Lane Filtering Legal in Tasmania from January 29

Topics

Lane Filtering Legal in Tasmania from January 29

bad_dog
6 years ago

TASMANIA’S 18,500 registered motorcyclists will be given the green light to weave and filter through stationary and slow moving traffic, helping to ease Hobart congestion.
The Tasmanian Motorcycle Council has welcomed the State Government’s move to adopt lane filtering laws, which were first introduced in New South Wales, ending years of lobbying by the group to make the practice legal.

The new laws, effective from January 29 following a public education blitz, will allow riders to move between traffic that is travelling no faster than 30km/h, most commonly at or near traffic lights.

However, motorcyclists will have to ensure it is first safe to filter past cars, and lane filtering will not be permitted in school zones or on crossings, next to parked cars or between vehicles and the kerb.

Tasmanian Motorcycle Council president Paul Bullock said the changes would improve traffic flow and end years of frustration experienced by the motorcycle fraternity.

“It’s for continuation of traffic flow and it’s only up to 30km/h,” Mr Bullock said.

“It’s coming up to traffic lights, then we are out of everyone’s way and we are not being held up,” Mr Bullock said.

“It doesn’t hold up any traffic whatsoever.

“I think it’s the New South Wales model that’s going to be incorporated. An illegal activity known as lane splitting, would be fined $159 and lose two demerit points.”

Also under the changes, lane filtering cannot be undertaken by learner and provisional riders.

Mr Bullock said an education campaign was vital to alert motorists.

“I would hope there would be a major one [education campaign] otherwise motorists would be alarmed to see motorbikes going between cars at traffic lights,” he said.

“There’s been no promotion of it yet.”

Mr Bullock said the TMC had also lobbied the State Government to extend the changes to allow motorcyclists to use bus lanes such as the one on Hobart’s Southern Outlet as another measure to ease traffic congestion.

“We have not had an official response on it,” he said.

A Department of State Growth spokesman said the new rules would bring Tasmania into line with other jurisdictions, a move agreed on last November.

He said a three-week public education campaign would start on January 22, eliminating any confusion over the new local laws.

“There will be radio and online advertising explaining lane filtering rules,” the spokesman said.

“An online digital animation will depict lane filtering road rules in use.”

Lane filtering is currently allowed in New South Wales, where it was legislated in 2014 following a trial in the Sydney CBD, plus Victoria, Queensland and South Australia, and is progressing in the ACT.

Wideglider
6 years ago

Good to hear Tassie now going with this.
I've been taking advantage of lane filtering here in NSW for a while now, keeps you moving along & it works well most times.
There is however the occasional driver who sees you coming through in his mirror so moves over to block you (I then let him know the error of his ways). Also once your at the front, some cars will try to race you off at the lights to prevent you from getting in 'their' lane. I'm sure that the majority of drivers think we riders are doing something illegal by lane filtering, I don't recall any education to let people know it's allowed, no ads on tv.

Baloffski
6 years ago

Have been filtering albeit, maybe illegally for decades, didn"t know was a crime until a while ago.
Very good to see that Tassie crew can do such things within the stated parameters of the law, even if they have to filter between horses and donkeys pulling convicts.
You still have the best roads, now you can go from unfiltered to filtered..Smooth as.
Seriously, is a good thing as never thought was incorrect to run through.

Krash Kinkade
6 years ago

good new's!
can't let the public know or would be more crying. some of em say things like, we have to wear seat belts and motor bike riders don't! but you never hear us say we have to wear helmets.... you can never please people.
all that matters is that the cops know it's legal.

Vic
6 years ago

Congestion in Tassie, yeh right!
Good to hear they've made it legal I suppose,
have always and will always do it, legal or otherwise.
Always better off been in the m/c lane at the lights
than getting rear ended by some inattentive fuckwit on their phone.

Broke
6 years ago

Its legal in Perth now too. I used to not filter all the way to the front if I saw two V8 hoon mobiles up the front, side by side, I would stay behind them on my 883. 99% of cars seem okay with filtering, except for people on scooters doing it. I dont think I would risk being between two hoons on my 103 now either.

Baloffski
6 years ago

A motorcycle cop told me many years ago, if you want to stay alive, keep in front of the pack.
That is, get to the start line at the lights and leave idiots behind you..
But then again, some dickheads want to chase!

Roo Ted
6 years ago

Thanks for the heads-up BD. What a great move forward.

fatslim
6 years ago

Yay, about fuckin' time.
Giddy up Tassie!

See you NT
6 years ago

Just typed a lengthy story about an experience I had, and lost it, so here’s the abridged version.....
Got home from work the other day and I was relaxing with a beer, when the phone rang.

One of the local plods having a go at me as he witnessed me lane splitting. Now I’ve searched everywhere on all the official road rules websites etc and nowhere could I find anything saying it is illegal here. (NT).

I told him this and the fact that it is legal in several other states.

He then said something along the lines of “Well, I bet you couldn’t find anything saying it is illegal to stab someone to death either, but that doesn’t mean it’s allowed!”

WTF????? Fucking wanker! Ya can’t win against cunts like that! I just laughed and let him have his rant, including the fact I was now ‘on his radar’ or some such nonsense, and I continue to lane split every day! Fuck ‘em!

Roo Ted
6 years ago

So, we're a week into the new lane filtering laws here in Tassie and I'm yet to see any 'public education blitz'.
Infact, I'm yet to see anything at all in the media apart from the death toll attributed to motorcyclists and several motorcycling group spokespeople pushing for an 'older riders refresher course'.
Roo.

Baloffski
6 years ago

Ohh.. never had kids, got gassed somewhere along the way, but see stinky where ya are...

Topics

Lane Filtering Legal in Tasmania from January 29

Lane Filtering Legal in Tasmania from January 29

bad_dog

Wideglider

Baloffski

Krash Kinkade

Vic

Broke

Baloffski

Roo Ted

fatslim

See you NT

Roo Ted

Baloffski