Motorway motorcycle lanes?

[Blue Thunder]

Did anyone else read the article in the Howick & Pakuranga Times (April 26).
A locall councillor and fellow biker has suggested that the shoulders of the motorway be converted to "GASP" Motorcyle lanes with a max limit of 65kph.
What sort of insanity is this, a public official who has come up with a sensible idea which, may even get more people on bikes (lower fuel consumtion) and save those of us who ride the motorways, the daily dodging of the lane changing non thinking thats my gap 4 wheeled motorist.
After all the shoulders on some parts of our motorway system, at least in Auckland, are currently used by buses during peak hour traffic flows. Does this happen in other major centres as well? Idon't know but maybe it shouls as Auckland is not the only city with clogged arteries.
I for one applaud the initiative of this forward thinking, rate payer elected official who is trying to gain some sort of improvement for our public roadways.
Lets hear your views on this!

[slinky]

that would be great if something like that was put in place.
But i think we just have to live with the un-official motorbike lane of in-between those cars.

[SPman]

A 65kph limit on the motorway?
Feck off!

[Chisanga]

I think if they made Motorbike only lanes they would probably have to put a "1" in front of that speed limit.

[ceebie13]

A biker lane ... on a motorway... this has to be a laugh surely to god!
Id feel safer amongst the traffic. Suppose a cage, bus, lorry, whatever brakes down and occupies the hard shoulder/biker lane...what do we do then? I shudder at the thought. Sheer insanity. Come on...there's bugger all motorway in New Zealand to start with. And you don't have to go far to have the roads all to yourself. Who needs special lanes. OK, let us use bus lanes maybe but anything else is crazy IMHO.
As for clogged arteries...you don't know the meaning of the term over here. Try the M25 round London and all the motorways that feed it at rush hour on a Friday night! Rush hour in New Zealand is like a sleepy Sunday in the Cotswolds. It's bliss!

[The Pastor]

build more roads.

[mstriumph]

wat's wrong with that little white highway between the traffic?

[ManDownUnder]

wat's wrong with that little white highway between the traffic?

The hignorant bastards in cages keep crossing over it LOL!

Actually... I agree...

[Hitcher]

There's no guarantees that those bastard cagers could be kept out of a motorcycle-only lane. Are these lanes to be in addition to bus lanes?

[mstriumph]

seriously mr hitcher .... i think you have put your finger on the main danger

- if they WERE to establish motorcyle only lanes, how many innocent young newbies who haven't yet had cause to develop the paranoia of their elders might THINK THEY WERE SAFE in those lanes and suffer a terrible awakening when the inevitable happened?

*shudders*

[xwhatsit]

There's no guarantees that those bastard cagers could be kept out of a motorcycle-only lane. Are these lanes to be in addition to bus lanes?

No, it's just the existing emergency shoulders I think. So, the same thing as what they did to a few emergency shoulders up here in Auckland for buses. No idea if buses are allowed in them too.

[ManDownUnder]

If there was to be a dedicated lane I suggest it be the rightmost lane - rated at 100kph...

Lanes on the left suffer from traffic coming and going opver them (on ramps, off ramps etc). They suffer from people not looking and or breaking down into them (admittedly that happens in the righmost lane too but less so in my experience).

Cops and emergency vehicles would get priority in that lane (as they do now in other lanes before you lot jump up and down)... I don't have a problem with it but think a more likely outcome will be a high occupancy lane, useable by taxi's buses, cars withj 3+ occupants and bikes. I can't see councils or Transit sheloling out millions of dollars for motocycles only, and that combined use lane would be somewhat in line with existing policy of some councils (Auckland City for example) where bikes can already use bus lanes.

Don't get me wrong - I'd LOVE a bike only lane... I just can't see it happening and suggest the above is achievable with a couple of visionaries in coucil.

[xwhatsit]

If there was to be a dedicated lane I suggest it be the rightmost lane - rated at 100kph...

Lanes on the left suffer from traffic coming and going opver them (on ramps, off ramps etc). They suffer from people not looking and or breaking down into them (admittedly that happens in the righmost lane too but less so in my experience).

Cops and emergency vehicles would get priority in that lane (as they do now in other lanes before you lot jump up and down)... I don't have a problem with it but think a more likely outcome will be a high occupancy lane, useable by taxi's buses, cars withj 3+ occupants and bikes. I can't see councils or Transit sheloling out millions of dollars for motocycles only, and that combined use lane would be somewhat in line with existing policy of some councils (Auckland City for example) where bikes can already use bus lanes.

Don't get me wrong - I'd LOVE a bike only lane... I just can't see it happening and suggest the above is achievable with a couple of visionaries in coucil.

I don't think this is for high-speed stuff, as evidenced by the 65kph speed limit. This is for when the traffic is crawling or at a standstill and nearly all bikes start lane-splitting. Perhaps just a safer and more legal version of lane-splitting.

[Morcs]

Any designated motorcycle lane should not have a speed limit, or any rules infact

Ive always said that the section down the middle of the motorway should be made for bikes.

[SPman]

Any designated motorcycle lane should not have a speed limit, or any rules infact

Ive always said that the section down the middle of the motorway should be made for bikes.

Don't be silly - how we gonna balance on top of that little bit of concrete????