Restrictions on motorcycle use on freeways

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The concept of a freeway (a public way intended primarily for high speed travel over long distances) has resulted in a set of highways with engineering features such as long sight distances, wide marked lanes and the absence of cross traffic. These features provide faster and safer travel for all users.

Most freeways in most countries and areas in the world allow motorcycles with sufficient speeds or powers so they are not so slow as to impede other traffic or cause hazards due to speed differentials. However, freeways in a few countries and areas have additional restrictions upon motorcycles such as access restrictions, carriage of passengers, and different speed limits, frequently due to perceived safety concerns.

1 Access and passenger restrictions
2 Speed restrictions
3 References
4 See also

[edit] Access and passenger restrictions

Freeways in certain countries and areas in and around East Asia impose access restrictions on motorcycles that are not widely applied elsewhere, ranging from prohibiting motorcycles with passengers to prohibiting motorcycles altogether. Certain opponents of these motorcycle restrictions argue that slower surface roads with intersections are probably more dangerous for motorcycles and their passengers.

[edit] Mainland China

In Mainland China, two-wheel motorcycles driven on the freeways may not carry passengers. A vehicle must be capable of maintaining 70 km/h to be driven on the freeways.<ref>Article 67 of the Road Traffic Safety Law of the People's Republic of China</ref>

Macao has no freeways. See also #Hong Kong and #Taiwan for separate information.

[edit] Hong Kong

In Hong Kong, a motorcycle with a cylinder capacity of less than 125 cm³ must not be driven on an expressway.<ref>Hong Kong Road Users' Code: Chapter 7 For Motor Cycles</ref> Unlike Mainland China, Hong Kong does not prohibit motorcycles from carrying passengers on expressways.

[edit] Japan

In Japan, a motorcycle must have an engine displacement of more than 125 cubic centimeters to be driven on the freeways. Two-wheel motorcycles were not allowed to carry passengers on the freeways, but a legal amendment on 1 April 2005 has partially lifted the ban. A person aged at least 20 with a motorcycle driver license for at least 3 years may now carry a passenger on a two-wheel motorcycle on a freeway, but some segments of the Shuto Expressway still prohibits passengers on two-wheel motorcycles. A motorcycle with a sidecar may carry a passenger on the freeways.

[edit] Philippines and South Korea

In Philippines, motorcycles have been banned from freeways. Many motorcycles there have fought against this kind of ban while surface roads may be more dangerous. <ref>The History of the Ban on Motorcycles Using the Tollways</ref> <ref>American Motorcycle Network: Philippines Motorcyclist Protest Ban on Motorcycles</ref> Motorcycles have also been banned from freeways in South Korea.<ref>Motorcycle Philippines: The Proposed New Rules sent to TRB</ref>

[edit] Taiwan

In Taiwan administered by the Republic of China, the governmental agencies in charge of the traffic control of the freeways (高速公路) and expressways (快速公路) are the Ministry of Transportations and Communications (交通部) and the Ministry of the Interior (内政部) pursuant to Article 33 of the Act Governing the Punishment of Violation of Road traffic Regulations (zh:道路交通管理處罰條例).

Motorcycles, unless used for certain police purposes or emergency tunnel duties, are prohibited from the freeways due to some perceived safety concerns<ref>Taiwan Area National Freeway Bureau (in Chinese)</ref> (with counter arguments by opponents in parentheses below):

Taiwanese freeways have no room for motorcycle lanes. Sharing any lanes with cars and large vehicles would be very dangerous. (Vehicles traveling at the same speed would not collide.)
Motorcycles are much less protected than cars, so any accident would be much worse, especially when frequent interchanges with complex traffic flows would increase the dangers to motorcycles. (As most traffic accidents and crashes occur in intersections, surface roads tend to be even more dangerous for motorcycles despite common slower speeds.)
Taiwanese motorcyclists may not be patient, so should they squeeze between other vehicles, dangers would arise and traffic flow would be disturbed. (Proper safety edication for all should reduce the problems.)
The freeway traffic volume is over capacity and needs better management to relieve traffic. Allowing motorcycles would worsen traffic. (Solo car drivers switching to motorcycles should reduce traffic congestion.)

There is currently no plan to allow motorcycles on freeways despite controversies. However, Article 19 of the Freeway and Expressway Traffic Control Regulation (zh:高速公路及快速公路交通管制規則) effective on July 1, 2006 makes it officially possible to allow a motorcycle with a cylinder capacity of more than 250 cm³ or with an electric power of more than 40 horsepowers on certain expressways. See Highway System in Taiwan#Expressways for more information.

[edit] Speed restrictions

Due to perceived safety concerns, freeways in certain countries and areas impose lower speed limits upon motorcycles than cars:

Bulgaria: 100 km/h (unlike 130 km/h for cars)
Mainland China: 80 km/h (unlike 120 km/h for cars)
Greece: 90 km/h (unlike 120 km/h for cars)
Japan: Previously, motorcycles were limited to 80 km/h unlike 100 km/h for cars, but since 2000, the speed limit upon motorcycles have been raised to 100 km/h.