Friday 14 August 2015

VICTORIAN FILTERING LAW IN SEPTEMBER 2015

Motorcycle & scooter stop[ line photographed by Georges Gouron in Spain. 

































VICROADS is writing traffic filtering rules for motorcycle & scooter riders. They are supposed to become law in September 2015. Consultation has been less than satisfactory.
VicRoads are supposed to keep things that are done legally now legal. BUT, there is talk about a ban on filtering in 40 kph zones which would wipe out filtering in Melbourne and an increasing number of Victorian cities and urban areas negating all traffic flow benefits in those areas and giving police another fine for riders riding safely.
They wouldn't do that, would they? Well against all common sense they made switching your headlight off in daylight an offence based on opinion, NOT fact. It was pointed out that they could have found out with a phone call, that most motorcycles & scooter sold in OZ for over 20 years do not have light switches. They did not want to talk about it, let alone repeal their blunder. So don't be too confident they will get filtering laws right.
There was also talk of banning L & P platers from filtering and a ban on filtering near large vehicles like slow or stopped buses and trucks.
The IRG has been lobbying for new European style stop lines to separate cars from two-wheelers and two-wheelers from pedestrians. The Melbourne Motorcycle Plan 2015-18 calls for an investigation of new moto stop lines.
Get in touch with you MP and tell him/her you want VicRoads to release the draft of the filtering rules before they become law to avoid another lights-on blunder and get a lot of commuters fined big bucks for doing the right thing. Ring their office or send an email. Don't complain about bad laws if you don't do anything to stop them.
Damien
IRG

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