Icemann
Race Dog
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Bikers ride a fine line in SA
By Jess Green (ASSHOLE)
Friday, October 5, 2012 Share on facebook_likeTweet
Is lane splitting illegal? Biker training manuals say yes, the law says no.
You see them every day, even on rainy days. They cut through the traffic like a blunt knife, often with emergency lights flashing, as if they are above the law. Stickers shout out: “Ride to race!” or “Own the road”. Get in the way, and you’re sure to have a helmet-turning, exorbitantly loud and unnecessary revving session right next to your driver’s door.
The bikers of South Africa are not too different to their international counterparts; bikers in other countries all take chances. The unique feature we have in our country is the attitude. While car drivers are bad enough, motorcyclists literally treat roads as if they own them.
I used to think motorbikes were fantastic. Lightweight, using less fuel while more efficiently burning it. Add your girl on the pillion, and you have a mobile lifestyle. But then the other factors came into play: extreme noise and utter danger. My own time on a bike was never going to last.
The main transgression is “stripe riding”, meaning driving down the centre divider line between lanes. The funny thing is, according to the law, this obviously dangerous practice is perfectly legal. Apparently there is an unwritten law that motorbikes should stick to within 20km/h higher than the speed the cars around them are going. Even if this was adhered to, it is still very dangerous and causes countless accidents.
A few conversations with friends recently brought me to a standstill. One of them gleefully remembers how he would pass cars at 180km/h, once knocking off someone’s side mirror with his elbow as he passed. A Canadian friend of mine laughs on the other side of her face: “The police would eat those stripe riders up in no time.” This biker I found on the Internet gives tragic and illegal advice to bikers on how to ride.
So why is it legal in South Africa? According to RoadSafety.co.za, the New K53 Manual clearly states that it is not right to do it. And what is the source of this horrible biker attitude? Are there solutions other than changing laws or increasing police presence? Attempts to notify bike riders of their breaking the law has always resulted in them giving me the finger. Once again, the attitude…
I suppose I should say that not all bikers are like this, but I just can’t. Even the ubiquitous poegie (scooter) tries its luck, driving on highways on a 40cc motor, winding in between cars and next to them in peak traffic. Perhaps there is something about being on a bike that gives one a feeling that others don’t matter.
Think Bike, a South African organization and initiative to protect bicyclists and bikers alike, has also got it wrong. Cyclists? Sure, they need protection. Bikers, on the other hand, do not, especially those who treat laws and driving etiquette like a urinal. Think Bike is protecting them while they break the law. Meanwhile, ER24 wrote an article recently in a much more professional manner, here.
Can we make a special lane for bikers? No. Can we change all cars and bikes so that they can only ride at 120km/h? No. Can we easily change the law? No. But we can change our attitude.
Bikers, your move.
(Visited 3,220 times)
Jess Green
Jesse Green is a web and mobile consultant, entrepreneur, investor and mentor; he speaks at tech conferences, and writes for business and technology media. He has founded, run and sold numerous online eCommerce websites, most notably UbuntuDeal.co.za, which he sold to bidorbuy.co.za (a Tiger Global company) in 2011. He has recently founded Perk, a mobile retail loyalty application. Having being born in South Africa, Jesse has lived and worked in Germany and Russia, now operating between Cape Town and Moscow. Catch him on Twitter: www.twitter.com/jessello
By Jess Green (ASSHOLE)
Friday, October 5, 2012 Share on facebook_likeTweet
Is lane splitting illegal? Biker training manuals say yes, the law says no.
You see them every day, even on rainy days. They cut through the traffic like a blunt knife, often with emergency lights flashing, as if they are above the law. Stickers shout out: “Ride to race!” or “Own the road”. Get in the way, and you’re sure to have a helmet-turning, exorbitantly loud and unnecessary revving session right next to your driver’s door.
The bikers of South Africa are not too different to their international counterparts; bikers in other countries all take chances. The unique feature we have in our country is the attitude. While car drivers are bad enough, motorcyclists literally treat roads as if they own them.
I used to think motorbikes were fantastic. Lightweight, using less fuel while more efficiently burning it. Add your girl on the pillion, and you have a mobile lifestyle. But then the other factors came into play: extreme noise and utter danger. My own time on a bike was never going to last.
The main transgression is “stripe riding”, meaning driving down the centre divider line between lanes. The funny thing is, according to the law, this obviously dangerous practice is perfectly legal. Apparently there is an unwritten law that motorbikes should stick to within 20km/h higher than the speed the cars around them are going. Even if this was adhered to, it is still very dangerous and causes countless accidents.
A few conversations with friends recently brought me to a standstill. One of them gleefully remembers how he would pass cars at 180km/h, once knocking off someone’s side mirror with his elbow as he passed. A Canadian friend of mine laughs on the other side of her face: “The police would eat those stripe riders up in no time.” This biker I found on the Internet gives tragic and illegal advice to bikers on how to ride.
So why is it legal in South Africa? According to RoadSafety.co.za, the New K53 Manual clearly states that it is not right to do it. And what is the source of this horrible biker attitude? Are there solutions other than changing laws or increasing police presence? Attempts to notify bike riders of their breaking the law has always resulted in them giving me the finger. Once again, the attitude…
I suppose I should say that not all bikers are like this, but I just can’t. Even the ubiquitous poegie (scooter) tries its luck, driving on highways on a 40cc motor, winding in between cars and next to them in peak traffic. Perhaps there is something about being on a bike that gives one a feeling that others don’t matter.
Think Bike, a South African organization and initiative to protect bicyclists and bikers alike, has also got it wrong. Cyclists? Sure, they need protection. Bikers, on the other hand, do not, especially those who treat laws and driving etiquette like a urinal. Think Bike is protecting them while they break the law. Meanwhile, ER24 wrote an article recently in a much more professional manner, here.
Can we make a special lane for bikers? No. Can we change all cars and bikes so that they can only ride at 120km/h? No. Can we easily change the law? No. But we can change our attitude.
Bikers, your move.
(Visited 3,220 times)
Jess Green
Jesse Green is a web and mobile consultant, entrepreneur, investor and mentor; he speaks at tech conferences, and writes for business and technology media. He has founded, run and sold numerous online eCommerce websites, most notably UbuntuDeal.co.za, which he sold to bidorbuy.co.za (a Tiger Global company) in 2011. He has recently founded Perk, a mobile retail loyalty application. Having being born in South Africa, Jesse has lived and worked in Germany and Russia, now operating between Cape Town and Moscow. Catch him on Twitter: www.twitter.com/jessello
