The verdict is set in stone. The Ministry of Transport has decided that filtering between lanes of traffic is a prohibited practice.
"Riding between traffic lanes is a grey area in legal terms" explained Catherine Herviou,legal co-ordinator for the French Motorcycle Federation, "so the police are now interpreting certain traffic rules in order to stamp out the practice. On trunk roads and motorways,filtering has recently been classified as undertaking, which attracts a 135 euro fine, three penalty points and a possible ban of up to three years. It is clear that filtering urgently needs to be given a proper legal status"
Filtering has always been tolerated by french motorists, albeit subject to sporadic law enforcement. In June, the CRS nicked over 60 riders who were filtering on the A4 motorway outside Paris. In response, around 400 local bikers staged a hour long demonstration at a nearby motorway toll booth, holding up the barriers and handing out protest information leaflets to 4.000 motorists who were then able to go through without paying.
The demo organisers explained "If filtering was made fully legal, it could be incorporated into driver/rider training. That way, drivers would take more notice of the presence of bikes and riders would learn to ride more carefully between traffic lanes.
Various propositions have been put forward, from riders who reckon that 50 km/h between lanes must be practical, to training schools who feel that any speed differential between bikes and cars should not exceed 20 km/h.
The transport ministry has received all of these propositions but prefers to preserve the current vague legal situation, an attitude which has satisfied no-one.
France is starting to become very much like Switzerland in respect with their driving laws. Once, France was a paradise for bikers (and cars), since the French only saw the law as a "guideline". That has now changed !! There's a new kid in town; the new Minister of Justice/Security; Nicholas Sarkozy, is TOUGH !!
If you are caught speeding, 30 kph over the posted speed limit, you automatically loose your license for 3 (THREE) years !! If you are caught doing 50 kph over the limit, you'll get 6 (SIX) months jail time. If you're caught a second time, you'll go to jail for 3 years !
And to enforce this, the police force is being equipped with 1,000's of laser radars. Where last year there where maybe 1,000 radars in all of France, now there will be 10,000's of them.
Biking rules are also being tightened up. Bikes are no longer allowed to lane split (lane filtering). They are also not allowed to park on the sidewalk. Noisy bikes will be specifically sought out and removed from circulation.
JohanGS schreef:Kpeis da ze hun motor toerisme wel wa zullen zien zakken
??? Als je als motortoerist de wegen rijdt waar ze daar files kunnen hebben dan kan je net zo goed in Belgie blijven hoor. Gewoon binnendoor rijden dan heb je nooit last van files.
J-P
http://www.moveonmotortrainingen.be" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
"I don't want to spend the rest of my life explaining myself.
You either get it or you don't." - Frank Zappa
Wel, eergisteren en deze avond door de files op de péripherique gesjeesd en niks abnormaal ondervonden. Iedereen doet het nog altijd 'vlotjes'. Man zeg, leve de moto!
Cis
