitable/non-protective clothing - this is already a
significant safety issue especially for commuters. By making many riders
wait in heavy traffic in full leather suits, boots gloves and helmets (the
ideal) on hot days they will quickly drop the protective clothing in favour
of cooler clothing. (Try to imagine yourself in your car wearing a full
leather suit etc, without the air-con with the windows open) In addition to
this there will be an increase in heat stress and consequent health issues.
For confirmation of this speak directly to Police riders many of whom do not
wear protective clothing because of the heat in the hotter states.

" If this sounds like a motorcycle rant let me go further, as a motorcycle
safety professional I absolutely support any regulation that prevents lane
splitting between vehicles at speed, especially in multi lane environments.
I also advocate the wearing of protective clothing at all times and safe
riding behaviour.

" NRR.151A needs to be re-examined and provision made for safe lane
splitting. It is my belief that a motorcycle should be allowed to pass to
the right of any stationary or any vehicle moving at low speed in a queue.
The benefits far outweigh the additional and pointless regulation for the
sake of regulation. Motorcycle numbers are increasing and will continue to
do so as fuel costs increase. Motorcyclists tend to be independent
personalities who are unlikely to use public transport, adding them to the
growing gridlock and putting them at greater risk will not make them safer
or help in any useful way."

That's it for this week - you're always welcome to get in touch via email at
.

Brett

 

Well

A Technicality is.......

My bike is registered as a motorcycle not a motorbike... so if they put this
ruling in legislation you will have a strong arguement against if you are
issued with an infringement stating motorbike!