Why not a Motorcycle only lanes and free city parking ?

In this time of ever increasing Gas prices and ever decreasing road and parking real-estate why not lobby for motorcycle / scooter only traffic lanes and parking ?

In the last few years Sydney's council recognising motorcycles have much smaller footprints and in an effort to free up city street congestion and parking has opened up 500 free "all day" motorcycle parking spaces in the City's Centre and the States Roads Traffic authority allow motorcyclists to use " bus lanes " to help ease the roads congestion especially during peak traffic periods. :smile:

While I think the above is a progressive step in the right direction surely the next would be open up even more motorcycle parking and mark special motorcycle only lanes and the reasons for it making sense here would apply equally in other personal transport loving countries like the USA also ?

 

While I'm all for it, if they did it in the CPRofNJ, there would be pinheads that would F it up for all. Look how well "Keep Right Except To Pass. IT'S THE LAW." has worked. Then they would be the inevitable road-rage that would result by some as$hole that was pissed because someone gets a whole lane to themselves.

KC-10 FE out...
lane:

 

In the UK, nationwide there are motorcycle bays that are free to park in 24/7. In some of the bigger cities they can now use the bus lanes but as to special lanes just for bikes? Sure it would be nice but isn't going to happen due to angry motorists gettin' jealous as already mentioned, plus cars would just use the lanes for themselves anyway

 

It is not fully legal as such and seems well tolerated there is a grey area that allows a motorcycle to overtake a stationary vehicle on its right as long as you don't cross the dividing marking for the lane and have not had problems myself as tend to only lane split stationary traffic to a Red light on our wider roads, my guess if their is an accident while lane splitting the motorcycle would automatically be at fault.

For emissions our ADR laws are closley related to European standards and if the Motorcycle is OEM equiped with a Cat then it must retain it, my '99 dosn't have a Cat so is not expected to have one.... :smile:

 

My guess is those folks with problems will have bigger ones once the world hits Peak oil in 2 to 4 years, watch them complain when Gas hits 10USD a Gallon. :wink:

 

While there are no 'motorcycle only' lanes in the US, the closest we've gotten to is being able to share the HOV (High Occupancy Vehicle) lanes in many states. For the most part, these lanes tend to be less occupied and have restrictions on who is "supposed" to be in that lane, but as someone already said, you'll always have those that will use any lane just to get ahead. I know there was talk (in Georgia anyway) about making specific lanes just for tractor trailers on the interstate, in an attempt to reduce accidents and traffic flow problems. I don't see this going any farther either as most cars would use those lanes and TT's would still occupy the other lanes trying to make up time.

 

One major obstacle to dedicated bike lanes is the huge cost to the DOT in paving more lanes and marking lanes as well. The only way I'd see that this would work is to pave a lane near the highway that is separate from the highway but still follows the path of the highway. Plus this lane would be only 4 feet wide to prevent the occassional jackass cager stealing a shortcut.

Just don't see it happening, dude...

 

I think they looked to UK / Europe as a model of how to reduce City congestion. Just hope they don't go one step further by adding congestion tax like in London.

Maybe a better no cost way would be to expand on the bus lane idea and using the boiling frog theory just incrementally take more lane's away from cars ( not on interstates ) to convert into ever increasing shared motorcycle / Bus lanes, while at the same time working on ways to make mass transport more attractive to the general public.

Drivers stuck in traffic will just see buses wizzing by and not worry about the motorcycles, over here a car caught using a bus lane will automatically receive a $238 fine and lose a quarter of their licence, as their are HD CCTV's covering many roads the first the driver knows they have been pinged is when they receive the ticket in the post.

 

This only affects cars and trucks, good news is its free to enter London on a motorbike, no congestion charge. I used to live in the south of England and it used to take me between 2 and 2.5 hrs to get to north London. On a bike 1.5 hrs maximum, and that was on a bad day. Using a bike is the only economically viable option for lots of people commuting into London, specially from the south.

 

That with recognised lane splitting can see the attraction of commuting by bike :smile:, excepting mid January to mid Febuary's weather I suffered through in London a few years ago for work. :biggrin:

 

In Toronto, on street parking is free for motorcycles, within the usual limitations (i.e. if cars can't park there in rush hour neither can motorcycles). The normal on street parking is pay and display type parking, so now bikes don't have to buy a ticket. It is great to see so many bikes parked all day downtown.

However that doesn't solve the weather! It is getting too cold to ride.

The provincial government is considering (key word) changing the law on HOV lanes to allow bikes with one or two people to use those lanes. Right now even with a passenger bikes are not allowed to use the HOV lanes (how dumb is that?).

John

 

Really good idea.

But there is one major problem it; makes sense, so the government, any govenment, won't be interested.

I know, I work in govenment.

BZ

 

In Melbourne Australia its quite legal and free to park your motorcycle on the footpath (sidewalk) so long as you dont obstruct the pedestrians.

I had to go into the CBD (central buisness district) to get a copy of some my daughters birth certificate .... on the bike .. into town ... parked at the front door ... out and home. Total time 1 hr no cost.:biggrin:
By car .. tripple that plus $12 parking

 

Here in the West (Aust) it seems ludicrous that push/peddle bikes have been given a special lane of their own at some major intersections, allowing them to pass all the stationary waiting vehicles, then when the lights turn green are then at the front of the line in the slow lane, making all vehicles have to go around them; Worse still, motorbikes aren't allowed to use this lane. At least a motorbike would be able to zoom off ahead of the traffic - typical example of 'wolly headed' thinking.
I would like to see a special motorbike only narrow lane at major intersections, that would sit in between the two lanes of traffic allowing motorbikes to 'legally' lane split (even though it is not currently illegal). Any chance of that happening?!?! :smile:

 

Observed that first hand this year while on Hols to Melb, was great to see a Motorcycle show on every CBD street.

 

san diego the ocean of cars. I fight traffic here!!!