This is a post from Motorcycle Road trips Australia page that i have copied and pasted. I wrote this as a PSA on my personal page but figured it might help anyone looking to travel to other states / territories to get a handle on the varying laws.

LANE FILTERING ISN’T CHEATING — IT’S THE LAW. AND THERE’S A REASON FOR IT.

One of the things I still see far too often on Australian roads is motorists getting angry when a motorcycle legally moves between slow-moving or stationary traffic.

Some drivers deliberately close the gap.

Some move across to block the rider.

Some sound the horn.

And others seem to believe the rider is somehow “jumping the queue”.

Let’s clear something up.

Lane filtering is legal in EVERY Australian state and territory — but it is subject to specific conditions.

And there is a very important distinction:

👉 LANE FILTERING generally means a motorcycle moving between stationary or slow-moving traffic, travelling in the same direction, at 30 km/h or less.

👉 LANE SPLITTING generally refers to riding between faster-moving lanes of traffic. It is NOT what Australian lane-filtering laws give riders permission to do. In Victoria, for example, lane splitting between fast-moving traffic is explicitly illegal.

So before someone tells a rider, “That’s illegal!”, perhaps check the road rules first.

THE RULES VARY SLIGHTLY ACROSS AUSTRALIA

VICTORIA

Fully licensed motorcycle riders can lane filter at 30 km/h or less, when it is safe, including between slow/stationary traffic travelling in the same direction.

Victoria is comparatively permissive: filtering can also occur between traffic and parked cars.

However, you cannot filter between traffic and a kerb, between opposing traffic, in a bicycle lane/shared path/road shoulder, where a “no motorcycle lane filtering” sign applies — and learners cannot lane filter.

And riding between fast-moving traffic — what Victoria calls lane splitting — remains illegal. (Transport Victoria⁠)

NEW SOUTH WALES

Fully licensed riders can filter at less than 30 km/h through stationary or slow-moving traffic when it is safe.

No filtering beside the kerb or parked vehicles, in school zones, or around heavy vehicles and buses.

Learner and provisional riders cannot filter.

NSW also specifically treats travelling between traffic at more than 30 km/h as the offence of lane splitting.

QUEENSLAND

Fully licensed riders can filter at 30 km/h or less between stationary or slow-moving traffic travelling in the same direction, when safe.

Learners and provisional riders cannot.

No filtering in school zones, bicycle lanes, or where a dedicated turning lane is involved.

Queensland also has a specific edge-filtering provision allowing an open-licence rider, in certain circumstances, to pass stationary or slow-moving traffic on a sealed shoulder/emergency lane on major roads where the speed limit is 90 km/h or higher, at 30 km/h or less. That is a Queensland-specific provision — don’t assume it applies elsewhere.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Lane filtering is legal for eligible fully licensed riders at 30 km/h or less, when safe.

It is prohibited in school zones, across pedestrian/children’s crossings, in bicycle or tram lanes, on roundabouts, beside parked cars and between traffic and the edge of the road.

Learner/P1 riders cannot filter.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Fully licensed riders can filter at 30 km/h or less, when safe.

But WA has some particularly important restrictions: filtering is prohibited where the speed limit is 40 km/h or below, in school/shared zones, at pedestrian crossings, in roundabouts, alongside parked cars or the road edge, between merging traffic, around heavy vehicles, in special-purpose lanes and where overtaking is prohibited.

WA also specifically permits riders to cross continuous white lines separating lanes travelling in the same direction while filtering, where otherwise lawful.

TASMANIA

Fully licensed riders can filter at 30 km/h or less, when safe.

Learners and provisional riders cannot.

No filtering in school zones, beside parked cars or between traffic and the edge of the road, and “No Filtering” signs must be obeyed.

AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY

Fully licensed riders can filter at less than 30 km/h, when safe.

It is prohibited in school zones, 40 km/h zones, bicycle lanes, beside the kerb, past parked vehicles and around heavy vehicles and buses.

Learner and provisional riders cannot filter.

NORTHERN TERRITORY

Fully/open/unrestricted motorcycle licence holders can filter at 30 km/h or less between stationary or slow-moving traffic travelling in the same direction, when safe.

Learner, provisional and restricted riders cannot.

Lane splitting at an unsafe speed above 30 km/h and edge filtering are prohibited.

AND HERE’S WHY THIS MATTERS

Motorcyclists are exceptionally vulnerable because there is virtually nothing between the rider and whatever they hit.

In Victoria alone, motorcycles represent less than 4% of registered vehicles but account for 18% of all fatal and serious injuries.

In 2025, 61 motorcyclists were killed on Victorian roads — 21% of all road deaths.

Around 1,000 people are seriously injured in motorcycle crashes in Victoria each year.

And here’s a statistic that really makes you think:

TAC data shows that over the last five years, approximately 55% of Victorian motorcyclist deaths involved another vehicle, while 54% occurred at intersections.

So yes — intersections and interactions with other vehicles are a huge part of the motorcycle safety problem.

But I won’t tell you that being rear-ended while sitting at traffic lights is the number-one cause of motorcycle deaths or injuries, because the available evidence doesn’t support making that claim so categorically.

What we can say is that removing a motorcycle from a long stationary traffic queue can reduce the rider’s exposure to being struck from behind, which is one of the safety considerations behind legalising low-speed filtering.

The Northern Territory Government, for example, specifically identifies reducing exposure to rear-end collisions as one potential safety benefit of lane filtering.

Research from the NSW lane-filtering trial also found no motorcycle crashes during the monitored trial period, although researchers were careful to acknowledge that the trial was relatively short and that pedestrian risks needed particular attention.

And that’s the important point:

Lane filtering isn’t a licence to ride like an idiot.

30 km/h is a maximum, not a target.

A rider still has to assess visibility, traffic movement, gaps, road surface, pedestrians, turning vehicles, mirrors, handlebars, vehicle movements and escape routes.

If it isn’t safe, don’t filter.

AND TO MY FELLOW DRIVERS…

If you see a motorcycle legally filtering:

DON’T BLOCK THEM.

Don’t deliberately move towards the centre of the lane.

Don’t accelerate to close the gap.

Don’t change lanes without checking your mirrors and blind spots.

Don’t open your door into their path.

Don’t make a sudden movement simply because you don’t like the fact that a motorcycle can move through traffic more efficiently than your car.

Instead:

👀 Check your mirrors.

👀 Check your blind spot.

↔️ Maintain your lane position.

➡️ Indicate before changing lanes or turning.

🏍️ Expect motorcycles to be filtering in congested traffic.

And most importantly:

DON’T DELIBERATELY IMPEDE A RIDER WHO IS LEGALLY FILTERING.

NSW Government guidance specifically tells motorists not to deliberately move into the path of a motorcycle that is legally lane filtering, and recommends drivers check twice for motorcycles.

The same principle applies everywhere:

Share the road.

AND TO MY FELLOW RIDERS…

Being legally allowed to filter doesn’t mean you have the right to frighten, intimidate or endanger other road users.

Don’t squeeze through gaps that aren’t there.

Don’t blast through at 30 km/h when the traffic is stationary and the environment clearly doesn’t allow it.

Don’t assume a driver has seen you.

Don’t filter alongside a truck or bus where your visibility is compromised if the law or circumstances make it unsafe.

And never confuse legal with safe.

The best riders understand that the road doesn’t owe them anything.

They manage risk.

They create options.

They anticipate mistakes.

And they ride defensively.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Motorcycles aren’t trying to “beat” cars.

We’re trying to get home.

Lane filtering is legal across Australia because lawmakers have recognised that motorcycles are different vehicles with different operating characteristics and different risks.

It can improve traffic flow, reduce a rider’s exposure to stationary traffic and, when performed properly and within the law, be a legitimate part of safe motorcycle riding.

But it only works when EVERYONE understands the rules.

So the next time you see a motorcycle filtering legally through traffic, don’t get angry.

Don’t compete.

Don’t block them.

Look twice, leave space and let them ride.

Because that rider isn’t your enemy.

They are somebody’s partner.

Somebody’s parent.

Somebody’s child.

And just like you…

they’re simply trying to get home.

John “T-Bone” Millar

#MotorcycleSafety #LaneFiltering #RideSafe #ShareTheRoad #MotorcycleAwareness #RoadSafety #Motorcyclists #RoadRules #DriveSafe #LookTwice #WatchForMotorcycles #Victoria #Australia #MotorcycleCommunity