We're now 10 days into October as I write this. That also means we're 10 days into the term of a new speed limit on the ring road that goes around the city of Paris, France.
It's now limited to a top speed of 50 kilometers per hour, or about 30 miles per hour, according to a decision announced in September by Parisian mayor Anne Hidalgo.
What does that have to do with lane filtering by motorcyclists, you might wonder? Plenty, as it turns out because lane filtering in France is currently tolerated by authorities as long as several criteria are met.
One crucial point is that highways and dual carriageway roads where lane filtering is permissible must have a speed limit that is equal to or greater than 70 km/h.
I'm no mathematologist, but last I checked, 50 km/h is lower than 70 km/h. So, even if the law doesn't explicitly say that lane filtering is no longer allowed, this little math problem has effectively done the deed. Riders in the country aren't happy about it, and well-known former racer and motorcycle safety instructor Phillippe Monneret is speaking out against the change.
For those unfamiliar, the practice of lane filtering has a fraught history in France. Back in 2021, the French Federation of Angry Bikers staged protests over the possibility of lane filtering being banned, and understandably so. When practiced responsibly and sensibly, it's safer for riders, most of whom would simply like to be able to avoid being rear-ended by inattentive and/or distracted drivers.
And that's why it matters that one of France's most famous, best-loved motorcyclists-slash-motorcycle-safety-instructors has now spoken out against ending the practice of lane filtering in Paris. Phillippe Monneret, who runs the EasyMonneret riding school, and is a former racer who now commentates a lot of racing on French TV, is well known for his stance on "safety first" riding.
For his part, Monneret shares a view that many other international experts do, as well: That lane filtering is good for the safety of riders, and that taking it away makes street riding less safe for those of us on two wheels.
As he points out, two-wheeled transportation is by far one of the best ways to get around in a congested city like Paris. Thus, rethinking how the city handles lane splitting, regardless of the speed limit, seems imperative. While we're at it, since the speed limit on that ring road has been reduced, it might also be time to rethink allowing lower-displacement two-wheelers (like 50cc scooters and mopeds) as well.
The mayor's goal was to reduce traffic congestion and encourage smoother traffic flow on this heavily-trafficked road. But there's more than one way to reach that goal, and Monneret wants to encourage not throwing riders under the proverbial bus in order to achieve it.
