‘Pushing’ motorcyclists at traffic lights, is that allowed? Judge pronounces judgment | Car

In July 2019, a motorcyclist rolled past the rows of stationary traffic at the Deltaweg intersection near Goes to get to the front of the queue at the traffic lights. He did so by using the space to the left of the line waiting to go straight. A police officer saw it happen and decided to fine the motorcyclist.

The police officer gave the reason that the motorcyclist ‘did not follow the direction indicated by the sorting lane at an intersection’. According to the Royal Dutch Motorcyclists Association (KNMV) the motorcyclist’s lawyer argued that his client wanted to drive forward in the traffic jam at the traffic light. He did this for safety reasons, so as not to be hit in the back by inattentive drivers, entirely in accordance with the traffic jam code drawn up in 1991 by Stichting Motorplatform.

However, according to the court, this was not the case in this case. This code of conduct is only intended to be applied to stationary or slow-moving traffic on Dutch highways. A row of stationary traffic in front of a traffic light does not fall under the term ‘traffic jam’. Moreover, the code of conduct is urgent advice and not a legal regulation.

This ruling therefore shows that such a queue is not a traffic jam and that motorcyclists must therefore actually connect at the back. The motorcyclist must also pay the fine of 240 euros. Driving between stationary cars with the motorcycle is still allowed on the highway, according to the judge’s ruling.