German gov't imposes speed limit on motorcycles only, riders protest

German riders took to the streets to protest

Pinoy riders are already complaining over a lot of matters. Many complain that many laws and ordinances are discriminatory to riders. However, we should be thankful they haven't gotten as bad as they are in Germany.

Just recently, thousands of German motorcycle riders flocked the streets to air their grievances against certain government policies that are only imposed on motorcycles.

Bundesstraße 500 speed limit

For example, the German government recently imposed a 50 km/h speed limit for motorcycles on the Bundesstraße 500 (B500), which is considered by many as one of the best riding destinations Europe has to offer. The Bundesstraße 500 is a German highway that traverses the heights of the famous Black Forest. It's a winding mountain road frequented by motorcycles. To understand their anguish, it's just like the current 50 km/h speed limit along Marilaque highway. Take note that this speed limit in Germany is only for motorcycles. There is no speed limit for four-wheeled vehicles.

According to the riders, the speed limit only puts the riders at a very high risk of being rear-ended by a faster, non-speed regulated vehicle. It also takes away the rider’s capacity to pull away from other vehicles that pose a potential threat.

Motorcycle ban

Aside from double-standard speed restrictions, riders are currently banned from Nordrhein-Westfalen’s L687. This is a nother scenic route and favorite ride for motorcyclists. Authorities have cited safety concerns while some moto activists see the ban as noise-reducing measures.

Harsher noise regulations

If that wasn't enough, some roads in Germany have even imposed an 80 dB noise regulation. Bear in mind that some stock motorcycle exhausts are tuned to 95dB. The national standard the LTO wants to impose during MVIC inspection is at 100 dB.

Failed negotations

To be fair, the German riders had sought to negotiate properly with authorities first. A coalition of German motorcycle clubs and alliances have called for “Upshifting – Dialog instead of Ban”, to hopefully make the government reconsider their motorcycle-only policies. However, it seems the local German government units are not budging on their rulings.

The situation has even caught the attention of the European Motorcyclists Federation (FEMA), with the organization calling for negotiations between riders, alliances, and local officials in 2020. However, recent protests indicate that those talks haven’t moved swiftly enough for German riders. The demonstrations won’t cease any time soon either. Organizers are already arranging a follow-up protest in August, 2021, and will enforce social-distancing measures and hold all events outdoors.

For now, while there seem like many regulations that appear to single out riders, they actually lump riders together with tricycles, active transport, and other smaller vehicles. And when speed limits are imposed, so far, they apply to all vehicles. Do you think it's just as bad here as Germany?