No more lane splitting for the Western Cape?

[Goose]

Jaa, he does seem to be TRYING.. So let's help where we can.  

What is his email address please

Lees en presteer.

dpr

see page 1 or 2 of this thread.

dpr

see page 1 or 2 of this thread.   

[The Rock]

I was just my old self, did not send a very nice email So would rather not even post it here
Might post his reply. If he ever would reply to it?

that is exactly what we dont need right now! 

[Jman]

Hoekom maak hulle nie eerder 'n baan vir motorfietse nie, as die aantal aan die toeneem is.

Ja, dan ry in Govin Mbeki af, 1 baan vir busse , 1 baan vir mororfietse en een baan vir die taxi's om in te ry en stop soos hulle wil. Karre, ag te hel met hulle, los die goed by die huis, hulle is in elk geval net in die pad.

Of stel jy voor ons gaan nog 3 jaar deur pad verleggings sodat die paaie kan weier gemaak word en dan strike ons as hulle wil tol vra vir nog so 3 jaar. 

Nee bliksem, it'll be easier just to lane split

[Yami Super 10]

I was just my old self, did not send a very nice email So would rather not even post it here
Might post his reply. If he ever would reply to it?

that is exactly what we dont need right now! 

 

[Frog]

This is just a publicity stunt.  I cant see that Capetown will have a different set of rules for traffic than the rest of
the country.
There is a national traffic law in place, it is not too shabby.....

I might be mistaken but is it not only in the Cape that they can confiscate your cell phone if you are caught using it while driving. As far as I know this law does not apply elsewhere, you just receive a fine?

[lecap]

...they can confiscate your cell phone if you are caught using it while driving...

Does not seem to make any difference. IMHO they should rather confiscate the CAR for a day (and of course charge you for impounding & you have to collect in Stikland). They can keep the phone to call a taxi
Maybe that yould get all those twats off their pohnes

[lonerider]

hijack

It's been suggested elsewhere that one just holds the offender at the roadside for a period of time - an hour  maybe... I like this idea...! A fine can be quashed or ignored, time is gone.

/hijack

I like that Mr Carlisle is showing an open mind. Constructive emails showing the benefits of lane-splitting, requesting better training, increasing awareness, allowing increased visibility measures (like orange headlight filters) will achieve far more in bringing  the law onto our side than acting like combative biker-gang members will.

[TheBear]

This is just a publicity stunt.  I cant see that Capetown will have a different set of rules for traffic than the rest of
the country.
There is a national traffic law in place, it is not too shabby.....

I might be mistaken but is it not only in the Cape that they can confiscate your cell phone if you are caught using it while driving. As far as I know this law does not apply elsewhere, you just receive a fine?

Correct. 

[TheBear]

/hijack

I like that Mr Carlisle is showing an open mind. Constructive emails showing the benefits of lane-splitting, requesting better training, increasing awareness, allowing increased visibility measures (like orange headlight filters) will achieve far more in bringing  the law onto our side than acting like combative biker-gang members will.

Very true.  Mr Carlisle is quite prepared to listen and discuss.  In fact, he is probably the only MC who contacts organisations like Think Bike, etc. to get their opinion on issues.

[Soundboi]

...they can confiscate your cell phone if you are caught using it while driving...

Does not seem to make any difference. IMHO they should rather confiscate the CAR for a day (and of course charge you for impounding & you have to collect in Stikland). They can keep the phone to call a taxi
Maybe that yould get all those twats off their pohnes

[TheBear]

...they can confiscate your cell phone if you are caught using it while driving...

Does not seem to make any difference. IMHO they should rather confiscate the CAR for a day (and of course charge you for impounding & you have to collect in Stikland). They can keep the phone to call a taxi
Maybe that yould get all those twats off their pohnes

The dude in charge in Johannesburg has been doing something similar for the last year or so.  For certain moving violations, you get arrested and held in the local jail cell for a few hours, after which bail is granted and you then appear in court two days later.  Basically, your folly, sets you back the fine and two days of you rlife.

[buzzlightyear]

My mail:

Good day Mr Carlisle,

I've corresponded with you before on the issue of motorcycles riding reckless and often without numberplates through Franschhoek Pass over weekends.  I read in the media that you are considering banning motorcycles from lane splitting due to the high increase in motorcycle accident fatalities.

According to http://www.iol.co.za/motoring/bikes-quads-karts/lane-splitting-ban-for-bikes-mooted-1.1471930 the figure in 2008 was 63, and in 2012 it was 84. This is a 33% increase over the four years, do you have any figures available in terms of the number of licensed motorcycles for 2008 vs 2012? I would hazard a guess that the number of motorcycles has also increased over this period, which would make the increase in fatalities almost a given, if we accept that less experienced or new riders would have taken to the streets?

Do you have data available to indicate where and during which times these fatalities took place? I've been commuting on the N1 towards town for 6+ years, having covered about 75000+ km doing so, accident free. I have seen one or two accidents during my commute, but have never seen a fatality, so I have to question the ban on lane-splitting based on my experience. I have found that a courteous 'Thank you!' wave afterwards does a lot for me with regards to people making space for me to safely pass. Hell even the taxis on the N2 between the M5 and the M3 on my daily commute move over!

I would be very hesitant to queue in-between the cars on the way to work for the simple reason that cars are bigger and people know that I as a motorcyclist will take evasive action so there will inevitably be car drivers that will just push into our lanes taking scant regard for our safety. This creates the possibility for more confrontation and injury as opposed to less, in my opinion.

Whilst I applaud your endeavour to make the roads safer, it also has to be done in a manner that does not add more traffic to the roads by preventing motorcycles from moving through traffic. I also think trying to police lane-splitting is a waste of resources when there are other offences like people talking on cellphones (STILL see that daily on the N1), unroadworthy vehicles, illegal yellow-lane overtaking by taxis, etc that have far bigger potential to cause accidents and bigger ones too.

Maybe some rider training days for novices can be done in conjunction with ThinkBike or the traffic department to teach safe riding skills? Training could also be done at schools, since a lot of learners also ride scooters and small bikes.

We as motorcyclists are very aware that a great deal of our safety lies in defensive riding, so we tend to ride accordingly. As they say: 'There are old bikers and bold bikers, but not old, bold bikers'.

Best Regards,

Response from RC:

In haste. Bike ownership growing at 5% pa; bike fatalities at 10% pa. We have a problem, and it is fairly global.
Have had wonderful mature feedback from the biker community, with some noted exceptions.
Will get back to you with district breakdowns – please nah if you don’t hear.
 
Regards

Guys please keep the comments to RC constructive and mature, I believe it will go a LONG way in how this pans out.

 

[Hanno @ Mad Macs]

Seems I need to revise my original assesment of this guy.

Looks like he is prepared to listen. Will keep my eyes on this issue.

By the way - thumbs up to all the guys who sent him mature emails.

[jagter]

Seems I need to revise my original assesment of this guy.

Looks like he is prepared to listen. Will keep my eyes on this issue.

By the way - thumbs up to all the guys who sent him mature emails.

Agreed.  I was about to send some seriously dodgy mails to the guy when I found this thread.  As usual, a mature approach seems to work a bit better.

[Jacobsroodt]

Seems I need to revise my original assesment of this guy.

Looks like he is prepared to listen. Will keep my eyes on this issue.

By the way - thumbs up to all the guys who sent him mature emails.

Het jy nog al jou duime, Hando?

[Eisbein]

Also got a response:

Thanks,
I have just been studying the California guidelines for Lane splitting which, if applied here, would already constitute a major leap forward.
I am getting some really good stuff from the motorcyclists – and thanks for yours.
 
Regards
R


At least he seems to have an open mind about this. 

This is good to hear.

[Eisbein]

an extract of my long email to him:

It seems in SA you can still go write a Learners licence and without ANY training – buy and get onto 2-wheels..... THIS IS SHOCKING indeed and you might as well hand new riders a loaded firearm!
 
.............. one of the projects we’re hoping to get off the ground – is the CBT-type certification here in SA. School-based training would also be an option so that youngsters – our future motorcycle and car users – receive proactive training before being allowed on our roads. We feel that with correct training and road-sense the future road users might have better understanding and respect for other road users and hopefully help decrease accidents and fatalities.


his response:

Hi Peter,
I am discovering that the motor bike community is indeed remarkable.
I have been getting the most useful feedback from various people, including yours.
Love the idea of school-based training.


 

Awesome !

I will even help with volunteering for this if need be.

[Eisbein]

How are they gonna catch you?

A traffic cop flashed his lights at me while lane splitting down Kragga kamma rd. the problem is he could not chase me he was stuck in traffic

I wouldn't suggest you try that with one of the guys on their ST1300's here.

[Buddy]

I still think a Mass Ride on the N1 starting at 7.00am in Paarl going to Cape Town will demonstrate the folly of making lane splitting illegal.

[Eisbein]

I still think a Mass Ride on the N1 starting at 7.00am in Paarl going to Cape Town will demonstrate the folly of making lane splitting illegal.

Me too, but that can be considered after the law was made official.
At this stage he is still exploring avenues and possibilities - and by the looks of things he is open to suggestions regarding options that makes sense.

I get the feeling he wants to find a solution that makes it safer for bikers and it doesn't necessarily have to involve banning lane splitting.