QUOTE
* Motorcyclists escape speed cameras
* Rear plates not picked up, hidden
* Study finds front plates too risky
A NATIONAL police commissioners' plan to force Australia's motorcyclists to wear front number plates has been quietly dumped.
The plan had been the result of 10 years of study, at a direct cost of almost $500,000 and other millions lost in state government revenues, The Australian reports.
For almost 30 years, motorcyclists have been able to thumb their noses at speed cameras - sometimes travelling at more than double the speed limit - because they have not had to display front number plates for safety reasons.
Front plates were removed after injuries to riders and pedestrians and because the plates affected air flow and steering.
In 2000, all police commissioners asked for a study to put front licence plates back on motorcycles because police believed riders were speeding because they would not be caught.
According to Freedom of Information documents obtained by the Pedestrian Council of Australia, the study, conducted by Victorian transport authorities, found it was possible to use a system of stick-on plates or a mounting.
However a method suitable for every existing motorcycle could not be found.
States are forgoing an estimated $2 million a year each in revenue from fines as motorcycles evade detection.
The latest report of Victoria's Road Safety and Transport group said this month that "identifying vehicles engaged in illegal acts, such as speeding or travelling through red lights at intersections, is a significant issue for enforcement agencies".
Some motorcyclists also escape detection from cameras by covering their rear licence plates.
Others flaunt their speeding immunity by doing wheelies past police cameras.
Some are caught only when identified by tattoos on their arms.
Last year, New South Wales police arrested a motorcyclist who allegedly sped past police cameras near the Spit Bridge in Sydney more than 2000 times while covering his rear number plate with his hand to avoid detection.
* Rear plates not picked up, hidden
* Study finds front plates too risky
A NATIONAL police commissioners' plan to force Australia's motorcyclists to wear front number plates has been quietly dumped.
The plan had been the result of 10 years of study, at a direct cost of almost $500,000 and other millions lost in state government revenues, The Australian reports.
For almost 30 years, motorcyclists have been able to thumb their noses at speed cameras - sometimes travelling at more than double the speed limit - because they have not had to display front number plates for safety reasons.
Front plates were removed after injuries to riders and pedestrians and because the plates affected air flow and steering.
In 2000, all police commissioners asked for a study to put front licence plates back on motorcycles because police believed riders were speeding because they would not be caught.
According to Freedom of Information documents obtained by the Pedestrian Council of Australia, the study, conducted by Victorian transport authorities, found it was possible to use a system of stick-on plates or a mounting.
However a method suitable for every existing motorcycle could not be found.
States are forgoing an estimated $2 million a year each in revenue from fines as motorcycles evade detection.
The latest report of Victoria's Road Safety and Transport group said this month that "identifying vehicles engaged in illegal acts, such as speeding or travelling through red lights at intersections, is a significant issue for enforcement agencies".
Some motorcyclists also escape detection from cameras by covering their rear licence plates.
Others flaunt their speeding immunity by doing wheelies past police cameras.
Some are caught only when identified by tattoos on their arms.
Last year, New South Wales police arrested a motorcyclist who allegedly sped past police cameras near the Spit Bridge in Sydney more than 2000 times while covering his rear number plate with his hand to avoid detection.