NIGE Motorcycle Club

Media Release Lane Filtering

The Minister Roads and Ports, the Honourable Duncan Gay today announced that Lane Filtering for Motorcycles in NSW will be legalised. See the Ministers Media Release at the bottom of the page.

Christopher Burns, spokesman for the Motorcycle Council of NSW (MCCofNSW) said;

“The Minister for Roads and Ports Duncan Gay, Transport for NSW and the Centre for Road Safety should be applauded for this common sense move to legalise lane filtering in NSW and the first state in Australia to do so.

Lane filtering is the practice of motorcycles moving between stopped or slow moving cars.

There are multiple benefits from lane filtering including reducing the risk of riders being caught up in a rear end collision by removing them from the danger zone. Rear enders are the most common collision in NSW and can result in a rider being severely injured.

Lane filtering has been common practice for motorcycle riders across the country and overseas for decades. The benefits of Lane Filtering have been internationally recognised as a solution to traffic congestion in built up areas and will assist in relieving congestion issues on NSW’s major and minor routes thereby assisting drivers with their daily commutes.

Ultimately riders are doing drivers a big fat favour by lane filtering and reducing congestion for all.

This also highlights the fact that the community consultation process in NSW is alive and well.”

Lane Filtering also has the benefit of reducing congestion as motorcycles are not taking up the equivalent of a car space and with close to 4,000 motorcycles travelling into the Sydney CBD every weekday one can easily estimate the benefits to car drivers.”

Encouraging the use of motorcycles and scooters in Central Business Districts also relieves parking issues for local councils as five motorcycles will fit in the space of a single car.

Drivers are urged to watch both their mirrors and look for motor bikes filtering through the traffic and riders are advised that if it looks risky, it probably is, so manage your risk and ride accordingly.

Full details of the lane filtering implementation can be found at the Transport for NSW website.