Filtering trial begins in Sydney

Sydney’s official motorcycle filtering trial began on March 1, 2013, and will continue through to April 30, with bikes and scooters legally permitted to move between stationary vehicles at a selection of designated intersections within Sydney’s CBD. The trial is restricted to filtering, not lanesplitting (i.e. riding between lines of moving traffic), with each of the intersections involved continuously monitored by CCTV cameras. Evaluation of the trial could potentially lead to the legalising of filtering for motorcycles and scooters in that state.

However, while the Sydney trial represents a positive move for that state’s riders, the Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce (VACC) and members of its Motorcycle Industry Division (MID) have called for the implementation of a state-wide filtering trial in Victoria.

The VACC says legalised filtering would accommodate motorcycles and scooters in the transport mix more efficiently and more safely, but would need to be complemented by a public awareness campaign.

The introduction of such a trial in Victoria was one of 64 recommendations made in the Victorian Parliament’s Inquiry into Motorcycle Safety, the results of which were handed down last December.

According to the VACC’s Executive Director, David Purchase, the legalising of motorcycle filtering would only help to promote a form of transport with many benefits.

“Powered two-wheeled vehicles are a convenient and environmentally friendly form of personal transport and should be encouraged,” he said. “If, as we expect, the Sydney trial is a success, a similar trial should be conducted in Victoria. Less than one per cent of Melbourne commuters ride a motorcycle or scooter to work compared to more than 60 per cent who drive. Congestion and pressure on city centre parking spaces could be reduced if more was done to promote motorcycles and scooters and better infrastructure provided,” he added.

“VACC calls for a wide-ranging filtering trial. Why be restricted to one area of one city, as they are in Sydney? Victoria accounts for approximately 20 per cent of Australia’s new motorcycle sales annually and with 164, 7783 registered riders in the state, our trial should be across Melbourne, the suburbs and regional centres and on a range of roads.

“Based upon the recent bus-lane sharing trial in Hoddle Street, Melbourne, in which motorcycles and scooters were permitted to share the bus lane during peak hour traffic, we are confident a filtering trial would be well supported by VACC members and riders of powered two-wheeled vehicles,” he said.

In related news, the Victorian Government has rolled out a $1 billion road safety plan it hopes will cut the state’s road toll by 30 per cent over the next decade. With funding to come from the Traffic Accident Commission (TAC), the scheme will address some 30 ‘problem’ intersections throughout the state.

Speaking to The Age, Victoria’s Premier, Ted Baillieu, said the massive undertaking would continue Victoria’s reputation as a pioneer in the field of road safety. “We recognise that the actions we are unveiling today build on a vast amount of work that has been undertaken to cut the road toll over many years,” he said.

“Last year the road toll was the lowest we’ve ever had but it still represents 282 people who are no longer with us and more than 5000 people with serious injuries,” he added.

A fresh campaign targeting distracted motorists has also been unveiled in Victoria, with an extensive advertising program backed up by harsher penalties and a ban on using mobile phones (even with hands-free systems) for all provisional licence holders.

“Victoria has led the world with our campaigns on drink driving, drugs and speeding, but little has been done to educate drivers on the dangers of being distracted while driving,” said Mr Baillieu.

“Phone calls, text messages, music and GPS devices combine to make it more challenging to concentrate behind the wheel. It’s important all road users understand how quickly inattention can end in disaster,” he added.