Regulation of motorcycle access on freeways

Motorway Ahead and Motorway Prohibited sign in Ireland
1. Vehicles under 50cc
2. Slow vehicles
3. Invalid Carriages
4. Pedal Cycles (Bicycles)
5. Pedestrians
6. Animals

Motorway Ahead and Motorway Prohibited sign in Italy (Autostrada)
1. Sidecars Under 249cc Prohibited
2. Motorcycles Under 149cc Prohibited
3. Bicycles, Pedestrians, Oxcarts Prohibited

Motorway Entrance and Motorway Prohibited sign in Australia
1. Pedestrians
2. Bicycles
3. Animals
4. Tractors
5. Mopeds (Motorcycles under 49cc or 50cc)

Prohibited motorcycles for two persons sign in Japan (Shuto Expressway)

Motorway sign and Motorcycles Prohibited sign in South Korea

Information for Motorcycles Prohibited in South Korea Expressway

Regulation of motorcycle access on freeways is regulation of the freeway (controlled-access highway) and expressway (limited-access road) access of motorcycles in most nations.

Access regulation

Freeway access regulation for motorcycles differs from country to country. In most countries, regulation is based on engine displacement.^[1]

• (■) : Enabled for motorcycles driven on the freeway and expressway
• (■) : Prohibited for motorcycles driven on the freeway and expressway (except for emergency motorcycles)
• (■) :
  • Prohibited for motorcycles driven on most (or some) freeways and expressways, but now enabled in at least some cases.
  • Prohibited for motorcycles driven on the freeway, but enabled for motorcycles driven on the expressway
• Note
  • ● : motorcycle driving was once prohibited on all freeways and expressways

Countries	Access Status	Conditions necessary for access (based on engine displacement)	Note
Austria	Enabled	More than 49cc or 50cc	EU Member state
Australia	Enabled	More than 49cc or 50cc
Belgium	Enabled	More than 49cc or 50cc	EU Member state
Bolivia	Enabled	All
Brazil	Enabled	More than 49cc or 50cc
Bulgaria	Enabled	More than 49cc or 50cc	EU Member state
Canada	Enabled	More than 49cc or 50cc
China	Prohibited de facto	Vehicle is allowed to drive over 70 km/h de jure[2]	In fact, there is no the letter of the law to Prohibit motorcycles access on freeways, it's legal to drive motorcycle which can exceed 70 km/h on freeway de jure.[2] But many provinces have made other laws to restrict motorcycle on freeways.[3]
Chile	Enabled	More than 49cc or 50cc
Czech	Enabled	More than 49cc or 50cc	EU Member state
Denmark	Enabled	More than 49cc or 50cc	EU Member state
Finland	Enabled	More than 49cc or 50cc	EU Member state
France	Enabled	More than 49cc or 50cc	EU Member state
Germany	Enabled	Vehicle is allowed to drive over 60 km/h	EU Member state
Hong Kong	Enabled	More than 125cc
Hungary	Enabled	More than 49cc or 50cc	EU Member state
India	Enabled	More than 349cc or 350cc
Indonesia	Prohibited		Prohibited day: unknown
Ireland	Enabled	More than 49cc or 50cc	EU Member state
Italy	Enabled	More than 149cc	EU Member state, sidecar more than 249cc
Japan	Enabled	More than 125cc
Luxembourg	Enabled	More than 49cc or 50cc	EU Member state
Malaysia	Enabled	More than 49cc or 50cc
Mexico	Enabled	More than 49cc or 50cc
Netherlands	Enabled	More than 49cc or 50cc	EU Member
Norway	Enabled	More than 49cc or 50cc
New Zealand	Enabled	More than 49cc or 50cc
Pakistan	Enabled	More than 49cc or 50cc
Peru	Enabled	More than 49cc or 50cc
Philippines	●Enabled	More than 400cc	Date of motorcycle driving prohibited in motorway: 19 February 1968 Lifted date of motorcycle driving prohibition in motorway: 2001 (above 400cc),[4] 2006 (some tollways)[5]
Poland	Enabled	More than 49cc or 50cc	EU Member state
Portugal	Enabled	More than 49cc or 50cc	EU Member state
Romania	Enabled	More than 49cc or 50cc	EU Member state
Russia	Enabled	More than 49cc or 50cc
Singapore	Enabled	More than 49cc or 50cc
Slovakia	Enabled	More than 49cc or 50cc	EU Member state
Slovenia	Enabled	More than 49cc or 50cc	EU Member state
South Africa	Enabled	More than 49cc or 50cc
South Korea	Prohibited		1. Motorcycles' access on expressways (고속도로 gosok doro) was prohibited by a Notice of the Ministry of Home Affairs on June 1, 1972[6] 2. Motorcycles' access on expressways and semi-expressways (자동차전용도로 jadongcha jeonyong doro, literally 'motor vehicles only road') was prohibited by a Road Traffic Act amendment in 1992[7][8]
Spain	Enabled	More than 49cc or 50cc	EU Member state
Sweden	Enabled	More than 49cc or 50cc	EU Member state
Switzerland	Enabled	More than 51cc and vehicle is allowed to drive over 80 km/h[9]
Taiwan	Prohibited	More than 550cc	1. May 2, 1964 The First MacArthur of Highway the opening of since been banned (and announced law prohibits expressways and Rapid of road in April 10, 1974). 2. From November 1, 2007 above the open 550CC large heavy machine with Rapid of road. 3. From July 1, 2011 550CC large heavy machine above the Ministry of Transportation announcement special road sections and opening hours with the highway (but has yet to full liberalization 550CC large heavy machine with above the highway). From July 1, 2012 above the open 250CC large heavy machine with Rapid of road.
Thailand	Prohibited		Prohibited day: unknown
Turkey	Enabled	More than 49cc or 50cc[10]
United States	Enabled	More than 49cc or 50cc	Some states prohibit motor-driven cycles (under 125cc or 150cc) or low-horsepower motorcycles (example: motorcycle less than 5 HP)
United Kingdom	Enabled	More than 49cc or 50cc	EU Member state
Venezuela	Prohibited		Prohibited day: unknown
Vietnam	Prohibited		Prohibited day: unknown

List of speed limits

Maximum speed limit on expressways or motorways

Countries	Maximum speed limit (km/h)
	Automobiles	Motorcycles
Belarus	110	90
Bulgaria	130	100
China	120	80[2]
Greece	130	80
Russia	110	90
Turkey	120 (Expressways: 110)	100 if L3 (expressways: 90 if L3)
Japan	100	100 (Since 2000; before 2000, the speed limit for motorcycles was 80 km/h)
Ukraine	130 (dual carriageway 110)	80
Vietnam	80	60

See also

• Freeway motorcycling restrictions in East Asia
• Speed limits by country

References

1. World motorcycle facts & figures (Honda)
2. (simplified Chinese)Regulation on the Implementation of the Road Traffic Safety Law of the People’s Republic of China, chapter 4, section 5, artical 78（Simplifie Chinese:《中华人民共和国道路交通安全法实施条例》第四章第五节第七十八条）.
3. (simplified Chinese)"小伙骑摩托去西藏高速路上被拦". sina.com.cn. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
4. The History of the Ban on Motorcycles Using the Tollways Motorcyclephilippines
5. Supreme Court Strikes Down Motorcycle Ban on Tollways Motorcyclephilippines
6. "Motorcycles and Three-wheeled Vehicles Prohibit access in Expressways from June 1st". Maeil Business Newspaper (in Korean). 23 May 1972.
7. (Korean) Article 58 of the South Korea Road Traffic Law (enforced on March 15 1992)
8. (Korean) Article 63 of the South Korea Road Traffic Law (enforced on June 1 2006)
9. Art. 35, Abs. 1 and 2, Verkehrsregelnverordnung vom 13. November 1962 (VRV)
10. "Hız Sınırları". T.C Karayolları Genel Müdürlüğü. Retrieved 23 January 2016.