What the hell?

[The Pastor]

Dude, welcome to nz traffic police, the current dick-tater ship in power in NZ. They will ticket you for what ever reason they want, just too keep up crime numbers down.

"we issued this many tickets so there fore we stopped that much crime"

[Grub]

Nah it wasn't right ... that's why, as Jim said, they had to change the law.

[Grub]

will ticket you for what ever reason they want,

Surprise, surprise ... they ticket people breaking the law. No law-breakers, no tickets

Cool huh

[The Pastor]

Surprise, surprise ... they ticket people breaking the law. No law-breakers, no tickets

Cool huh

What, you mean cops never ever pull over people just for fun? Don't give out tickets even though you were only doing 90 in a 100 zone? Get out of here man, what have you been smoking?

[Grub]

Get out of here man, what have you been smoking?

Clearly not the stuff that you have which suppresses reality

[Ixion]

This is the actual villain

Land Transport (Road User) Rule 2004
Part 2 Roads (r 2.1 to r 2.14)
Lanes
2.1 Keeping left

(1)A driver, when driving, must at all times drive as near as practicable to the left side of the roadway unless this rule otherwise provides.
(2)If a driver's speed, when driving, is such as to impede the normal and reasonable flow of traffic, that driver must, as soon as is reasonably practicable, move the vehicle as far as practicable to the left side of the roadway when this is necessary to allow following traffic to pass.
(3)A driver may drive in the right lane in the direction of travel when driving on a multi-lane road if—
(a)the driver is turning right, or making a U-turn from the centre of the road, and is giving the prescribed signal of that driver's intention to turn right; or
(b)the driver is passing; or
(c)the left lane is unavailable to the driver; or
(d)the driver is required by any provision of this rule to drive in the right lane; or
(e)a variable lane control downward-facing arrow sign indicates that the driver must drive in the right lane; or
(f)the driver is avoiding an obstruction; or
(g)the traffic in all other lanes is congested; or
(h)the traffic in every lane is congested

Personally, I feel that an undue degree of alarm has been aroused by the rule

2.1(1) simply reexpresses the "Keep left" rule that has been extant for at least 50 years. Note the important qualification "as practicable" . For a motorcylist to ride in an unsafe position would not be practicable.

Section 2.1(3) (the "use the left lane" section) provides quite sufficient qualifying clauses to accomodate any reasonable person. It was, in fact, introduced to stop people hogging the right lane of a passing lane section, and give legislative teeth to the "Keep eft unless passing" signs. I think it is a good idea.

In passing, I note that Sect 2.1(2) must be the most unenforced rule in the law book. I wonder if this section has ever been enforced ?

[Oakie]

Slightly to the right of the RH corner of the vehicle I'm following will do me just fine thank you. Oh, and a metre or so to the left of the centre line if there's no one in front of me.

[-df-]

Hi ekspatriat

From the NZ Motorcycle Road Code

Where is the best place to position your motorcycle on the road whilst riding?

a. In the centre of the road
b. In the postion normally taken up by the right wheels of a car
c. As close to the left as possible

The correct answer is "b. In the postion normally taken up by the right wheels of a car"

I got a naughty mark against my full license in the test doing that...I protested saying it stated in the road code that is what you should do,the guys response: "Road codes wrong" word for word. I was about to protest more until he said he was still giving me my license, just putting down that I failed to stay left.

Wanker.

[Blackbird]

In the last edition of Bike Rider Magazine, or the one before, there was a letter from a visiting English rider who had been pinged for straightlining a sequence of bends that he had clear vision through. He got done for failing to keep left. The visitor was an advanced riding instructor and argued that it was a valid technique which was documented in the Institute of Advanced Motorcyclists procedures. This apparently cut no ice!

[Ixion]

He could have been pinged in the UK too. The rule there is the same

From the UK Highway code

136: Once moving you should

• keep to the left, unless road signs or markings indicate otherwise. The exceptions are when you want to overtake, turn right or pass parked vehicles or pedestrians in the road
• keep well to the left on right-hand bends. This will improve your view of the road and help avoid the risk of colliding with traffic approaching from the opposite direction

Of course, the UK police may be more lenient about it, but that is the discretion thing again.

[gixermike]

it's not so much about them being lenient....it's about them teaching people to do it to be safer..

Did a two day advanced riding coruse with them and it's exactly what they teach. Use all the carriageway (e.g both lanes) to maximise your view, hence your safe stopping distance, and therefore your speed. You end up going into corners very late, but then carrying lots of speed and getting on the power earlier without running wide (and possibly into oncoming traffic)

The legal statement they quote is that you must "stop in the distance you can see to be clear on your side of the road"...so you have to get back to your side, which is easy.

It stops the flying roud a blind bend on the limit issue....as it's no longer blind...you can see it's clear...so being on the lean angle limit is no problem.

Mind you, they also want you to use the full power of the bike to complete safe overtakes....and exceed the limit while doing so...then drop back to the around the limit to continue. can't see that happening in NZ...

It's actually a lot of fun doing 80-90Mph overtakes when all you can see in your mirrors is police bike.

[Blackbird]

Hmmmm.... apparently a conflict between the law and IAM recommendations which is surprising given that I'd expect representation from all parties on the IAM. Even police bikers sit in the other lane to get a clear view when preparing to overtake. I guess that could be construed as failing to keep left.

I was actually taught to do power overtakes on my advanced course in NZ which was run by the ex-chief instructor of the old MOT. I agree that you could be laying yourself wide open though, even if it does make sense. Scummy once said that he never pings anyone whilst overtaking but there again, he's a guy who appreciates the circumstances surrounding bikes.

[DesmoDAZ]

I tend to ride where I feel safe on my side of the road and it does tend to be in the right side wheel path. The center of your own lane is covered with oil and every other fluid that drops off the bottom of cars and trucks and is possibly the greassiest place on the road more so around town and even more so at stop signs, lights and give way signs. The closer to the left in your lane the more debris you are going to come across. Ask any Officer of the Law who has been riding motorcycles for 25 to 30 years where they would rather ride and why. Another point is in group riding the staggered and most accepted method of group riding means that one rider is well left in the lane and the following rider is well right in the lane and so on and so on.
Go figure.

[hobdar]

The road code reflects the law and you cannot be done for anything not in the statutes.....

http://www.legislation.govt.nz/ so have fun there is bound to be something here.....sorry way too tired to look but it will be in an amendment under the Land Transport act somewhere

i think that it is so the cops can do bikes for passing on the right within a lane which is legal

i.e car.....motorbike then no passing lines....and seems to be common practice in Wellington.....during rush hour.....