Tag Archives: travel bans

Speed cameras back as travel bans eased

Queensland Police have reintroduced random speed cameras just in time for the eased pandemic travel restrictions from Saturday (2 May 2020).

Riders will only be allowed to travel within a 50km radius of their homes, not outside the state and only with one other rider or several if they are from your household.

When the lockdown started in early March, Queensland Police stopped using random speed cameras.

However, they will be back in force along with patrols to ensure motorists do not travel further than 50km from home. Otherwise, they face a fines of $1330.

Police released a video of speeding examples, including  a rider doing 161km/h in a 110km/h zone on the Pacific Highway at Pimpama on Monday (27 April 2020).

Other speeding motorist examples were:

  • 73km/h and 152km/h in 100km/h zone on Old Goombungee Road, Birnam (April 26);
  • 168km/h in 100km/h zone on the Bruce Highway between Barretts Road and Howard Heights Road, Cherwell (April 27); and
  • 153km/h in 70km/h zone Albert Street and Logan River Road, Bethania (April 27).

The police move to bring back speed cameras follows our recent article which showed traffic offences are understandably down as there are fewer vehicles on the road, but the lockdown is also creating lonely roads where motorists are hitting some ridiculous speeds.

It seems some riders and other motorists have been exploiting the lonely roads and lack of speed cameras, often with late-night and early morning high-speed runs.

Two 20-something motorcyclists riding at speeds up to 200km/h were charged following two separate pursuits with NSW Police in Sydney’s south west.

NSW Police say that during the lockdown there has been a 40% increase in high-range speeding offences over 30km/h and 45km/h compared with the same period last year.

Queensland Police gave us three other examples of high-speed riders who recently copped high-range speeding offences costing $1245 and eight demerit points:

  • On April 1 around 4.14pm a 31-year-old man riding a Harley Davidson was allegedly detected travelling 194km/h in 100 zone on Logan Motorway at Larapinta;
  • On April 2 around 10am a 37-year-old man on a Yamaha motorcycle was allegedly detected travelling 126km/h in a 60 zone on to Logan Motorway onramp at Drewvale; and
  • On April 6 around 10.30am a 61-year-old man on a Honda was detected travelling 102km/h in a 60 zone on Tamborine Oxenford Road at Wongawallen.

Rules eased

restrictionsGoogle Maps shows how far Ipswich riders can go.

This weekend, Queensland restrictions will be eased allowing riders to travel 50km from their home for recreation.

It is among several eased measures that will be used as a test to see if the public can exercise some restraint and control.

Authorities say they will penalise flagrant abuses.

Keep Calm Key Tag

They may also penalise the rest of the community by tightening restrictions again if too many people flout the rules as we saw last week when Sydney opened beaches only to close them again after they became overcrowded.

Meanwhile, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says riding a motorcycle is exercise and therefore legal.

She says NSW Police have not booked anybody for riding a motorbike, “because that is akin to riding an exercise bike”.

However, NSW Police have further interpreted the rules to say people can leave their house for “brief exercise in your own neighbourhood”.

But you can ride to visit a “partner” with whom you don’t live.

So it’s not a free-for-all under the pretence of exercise.

Gladys’s claim that police have not fined riders is also not entirely correct.

On 9 April 2020, a motorcyclist was stopped by police on Oxford Street, Gateshead.

Officers spoke with the 36-year-old man, who allegedly provided “multiple conflicting reasons for not being home before stating he was on his way to help a friend fix a bike”.

The officers deemed his reasons for travel as non-essential and issued the man with a $1000 fine.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Commuting during coronavirus pandemic

Commuting to work is one legitimate way to ride and avoid the pandemic lockdown and travel bans, yet some riders are either scared for their safety or find it inconvenient.

Motorcycle commuting is not only fun and challenging, but also handy for parking, faster than cars because of lane filtering and more convenient than public transport.

Commuting safetylane filter filtering splitting traffic commute commuting congestion Brisbane

However, many riders find the biggest drawback is safety.

Commuting traffic is fraught with danger from inattentive motorists on the phone, eating breakfast, getting dressed, putting on lipstick, reading the paper, changing channels on the radio or Spotify … anything but paying attention to riders.

Peak hour radio traffic reports frequently include motorcycle crashes involving cars, buses and trucks.

Riders can be understandably concerned.

So here are five safety tips for riding in heavy traffic:

  1. Ride as if you can’t be seen. Move around in your lane, try to stay out of blind spots, blow the horn or blip your throttle to alert drivers and wear something bright.
  2. Look at indicators and drivers for their intention to suddenly change lanes. They don’t always indicate, but you can sometimes see them move the steering wheel or their head as if they are about to swap lanes.
  3. Filter to the front of traffic at the lights, stay in gear with the clutch in and plan your exit route in case you hear screeching tyres behind you!
  4. Avoid filtering next to or around trucks and buses as they have limited visibility of small riders.
  5. Practise slow and balanced riding in a deserted carpark at the weekend, slipping the clutch, using the rear brake, keeping your head up and your eyes forward.

Inconvenient truth

Henty Wingman Backpack for commutersBuy a Henty commuter backpack now!

Even those who are confident in traffic may find commuting inconvenient because of the weather or because they have to wear a suit, well-ironed dress or carry a laptop and other gear.

So here are five tips to get around motorcycle commuting inconveniences:

  1. Fit panniers, top box and/or tank/tail bag to carry a change of clothes and gear such as a laptop;
  2. If not, then invest in a really strong but lightweight backpack (some even fold out like a suit carrier);
  3. If you are lucky enough to be able to shower at work, leave a towel and a couple of changes of clothes at work;
  4. Invest in high-quality airflow gear and carry a change of clothes;
  5. Invest in a high quality rain suit or separate waterproof jacket and pants that overlap.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Virus travel bans hit motorsports

Travel bans are set to throw international motorsport such as MotoGP, World Superbkes and the Isle of Man TT into disarray this year.

In a rapidly changing world of travel bans, the first round of the MotoGP at Losail, Qatar, this weekend was cancelled yesterday (2 March 2020).

Then Thailand announced it had postponed the second round, but only hours later cancelled the whole event.

The decisions follow the postponement of the 2020 Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix.

Meanwhile, the Moto2 and Moto3 races this weekend in Qatar will still go ahead as the riders were already in the country for testing.

One of the main reasons for the cancellation is that so many riders come from Italy where the contagion has spread rapidly, even causing Vespa and Ducati museums to close.

Ducati museum on Google MapsDucati museum

Travel bans

Qatar has now enforced a two-week quarantine on direct flights from Italy.

That should also affect the World Superikes which is due to be staged there next weekend (13-15 March 2020).

However, there is no announcement yet about that event.

How far the MotoGP and World Superbikes schedule will be affected is anyone’s guess.

The North and South American MotoGP rounds in April may go aead because they do not have travel bans … yet.

But then the MotoGP and WSBK return to Europe where talk of travel bans is growing.

Even the Isle of Man has issued a statement about its TT events from 30 May to 12 June.

Isle of Mann TT Superstock sart travel bansIsle of Mann TT

“The Isle of Man Government is carefully monitoring the Island’s position regarding COVID-19 (Coronavirus) with a cross-government working group established to regularly review the changing situation,” organisers say.

“While the threat to the public in the Isle of Man remains low, a number of future contingency scenarios are being considered. This is usual practice and is in line with the WHO advice for preparations in case of a pandemic.

“The risk is low and preparations for this year’s TT remain on schedule. Work will continue as usual in order to ensure another successful TT. 

“The Organisers, in partnership with the Department for Enterprise and the Isle of Man Government and in line with experts in the UK, will continue to monitor the situation.”

If we’re stuck at home with this virus there won’t even be anything decent to watch on TV!

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com