Comments on: Bike lane, NOT motorbike lane

By: Treadly and Me

Treadly and Me — Thu, 13 May 2010 21:46:43 +0000

@Murray: More than happy to oblige. I've revised and expanded that section.

I reckon the claim that a motorcycle is a bicycle can be rejected based simply on the common usage of either term. But for good measure, in the Dictionary section of the Victorian Road Safety Road Rules a bicycle is defined as "a vehicle with 2 or more wheels that is built to be propelled by human power". The definition goes on to specifically exclude "a scooter, wheelchair, wheeled recreational device, wheeled toy, or any vehicle with an auxiliary motor capable of generating a power output over 200 watts (whether or not the motor is operating)". So in my state at least, that clearly leaves motorcycles outside the bike lane.

By: Murray

Murray — Tue, 11 May 2010 10:33:00 +0000

The links under the heading "Possible Confusion" aren't working.

Can you re-instate them or link to somewhere that gives the details of the law that says motorcycles are not allowed in cycle lanes?

It is a daily occurrence for me to have motorcycles bearing down on me on cycle lanes. Several times I have been shoved and had my wheel kicked (and buckled) by motorcyclists who considered me (on my bicycle) to be "in the way".

Last week a motorcyclist told me that on his tax disc his vehicle is described as a "bicycle" and therefore he is allowed on a cycle lane. This (probably fake) ignorance needs to be argued against with facts.

By: Stu

Stu — Fri, 15 May 2009 10:15:42 +0000

I moved from Sydney to Amsterdam about three months ago. In Amsterdam, cycling lanes are shared with scooters. From my experience, scooters and cyclists do not mix for two simple reasons. Scooters are faster and heavier than cyclists and therefore scooters pose a safety risk to cyclists. In Amsterdam, scooters always weave in and out of cyclist traffic at high speed and they are often driving at speeds quicker than cars on the roads! Scooter drivers naturally take on an air of superiority over cyclists because they are faster than cyclists. This is normal human behaviour. Cyclists do the same to pedestrians. Sometimes scooter drivers cheat by using the road to get past a queue of cyclists at an intersection then drive back onto the cycle lane to bypass a car traffic jam. I strongly urge you to protest any effort to allow scooters to use cycle lanes because if they are given approval to use cycle lanes it will be virtually impossible to overturn that decision in the future.

By: Cool Gadgets

Cool Gadgets — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 07:59:50 +0000

I agree that bike lanes are meant for bicycles and not motorbikes. Motorbikes can share the road with the regular cars. Too dangerous to have motorbikes in bike lanes.

By: Treadly and Me

Treadly and Me — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 23:24:26 +0000

I think Euan is arguing from the specific to the general here. The MRAA wants to be able to ride in bike lanes in heavily congested traffic. I have no figures to hand, but I reason that on the road much danger arises from high speed and differential speeds between vehicles. In heavily congested traffic, both high speed and the speed differential between motorcycles and other motorised vehicles are reduced, so much of the danger is removed: everyone is shuffling along at the same low speed.

Furthermore Mr Maggs' own position, as quoted above, is that "motorcycle riders are both more visible and better protected than cyclists". They are also heavier and faster, which gives them something of an advantage over bicycles in the general traffic flow.

I'm prepared to accept the relative risk factor that Euan quoted (and I'd like to know its source), however I'm not talking about the general case here, I'm referring to the specific case of motorcycles in bike lanes. Where does the greater risk lie: to motorcyclists if they stay in the general traffic flow or to cyclists if motorbikes are allowed into bike lanes? I argue that the greater risk lies with the latter, so I stand by my position.

I really don't understand Euan's final remark about facing the same dangers but "at a much greater speed". Surely that supports my point that motorcycles don't belong in the bike lane? However I heartily endorse the view that motorcyclists and cyclists share many of the same hazards on the road.