Motorcycle filtering for Victoria

Victoria's Roads and Road Safety Minister Luke Donnellan MP has announced that motorcycle filtering will be introduced in Victoria by September 1, 2015, honouring a pledge he made for Labor before the last state election.

In May 2014 the previous Liberal-National coalition government rejected a filtering proposal, with then transport minister Terry Mulder saying he could not endorse something that had led to deaths on the roads.

Victoria will follow New South Wales and Queensland which have formally introduced filtering over the last 12 months, while the Australian Capital Territory began a two-year trial in January 2015.
Mr Donnellan made the announcement during the 'Ride to Work' breakfast at the iconic Queen Victoria Market on March 16, where he was present alongside representatives from VicRoads and the Transport Accident Commission.

According to the Independent Riders' Group, the issue of filtering has already been discussed by VicRoads' invitation-only Motorcycle Advisory Group, while there was a filtering workshop held in Melbourne on March 2.

Bikesales has also sought comment from VicRoads on the introduction of filtering, including a more concrete timeline for its introduction, whether the legislation will be based on the recently introduced schemes in NSW and Qld, and whether the practice will be the sole domain of fully licensed motorcycle riders.

VicRoads spokesperson Kristina Atanasovski told Bikesales that "new laws will, where possible, be consistent with other states".

Other issues that will require attention include the allowable lane filtering speed – it's 30km/h in Qld and NSW – how motorcycle riders will deal with unique Melbourne characteristic such as trams, and what will be the minimum distances allowed between cars (and other vehicles) and motorcycles during the filtering process.

"VicRoads is currently in discussion with government agencies, motorcyclists and other relevant stakeholders about the model of lane filtering that will best suit local traffic conditions," Atanasovski said. "A regulatory development process is underway to ensure the impacts from any changes are identified and managed, and that the changes are effectively communicated to road users."

VicRoads also confirmed the September 2015 start date for filtering.

NSW and Qld don't allow filtering in school zones, beside kerbs or next to trucks and buses.