Petition against the anti-filtering Road Rule.

[greenmeanie]

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeacti ... 1134356795

Worth supporting IMHO !

[seraph]

you beat me to it -J.

[R3Dknight]

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeacti ... 1134356795

Worth supporting IMHO !

Indeed..... signed

[Shifty]

Also, as per my other thread I have drafted a letter. Copy & paste it into an email and send it to this chap mailto:'gdeimos@ntc.gov.au' after you have done the petition.

Cheers

Shifty






Dear Mr Demios

As a motorcyclist I have been following with interest the development of prospective laws regarding what is commonly referred to as “lane splitting”, a process by which motorcyclists can move past larger vehicles in traffic where safe gaps are available.

I am disappointed that input from motorcycling groups has thus far been for naught. Having relied on them until now, I feel the need to put forward my thoughts on the matter for fear of an unreasonable law being put in place. I hope that my comments are considered fairly and that this opportunity to provide feedback is a genuine one, not simply a ‘red tape’ part of the process required by law, where the decision has already been made but submissions are taken and those providing them are sent a standard “thank you for your feedback, it has been considered” letter.

The knee-jerk reaction when considering legislating against lane splitting is that the motorcyclist should “wait like everyone else”, and this is an unfortunate situation. It demonstrates that there has been little or no consultation of motorcyclists in the process as, aside from the most obvious time benefits to motorcyclists, lane splitting involves activities detrimental to the safety of the riders on our roads. I and many others support the lane splitting, and believe there are a number of benefits glossed over by the recommendation of The Australian Road Rules Maintenance Group to outlaw the practice.

Lane Filtering

I believe that any investigations have failed to accurately report on the nature of the two very different acts which fall under the “lane splitting” banner. The first action is what I will refer to as “lane filtering” (as opposed to lane splitting), which occurs when a motorcycle arrives at a line of stationary traffic (where vehicles are stopped or very close to stopped). Where a safe and appropriate gap exists between these vehicles, it is common for a motorcyclist to move past them and to the front of the queue.

Lane filtering in this manner has a number of definite positive benefits, benefits that are far easier to qualify than the unjustifiable and generalised claim that the activity is “inherently dangerous”. If acting in this way is inherently dangerous, it should follow that there are comprehensive and irrefutable statistics to prove this claim. The past year has been a bad one for motorcycle fatalities, however I would be stunned to hear if any of these accidents or any other serious injuries resulted from lane filtering.

Avoidance of Rear End Accidents

As a motorcyclist, I am the first to acknowledge that I am subject to a greater risk of personal injury in an accident when compared to other motorists. Riding a motorcycle is a personal choice and I accept the increased risk that comes with it by making appropriate decisions regarding safety gear and the manner in which I ride.

One of the most common incidents occurring on Australian roads is the “rear end” accident in which the front of one vehicle collides with the rear of another while traveling in the same direction in the same lane. Such accidents occur for a number of reasons, mostly due to Australia’s inadequate licensing requirements resulting in generations of inattentive drivers possessing limited emergency avoidance skills and following too closely.

Motorcyclists use lane filtering as a method to avoid being the last in a line of vehicles, and therefore remove entirely the risk of this type of accident. This is particularly useful when stopping over the crest of a hill, just after a curve in the road or in another area where visibility may be compromised.

Motorcyclists commonly filter between traffic in these situations and I believe that if this practice is legislated against and adopted by motorcyclists there will be a rise in rider injuries and/or fatalities for these types of accidents.

Increased Driver Awareness

In addition to the dangers of rear end accidents, motorcyclists are often not noticed in traffic – on some occasions due to their relative size and other times purely due to inattention or neglect by other motorists. In my experience I find the most common threat on the road is that provided by other motorists – more specifically persons who do not ride motorcycles. These “non riders” are protected by large vehicles with crumple zones, seat belts and air bags, often traveling oblivious to other vehicles around them, and in particular: motorcycles.

A rider filtering past a near-stationary line of cars to come to the front of a set of traffic lights makes each of these cars aware of their presence. Resultant there is a decrease in the number of threats in the general vicinity, as a driver who is aware of a motorcyclist is less likely to do something that will compromise the motorcyclist’s road position or safety.

A Clearer Path and a Safety Buffer

Once located at the front of a line of traffic, a rider is bestowed with a clear view of the road ahead - this reduces the risk of an accident due to debris or roadside danger that a rider may have been unable to prepare for due to a larger vehicle in front partially blocking visibility. In some situations a car ahead may pass safely over an item on the road (for example, a hubcap that has fallen off another vehicle) which then miraculously appears from between the car’s wheels, right in front of the motorcyclist who is required to take sudden evasive action to avoid an accident. Worse again, if the car hits the object then a moving obstacle presents itself in the rider’s way and avoiding an accident is harder again.

Lane filtering reduces these risks.

The other risk a motorcyclist suffers with regard to debris is from vehicles ahead such as utes or trucks which commonly lose stones, sticks and small rocks that are difficult to avoid - even when following at a safe distance behind. At traveling speeds such debris can either cause a direct physical injury from impact, as the rider has minimal body protection, or otherwise contribute to an accident which in turn may cause serious injury.

Other vehicles worth filtering past at intersections might include large slow-moving buses which when moving may be difficult to overtake safely, smoky diesel-powered vehicles, large four-wheel-drives that limit frontal visibility, and other hazards that a motorcyclist would be better to avoid.

As a whole, motorcycles are more capable of accelerating away from a standstill than the average car. This means that when it is clear to pass through the intersection a rider is able to comfortably reach the posted speed limit to establish a safety buffer between themselves and the cars behind – this gives the following vehicles extra room to stop in case the rider does come across another hazard or intersection. This buffer and clear view, combined with the above benefit of awareness means that the rider is much safer on the road as a result of lane filtering.

Time savings, congestion and the environment

By effectively implementing safe lane filtering as part of their riding technique, a motorcyclist can easily halve travel their time at busy periods during the day, which has the extra benefit of reducing congestion on the roads. If Australia is serious about having international-quality roadways, we should at least be making the best of our investments by encouraging people to take up a more efficient means of transport to keep things flowing effectively.

The more people that wake up in the morning and say “I’ll take the bike”, the better! Vehicle parking and the environment are other aspects worth considering. By legislating against lane-filtering, people are discouraged from riding a motorcycle, which results in more cars on the road – leaving undue stress on traffic systems, inner-city parking and the environment itself. Roads also suffer more at the hands of larger vehicles, while smaller vehicles such as motorcycles generate little if any wear at all.

Every motorcycle that is allowed to slip through to the front of the queue reduces the traffic gridlock by one car length. It doesn’t seem by much, but when you take into account the number of registered motorcycles in Australia then the difference made by lane filtering – and the difference yet to be made by encouraging it – is astounding.

Public transport is apparently the ideal solution from a Government standpoint, however it is more expensive than the running costs of a motorcycle, takes far longer and is very inconvenient and unreliable (I’ll bet the Prime Minister doesn’t catch the bus very often). Public transport is an idealistic solution that reduces traffic and parking strains, but will not work out for all people. Motorcyclists are real people too, and have commitments and meetings just like other motorists. Many people have identified motorcycling as a cheap, efficient and more convenient mode of transport – far cheaper and easier than any other option available. I would like to think that our traffic laws would be designed to encourage use of anything that helps reduce the gridlock and ensuing “road rage” that is becoming more and more common.

We can even keep the Greens happy – don’t discourage motorcycling by legislating against it! In the current climate with fuel prices going up and traffic continually increasing, the move to more motorcycles on our roads is inevitable – now that the issue of lane filtering has been raised we have an opportunity to look at it in a positive light and achieve something rather than regulate into obscurity a method of transport that has great benefits for the community.

Dangerous Lane Splitting

The second activity, also known as “lane splitting”, is where a motorcyclist cuts through moving traffic at high speed. An example might be a 100km/h highway, with congested traffic travelling at 70km/h. A motorcycle the rider may choose to maintain a speed of 100km/h by placing themselves between the lanes of moving cars.

As opposed to lane filtering where the manouvre involves stationary or near-stationary traffic, this activity is most certainly dangerous as it involves moving between lines of vehicles that are already moving at a reasonable speed. As the cars are moving along at speed, and have enough room to move around, they may at any time make a sudden move to change lanes or adjust their speed – this of course puts the rider in dire risk. The vast majority of motorcyclists frown on this activity and would be quite happy to see it policed more heavily!

Riders acting in such a way can be penalised by Police under existing legislation so there is no need to apply a blanket law as it will do little more than cut out the positive activity of lane filtering which benefits all motorists, and motorcyclists particularly. There it nothing wrong with being proactive about one’s safety, and if there is a joint benefit of shorter travel times then that should not be confused as the sole reason riders filter between traffic near intersections.

Encourage it!

In other parts of the world, such as the UK and Europe, lane filtering is encouraged as long as it is executed safely, as I detailed above. One method I have discussed with others is the “20/20” system, meaning that the vehicles being overtaken should be either stationary or travelling no more than 20km/h, and the rider should be going no more than 20km/h above the speed of that vehicle. This system gives all the benefits of lane filtering, removes the dangers of high-speed lane splitting, and is well worth consideration rather than frowning on the practice entirely.

I hope you consider my comments without prejudice and look forward to a personal response. If you have any questions you are welcome to contact me by email or the above postal address.

Thank you for your time and my kindest regards


(signed)

[seraph]

I have a question for you, Shifty (hang on, were you at the party yesterday?)

Do you think that a verbatim copy of your letter is going to make a difference? Surely the recipient would not them after the first few lines, having read the entire thing before. I think at that point it is useless...

even one line from a thousand people would be more effective, though I don't for a second doubt the validity of your arguments, only the point of sending multiple copies of one argument.

not attacking, just asking for your thoughts -J.

[Shifty]

I agree with you entirely (and yes, i was at the part-ay... sitting beside Hemi quietly while you discussed Maynard et al).

Unfortunately, in this context silence is agreeance so the more people we can get to email something in, the better. It would be better again if people wrote their own letter (as you say, even one line) but I can't see it happening.

[Alex Kay]

Thanks Shifty, sent my e-mail...