Motorcycles take pole position in sales race

By JAMES WONG

Motorcyclists are often seen making their way to the front of a line of traffic. Up until now it’s been illegal. But new motorcycle lane filtering laws that came into effect yesterday will change that.

And given the rising popularity of motorcycles, the new policy should come as no surprise.

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Motorcycles have shown the largest popularity growth of any vehicle in the last five years, according to a recent study by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. 

Motorcycles edge out other vehicles, including passenger vehicles, such as SUVs, which have also shown significant sales growth over the past few years.

The 2015 Motor Vehicle Census details the number of registered motor vehicles in Australia and provides specific information including vehicle type, characteristics, year of manufacture and type of fuel used.

According to ABS spokesperson Amanda Clark, registrations of motorcycles have increased by “over 22 per cent” since 2010.

“There are now over 800,000 motorcycles on Australia’s roads,” Ms Clark said.

Registrations of motorcycles are the highest in New South Wales and Queensland, with 222,111 and 187,167 registrations respectively. 

However, Western Australia has the highest proportion of motorcycles per person at 49 per 1000 people. The Northern Territory has the lowest, at 29 motorcycles per 1000 people. 

Motorcycle owner Simon Galletta loves his bike for its affordability and portability.

“Buying a bike is much cheaper than a car,” he said. “Petrol was a fiver a week and you can park anywhere you want.”

However, Mr Galletta still prefers the comfort and safety of his car during the cooler months when Melbourne’s weather seesaws between cold and wet, as well the added dangers of dealing with other motorists.

“When you’re on a bike it’s a lot more dangerous,” he said. “Drivers just don’t look for you so you’re constantly on alert.

“And cruising on a bike down (the) Monash freeway in the rain and wind can get a little dicey.”

Editor of bikesales.com.au Mark Fattore believes motorcycles are now being purchased less as a “luxury” item and more because they are convenient and cheaper to run.

“Motorcycles were generally purchased as a ‘luxury’ item,” Mr Fattore said.

“The dynamics are changing, people are becoming more attracted to the sheer convenience of powered two-wheelers.”

Mr Fattore also thinks legal factors such as the new lane-filtering legislation in Victoria are  contributing  to the market’s growth.

Lane filtering refers to when motorcycles are allowed to ride between slow-moving vehicles and move towards the head of the traffic.

Under the new Victorian legislation motorcyclists are permitted to ride between lanes of traffic at speeds of up to 30km/h, including when at intersections.

In addition to the major growth in motorcycle registrations, the ABS also found that the registration of diesel cars has had significant growth in the past five years. 

The census found that 19.7 per cent of all registered motor vehicles in Australia have diesel engines, up from 13.8 per cent in 2010. 

While this may not seem like a huge jump, there are more than 18 million registered motor vehicles in Australia, including more than 16 million cars and light commercial vehicles.

Based on those numbers, that means that there are more than 3.5 million registered diesel vehicles in 2015, over one million more than five years ago.