Hi

This seems to have passed most people by.

A law was coming into force on January 1st 2013 forcing all bikers to wear some reflective clothing.

As of November 27th Manuel Valls, the French transport minister has announced the cancellation of this propsed new law. Hopefully they will also abandon the new law prohibiting filtering in traffic. Most Frenxch people are of the view that it would be impossible to police it particuarly in cities. If you have driven in Paris you will understand!!

Anyway good news that is the direct result of French bikers vocally opposing and demonstrating against this stupid law.

One of the things i like about the French is that they dont just roll over and let stupid politicians tell them what to do.

Good to hear the law has been overturned.

I didn't even realise they were planning to make filtering illegal!

An admirable quality.

+1. The population of the UK could learn a lot from the French in this regard.

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It is good news and, like many other people, I'm great full to those French bikers who protested. I think MAG have been doing some great work, too. There's much more to do, still, and if you feel you could, you should look into the work MAG and others are doing.

I`d have to say that one of the big differences between a protest by bikers here in France and in the UK is that generally the French people in generale like bikes and bikers. Anyone who has ridden here will know about the way the French drive into the gutter to let you pass.

You will also never be turned away from a campsite, restaurant etc in France for being dressed in a leather jacket or carrying a crash helmet.

I attend a number of rideouts over here and the police shut roads, junctions etc no problem. Cant realy imagine that happening in the UK!

All admirable qualities!

Here here and good to know that some common sense has prevailed!
I also like the "two fingers up" approach to some of the politics of France; one could also describe it as grass roots democracy.

I always enjoy riding in France for the reasons given above + the hotel receptionists and other staff don't view you as some kind of dork or an alien species from another world.
I think the French motorists are even better nowadays than some years ago, when I first rode there, and they are streets ahead (every pun intended) with their awareness of who else is on the road and in the vicinity of their own particular 4, or more, wheels.
I attribute at least some of this to the wide open spaces that are available there compared with the over-crowded highways of the UK that are covered in every kind of detritus and deterioration of the road surface.
But I digress from the thread at this point.

ps Are we still supposed to be carrying a breath test kit while travelling in France on the roads? (there was a period of grace and favour given for this new law I think).

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Dave

The breathtest law keeps being deferred. As far as i know it will possibly come into force in March but that will almost certainly change.

And try buying a kit in France! The first ones that came out had an expiry date before the law was first supposed to be enforced, and now pretty much zero shops have them. You can buy an overpriced pair on the Channel ferries, but if the French can't get them I don't think anyone else can be expected to carry one just yet Someone also mentioned the only factory that makes the approved type is a relative of someone close to Sarkozy, but maybe thats stretching things a bit far?

Costco currently have a 20 pack which is handy AlcoSense - Disposable Breathalysers, 20 Pack

or you can buy an electronic one from a few places like

Buy Breathalyzer Online UK | Breathalyzer Kits | Value Breathalysers | Alcohol Test

but I doubt the law will stick. So many drivers in France have a glass of wine with lunch the whole country will come to a stop if they enforce their lower (than the UK) limit!

I agree about the law not sticking. I was in a restauranttwo weeks ago and on the next table having lunch were three French motorbike cops. They enjoyed about half a bottle of red wine each after a pastis to start with. I then watched them ride off at speed for an afternoons hard work!

If the police stop a Frenchman after lunch and ask him if he has been drinking he will honestly tell them no. The bottle of wine he had with his lunch doesn`t count as that is just a part of his lunch.

Excellent....but can you confirm that this is a definite re the clothing? Not that I doubt you but I read in one of the bike mags this W/E something about there still there had to be 150cm of reflective material worn between the neck and waist, or else it was an instant fine if stopped. Will try and find the piece and post it - and I could have got it wrong - but that's how I read it, and it also differentiated between 'reflective' and 'hi viz'. I took it to mean that the dressing like a dustman idea had been canned but that some degree of reflective material would still be compulsory - hence the 150cm of reflective material. Don't think it has to be a block, so I guess jacket piping would count.

Grizzly is quite right. The main manufacturer of the alco tests is related to Sarkozy...som some things never change!

As far as i know the whole thing has be kicked into the long grass which in France means never to be seen again or at least until another anti biking transport minister arrives. Although having seen the protests and uproar it created i wouldnt have thought that any new minister would be interested in reviving it.

If you speak French try this link Dernière minute : Manuel Valls suspend le port du brassard jaune des motards (...) - Moto Mag : actu, essais moto et scooter, occasions

You could translate it but when i did it didnt really make much sense

The reflective armband legislation has been deferred to an unknown date when it would be reviewed but as Martin says will probably never be seen again.

The requirement to carry a breathalyser has been delayed until March 2013 because of the supply issues but it is likely to be cancelled or deferred as recent tests have shown the approved breathalysers are innacurate. I've never really understood how it was suppossed to work anyway - you leave a rural bar or restaurant after having had a few glasses of wine and think to yourself 'I might be over the limit, I better check'.
'Oh yes I seem to be drunk I better find some other way to get home' Yeh, highly likely, if you were that responsible you wouldn't have had the drinks in the first place.

The motorcycle test is changing yet again in January to a more expensive and difficult test and although the horsepower limit has been raised for new riders they will have to wait until they are 24 and take an extra test before they can ride an 'unlimited' bike.

Also they're talking about scrapping the 107bhp limit but the trade off will be the introduction of controle techniques (MOTs) for bikes which currently don't exist.

Most of this legislation is driven by flawed statistics on bike accidents compared to car accidents and is aimed at forcing bikes off the road over the next 20 years. French bikers have however been quite sucessful in getting some of them cancelled but it's hard to argue that better training & tougher tests are a bad thing.

The law overturning the legislation that was due to come into force was published in the JO (Journal Officiel) of the French Government on the 1st January this year. It was overturned by the CNSR (Conseil National de Securite Routiere) on 18th Dec last and signed by M Pechenard.



1er janvier 2013 JOURNAL OFFICIEL DE LA RÉPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE Texte 48 sur 120
. .
Décrets, arrêtés, circulaires
TEXTES GÉNÉRAUX
MINISTÈRE DE L’INTÉRIEUR
Arrêté du 18 décembre 2012 abrogeant l’arrêté du 3 janvier 2012 relatif aux équipements
rétroréfléchissants portés par tous conducteurs ou passagers d’une motocyclette d’une
cylindrée supérieure à 125 cm3 ou d’un véhicule de la catégorie L5e d’une puissance
supérieure à 15 kW
NOR : INTS1242380A
Le ministre de l’intérieur,
Vu le code de la route, notamment son article R. 431-1-2,
Arrête :
Art. 1er. − L’arrêté du 3 janvier 2012 relatif aux équipements rétroréfléchissants portés par tous conducteurs
ou passagers d’une motocyclette d’une cylindrée supérieure à 125 cm3 ou d’un véhicule de la catégorie L5e
d’une puissance supérieure à 15 kW est abrogé. ( The notice of 3/1/12 relating to retro reflective equipment carried by all drivers of a motorcycle larger than 125cc or of category L5e with a power of more than 15kw is repealed.)
Art. 2. − Le délégué à la sécurité et à la circulation routières est chargé de l’exécution du présent arrêté,
qui sera publié au Journal officiel de la République française.
Fait le 18 décembre 2012.
Pour le ministre et par délégation :
Le délégué à la sécurité
et à la circulation routières,
F. PÉCHENARD


The report concerning filtering in congested traffic has finally been presented to the CNSR on 30th Janaury this year. It has recognised the benefits of filtering and recommends in certain conditions, but it is not yet official

The law concerning breathalisers is still under review by the CNSR, but a report ''sine die'' (Undated) has been published by Manuel Valls, ( minister of the Interior) in Jan this year, and also awaiting the outcome of a CNSR report in mid Feb.

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