WA RSC asks "All Road Users" fill in survey regarding Mcycle Lane Filter; Bins responses from unlicensed road users

[Scott_C]

Continuing their form from the proposed "Cycling is for Losers" campaign the WA Road Safety Commission has released a consultation survey regarding changes to the WA Road Rules to legalise motorcycle filtering in certain circumstances.

The website indicates that, "We invite all road users to participate in this important stage of consultation." (my emphasis)

Following through to the actual survey front page and the message changes somewhat, "Your participation in the consultation process is important. It will ensure that changes under consideration by the WA Government accurately reflect the views of motorists and motorcyclists." (my emphasis)

Going into the survey itself, you are presented with the statement, "First off, a couple of questions to make sure you’re eligible for this survey." Following questions on whether you have read the proposed changes and your age you are then presented with the following:

Do you have a current WA driver’s licence, motorcycle or moped licence?
* Yes, a full motor vehicle, motorcycle or moped driver’s licence
* Yes, a learner’s permit (L plate)
* Yes, a provisional licence (P plate)
* Yes, an extraordinary licence
* No, but I have a valid licence from another state/country
* No, my licence is suspended
* No, I have no driver’s licence

Being interested in whether this was still an eligibility question I incorrectly chose the last option and was promptly kicked from the survey with, "Thank you for your time and interest but unfortunately you do not qualify for this survey." Apparently cyclists, pedestrians and skateboarders who haven't held a license aren't part of the "all road users" they want to consult with.

Backing out to the start of the survey I run through it again and decide to see if they would care for my opinion if I had held a license but had got it suspended, unsurprisingly I breeze past the eligibility questions and straight into the survey. Going back again and it seems just a learner's permit, which requires 0 practical road experience, is also enough to have my opinion count. Only the "no license" answer seems to get you booted from the survey.

Playing with the age slider shows that there is 16+ age limit on the survey so a 16 year old with a learner's permit can have their opinion heard, as can someone who has had a license but shown themselves irresponsible enough to have it suspended but someone with a lifetime's experience as an unlicensed road user is ignored.

They could have at least let unlicensed road users participate in the survey and then filtered them out for separate analysis if they were statistically different from the other road user groups, instead the RSC show again that they are happy to deliberately ignore or denigrate vulnerable road users.

[Cycleops70]

So if I understand this right, they want to remove the ability to "lane split" i.e. sharing a lane with another vehicle. But allow "filtering" the same thing but under 30kph?

If they ban "lane splitting" does that also meant that any vehicle cannot occupy the same lane as another (which means a driver would have to completely change lanes to pass a cyclist).

I'm not sure where they are coming from here. Most M/C incidents are either single vehicle or at a junction. This seems policy by feelings, not evidence.

From my own experience, being between cars is the safest place to be.
Other drivers are unlikely to change lanes into another car, but if they perceive a gap (but there is a motorcycle there), then squash!

[Jmuzz]

Just the same as NSW filtering.
Which is proven to be extremely successful so they should stop fooling around pretending they are reinventing the wheel and just copy NSW.

The licence topic is tricky since cycle lobby usually objects to a license.
Myself I have no problem with a bicycle license, which should just consist of passing the knowledge test and have no age limits.
The test itself should be website/app based and every road user should be doing it yearly at least.

I can understand their reason for needing licence verification to stop fake survey stacking. Though they should try to include an avenue for non driving cyclists.

[Thoglette]

As a m'cycle license holder I did the survey. There's no grounds for kicking cyclists out, however they might as well kick non motorcyclists out as the whole thing is very narrow.

IMHO the lane filtering stuff is a smokescreen to cover changes to the m'cycle licence criteria, making it significantly harder to get an open licence.

[Cycleops70]

they might as well kick non motorcyclists out as the whole thing is very narrow.

IMHO the lane filtering stuff is a smokescreen to cover changes to the m'cycle licence criteria, making it significantly harder to get an open licence.

I completely agree on both points.

[Jmuzz]

What is changing? Looked at Perth street bikes for 30 seconds and it looks like changing from a test for instant full license to an auto upgrade after two years?

So basically copying NSW "green P's" process?
That's not bad and works well in NSW from my experience so wouldn't stress about it.

If that's the case then WA isn't entering any uncharted territory and plenty of NSW riders will agree it's not a bad system.
Unless it lacks 650cc LAMS and is still little 250's?

[Thoglette]

What is changing?

RTFM here (I Motorcycle Safety Consultation Paper)

Changes under consideration by Government include:
» amendments to the Road Traffic Code 2000, to provide clarity regarding the practices of motorcycle lane filtering and splitting; and
» enhancing the current licencing and testing requirements for motorcycles
and mopeds by including:
— a minimum learner’s permit tenure period;
— a pre-licence motorcycle specific Hazard Perception Test (HPT);
— a minimum two-year restricted licence (LAMS) phase on R-E class motorcycles; and
— increasing the rigour of the two motorcycle PDA (for R-E class and R class vehicles). Assessments for R class vehicles to be more rigorous than that of R -E class vehicles, reflecting the higher order skills required for a more powerful motorcycle.