Poll: Learner speed restriction change?

**BiK3RChiK** · 21st February 2008, 06:21

It seems to me that 70km/hr is too slow on the open road... What do you all think? Should the speed be changed or not? What should it be changed to? 90km/hr or 100km/hr?

Your thoughts please...

M

**Owl** · 21st February 2008, 06:30

Open road speed limit should be 100kph for restricted riders IMHO.

**BASS-TREBLE** · 21st February 2008, 07:00

Say it would be changed to 100km/h,
Then the 'staged license' system will have to be changed a little bit too because whats the difference between Learners and Restricted after the learners limit went up to 100???

Make the restricted limit 120km/h???

**BiK3RChiK** · 21st February 2008, 07:04

Originally Posted by BASS-TREBLE

Say it would be changed to 100km/h,
Then the 'staged license' system will have to be changed a little bit too because whats the difference between Learners and Restricted after the learners limit went up to 100???

Make the restricted limit 120km/h???

You have a point, but 70km/hr on the open road is a fools game IMO.. Some idiot in a suit must've had a brain fart!!

**FROSTY:Me** · 21st February 2008, 07:12

Definitely NOT. A learners licence is just that. Its a licence to learn to ride.
Its an opertunity to learn the basic skills required to move that piece of machinery.
People seem to loose sight of this.

If a person is too lazy to sit their restricted licence and stays on a learners for years hey its a self inflicted problem.

**hellnback** · 21st February 2008, 07:19

Nah, I agree that 70km on the motorway can feel a bit hairy at times, but when just learning on the country roads 70km is plenty.

**Ralph** · 21st February 2008, 07:45

Yep I think it should be changed to 100km, The only time I ever did 70km was going for my restricted and that was only because the officer was behind me and he didn't care, they're a little more anal about it now I believe.

I think I'd be right in saying that most of us never followed that rule on our learners.

Shore it's the only difference between Learners and restricted but that could be changed to maybe being allowed to carry pillions on a restricted. Not sure if thats part of it at the moment after all it's been a while since I last looked at the road code

**richiewendt** · 21st February 2008, 07:58

Any numbnut can ride 100Kph in a straight line after a few attempts riding. City riding is far more dangerous I reckon for a new rider. Unless they decide to go to raglan or cooks beach and push the limits a bit! Increase restricted cc rating to 400 though.

**FROSTY:Me** · 21st February 2008, 08:04

Originally Posted by hellnback

Nah, I agree that 70km on the motorway can feel a bit hairy at times, .

Why would a person on L plates be riding on the motorway?
I do have isssues with our nanna state dont get me wrong here.
Common sense tells you that a person with very limited experience is unlikely to react to a dangerous situation propperly
Keeping their speed down to 70 means reduced collateral damage if they get it wrong.
Putting them in heavy traffic at 100km/h is just asking fro trouble

**hellnback** · 21st February 2008, 08:12

Originally Posted by FROSTY

Why would a person on L plates be riding on the motorway?

Easiest way out of town?? Need to cross the harbour bridge??

And I agree with you that 70km is a good restriction for learner riders, I was just saying that the motorway is a daunting place for leaners.

**sunhuntin** · 21st February 2008, 08:21

70k is suicide... i did it the first time i went out of town and very nearly didnt make it back due to cagers tail gating. after that, i went out on my local, quiet open roads and learned out there. did my first 100k on the long straight. from there, no looking back at 70k.

if learner cagers can do 100k, so should learner bikers. many cage drivers dont realise what the learner speed is.

**Jantar** · 21st February 2008, 08:24

Why do so many of you assume that ALL learners are young, and live in cities. I know of a person who started to learn riding at the age of 40 so he could travel to work by motorcycle instead of car. The only road available between where he lives at Cromwell and his work near Alexandra is on the open highway through the Cromwell Gorge. Travelling that road at 70 kmh is not only dangerous, its just plain stupid. So he travelled at 100 kmh.

Now he has moved through the graduated licence system and recently upgraded from a GZ250 to a GSF500. He finds the larger bike much safer to ride on the open road so in those circumstances, not only was the speed safer at a 100, but the bike size is better once through all parts of the system.

**Tank** · 21st February 2008, 08:56

Its a hard question - and I guess that there is no easy answer that fits all.

The upshot is that riding on the open road (and a lot of people HAVE to do so) at 70 on NZ roads with NZ drivers IS dangerous.

Try going north to the Puhoi pub for a ride. Stick at 70kms on all the open roads and see how much traffic is stuck behind you. You will probably have a car right up your ass and at least one idiot do something stupid simply to get past the trail of cars.

It puts you as the learner in danger, and under additional stress (because you are being tailgated and probably looking more in your mirrors instead of concentration on the next corner) and poses a greater risk to other drivers than the additional 30kmph on the road.

LTNZ have told me that they DO NOT want learners on the open road at 70 and thats why you can get exemption from the restricted period and go for your full immediately.

So my vote is for the 100 km - but with double points and fine for going over it!

**NOMIS** · 21st February 2008, 09:04

The should let restricted riders be able to own a 600cc bike to or at least a 400cc

**Mikkel** · 21st February 2008, 09:22

I think they should remove the entire concept of a speed restriction altogether. There would be things that would be better:

1. A multiplier on demerit points received depending upon what level of the graduated license system you're on (e.g. x3 for learners, x2 for restricted and x1 for full).
and/or
2. Accumulation of "penalty points" for road offenses which would push back the date where you could sit your test for the next level.

Originally Posted by Ferris

Open road speed limit should be 100kph for restricted riders IMHO.

There is no speed restrictions on the restricted license - only the ccm and pillion restriction.

Originally Posted by FROSTY

Why would a person on L plates be riding on the motorway?
I do have isssues with our nanna state dont get me wrong here.
Common sense tells you that a person with very limited experience is unlikely to react to a dangerous situation propperly
Keeping their speed down to 70 means reduced collateral damage if they get it wrong.
Putting them in heavy traffic at 100km/h is just asking fro trouble

Again, people are different here and learn at different rates. I'd been happy sitting my full license after 2 months.

If you had proper road user instruction and training as a part of the process of getting a license this would resolve that issue. If you actually had to pass a proper competence test instead of the laughable basic handling test you wouldn't have to worry about that.

Originally Posted by Tank

Its a hard question - and I guess that there is no easy answer that fits all.

There is - implementing a proper road user licensing system!

Originally Posted by Tank

It puts you as the learner in danger, and under additional stress (because you are being tailgated and probably looking more in your mirrors instead of concentration on the next corner) and poses a greater risk to other drivers than the additional 30kmph on the road.

...and it causes road rage - not good!

Originally Posted by Tank

LTNZ have told me that they DO NOT want learners on the open road at 70 and thats why you can get exemption from the restricted period and go for your full immediately.

How is that going to change anything? I mean, there's no speed restriction on the restricted license.

What they should do instead is to excempt everyone who holds a full license in another category from the learners period. If you have your road craft sorted I think that the restrictions on 6R are pretty spot on for learning how to ride a bike - no pillion, no larger than 250 ccm - you're can't ride something that'll take your head off if you blink, and if you fuck up at least you won't be carrying a passenger.

Originally Posted by Tank

So my vote is for the 100 km - but with double points and fine for going over it!

As written above - this makes more sense.