Motorbikes / Expressways

[TB-Racing]

G'Day,

Lets start a new thread about motorbikes on expressways to keep the info handy for future reference.

Went to two police stations in Qingpu district this morning with a printed version of the PDF file: http://www.hdezero.com/China_Law_Motorcycle_related.pdf in hand.
Officers at both police stations told us the document might be photoshopped and they are not aware motorcycles being allowed on expressways, either they are not aware of the law - don't want to admit that motorbikes are allowed on expressways or the PDF document is a fake = TIC.
The reason we choose to visit two random police stations in Qingpu district is that quite a few expressways run through the district. To be continued.......

My earlier post on the topic about the drama trying to get onto the expressway in Shanghai:

Took the ETC unit (Electronic Toll Colletction = ETC) out of one of the cars, stuck it into the top jacket pocket and rolled up slow and polite to the gate at the HuQingPing highway entry to the G15 (direction: Ningbo / Huzhou).
Handed over the ETC card as with a car to gain access to the expressway, only blank stares and a red button mounted on the table was pushed, within a few moments three attendants were over next to me and telling me loudly with hand signals that bikes are not allowed to enter the expressway (G15). Showed them the ETC card and the blue ETC unit but they would refuse expressway entry, pointed several times to my fully legal Shanghai "A" license plate, still no go... gave up after 15 minutes.

Will print out the PDF file the French speed-biker posted here and will try again showing the the English / Chinese translation.
Might bring one of our drivers with me to videotape the whole scenario.

Side-note: I know a few expressway entries with auto ETC recognition and shall try that approach with the ETC unit in the top jacket pocket as well in the next few weeks.

[998S]

I bet that at the end, you will find that it is still forbidden.
Either by Country law, by local law, by the law of the road operator, or by the law of the local police man stopping you.

Here in Taiwan, we went through the same, although on a smaller scale.
First, large displacement motorbikes were completely forbidden till the end of the 1990's.
Then, they were allowed to ride, but with rstrictions.
Even today, more then 10 years after opening up, motorbikes are still banned from using the expressways.
There is an experient going on with a small part of a expressway in the middle of the country open for big bikes, but no results or further action are heard of for the last 2 years.

In an democracy with an independent juridical system, you could create a case, be fined, and fight it in court.
But even here no one challenged the ban, and I doubt the procedure will work in the Middle Kingdom ...

Just my 2 cents.

[TB-Racing]

I bet that at the end, you will find that it is still forbidden.

G'Day,

i am aware of that, just checking every angle and going to our new warehouse passing two police stations basically every day.

[Nuhaus]

I appreciate your efforts on this project Mr. TB. The expressways are the easiest way to get in and out of the city and it is ludicrous that bikes are not allowed on them. I would still would like to know what happened to Euphonius as he got into Shanghai from Beijing, that story still isn't finished.

I see bikes on the expressways around Shanghai every once in a while, and I have on occasion made use of them myself. That being said, I would not recommend them. Even the Chinese drivers on their Harleys and BMWs avoid them. The car drivers just don't know what to make of you. Being tailgated by a dork in a Hyundai is not an unfamiliar experience for me, but at expressway speeds it can get a little nerve wracking.

[TB-Racing]

.....expressways are the easiest way to get in and out of the city and it is ludicrous that bikes are not allowed on them....

G'Day,

To be fair and square, I am quite frequently using inter-province expressways with cars going to different cities for business and would hate to see inexperienced motorcyclist with 125cc bikes that are falling apart cruising along the expressways.
You know exactly the bikes i am talking about, only scotch-tape and some string holding them together......

.Even the Chinese drivers on their Harleys and BMWs avoid them.

Don't they just meet at Starbucks, UBC, Costa Coffee? Haven't seen any cofeeshops along expressways in China yet....

OK, some pics showing "no motorcycle" signs at entry ramps to elevated roads and expressways in Shanghai.

[Lao Jia Hou]

OK, some pics showing "no motorcycle" signs at entry ramps to elevated roads and expressways in Shanghai.

Hmmmm. It appears as though we can ride our tractors on 3 of those 4 expressways.

[chinabiker]

Went to two police stations in Qingpu district this morning with a printed version of the PDF file: http://www.hdezero.com/China_Law_Motorcycle_related.pdf in hand.
Officers at both police stations told us the document might be photoshopped and they are not aware motorcycles being allowed on expressways, either they are not aware of the law - don't want to admit that motorbikes are allowed on expressways or the PDF document is a fake = TIC.

That document does look dodgy indeed.

Here, what seems to be the original traffic law in Chinese and the official translation to English.

I haven't found anything specifically about banning bikes from expwys, but in an article about tractors it is mentioned that provincial and municipal governments may adopt driving bans and I am afraid bike bans are treated the same way.

It is fully understandable that nobody want's to have all those bikes carrying farmers and their tools, entire families riding the wrong way and all the other crappy two wheelers.
http://www.chinasmack.com/2012/pictu...-festival.html

A while ago some of the big bike manufacturers' reps tried to lobby the government to establish a big bike category with a different number plate and to treat them like cars. They failed, at least for the time being as they are only representing foreign interests and a very small group of people.
Traffic law in China is a big mess and it will stay like this for a while longer since they have 1.4 billion other problems to solve first


Have tried to enter an expressway with an extract of the traffic law (chapter 4, section 5) - no way

Entered and left expressways many times without being covered by law, mostly through gas or service stations. Been caught only once but not fined
http://www.mychinamoto.com/forums/sh...ull=1#post5067

[TB-Racing]

That document does look dodgy indeed.

G'Day,

Trying to dig deeper into this PDF document...... hopefully have an answer later this week.

"....in an article about tractors it is mentioned that provincial and municipal governments may adopt driving bans and I am afraid bike bans are treated the same way...."

Spot on, reckon thats the same in the greater Shanghai region as I have ridden big motorcycles on the expressways in Yunnan, Sichuan, Beijing, Shandong after a lot of talking to toll gate attendants and police officers.....

[ZMC888]

My understanding from taking my multiple choice test is that the motorcycles are allowed on expressways as long as they can go the minimum speed, so that dodgy document is correct. They are only banned as a form of local bylaw. Over five years ago I was stopped at a toll both on a G road, yes just a national road and nowhere even near a city! I was told motorcycles were banned from the next stretch of road. When they saw I was a Laowei I was then allowed to continue. This shows that they have the power to do whatever they like in local areas.

The real truth is more obvious, surely. Beijing has or wants to ban electric bikes. This is because everyone loves cars and even people who don't love them buy cars as it's seen as a patriotic duty to support the national economy and will gain face. When you are stuck in a car having a bad day the last thing you want to see is someone having fun or going cheaply around on an electric bike or worse a scooter or motorcycle. That's when you support a ban on them. Although you absolutely gain NOTHING from it as those motorcycle riders and electric bike riders are mainly forced into cars thus increasing the gridlock. But it makes you feel much more comfortable that everyone is in the 'same boat' and these annoying complex differences have been eradicated, one size fits all. I'm being cynical, but it's true. TIC.

[euphonius]

We've covered this before in earlier threads (which I'm too lazy to dig out). The national traffic law does not forbid motorcycles on expressways. The master list of questions for the motorcycle examination does refer to special restrictions: riding two-up is not allowed on the expressways and motorcycles are restricted to a maximum speed (which I think is 110kph). There is no national prohibition. But many provinces have local traditions that contravene the national law. I'm not sure where you'd find these written (except on the signs at expressway entrances) because I doubt that provinces have their own independent traffic laws (though I could be wrong on this).

That dodgy document appears to take its text from the national traffic law and/or the national drivers license examinations. You can buy these in any Xinhua book store.

But that does not mean the tolltaker or cop who has stopped you will relent when you whip out the law. Since when is China ruled by laws?

cheers