An online poll about lane filtering has been launched in Western Australia to help negotiate the adoption of the rules.
Lane filtering is now legal in Queensland, NSW, Victoria, South Australia and the ACT. However, the rules vary slightly from state to state.
It is now a priority for the new WA government as it was an outstanding priority action of the 2014 Motorcycle Safety Plan.
Previous Road Safety Minister Liza Harvey signed off on the proposal, but it did not make it into legislation before new Minister Michelle Roberts took over.
Motorcycle Riders Association WA road safety officer Nic Hill has launched the online poll through her special Facebook events page so riders can have a say on how the rules are framed.
“I have opened the poll for a week to allow as many people a chance to see and comment as possible and also share it amongst various riding groups,” Nic says.
“As Road Safety Officer of MRAWA I have the opportunity to pass people’s opinions on to the government bodies that will be making this decision on our behalf.
“I want to be certain that I am speaking for the majority and not just forwarding my own personal views. I’m concerned that people outside of the MRAWA are represented also.”
Nic and husband Dale are instructors with On Yer Bike Rider Education. Nic emphasises that the poll is her initiative and not the MRAWA.
“Besides it was just my curiosity because I’m not 100% agreeable to all aspects that government may propose and I like to arm myself with research before I go into debate,” she says.
“My arguments may differ slightly from the MRAWA stance due to the fact that all legislation will affect how I train my clients. From my position as a full-time instructor I see things from the viewpoint of novice riders more than experienced riders.”
While lane filtering is not illegal in WA, there are other rules such as passing on the left and failure to stay in your lane for which riders can be fined when filtering.
Nic’s poll asks whether there is a need for a new rule, whether it should be capped at 30km/h in moving and/or stationary traffic, only allowed at intersections and whether the rider has any other suggestions.
So far, there are very few objections listed in the comments, while most seems to support a higher speed of 40km/h for filtering.
That would put WA out of step with the rest of the country which caps filtering at 30km/h.
Nic’s poll closes next Tuesday, May 9, 2017.