Driving bans in Austria for loud motorcycles

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Motorcycle noise

Debate about the volume of motorcycles

Driving bans in Austria for loud motorcycles
Jorg Lohse, moonrun (Fotolia).

counselor

traffic & business

Driving bans in Austria for loud motorcycles

Driving bans in Austria for loud motorcycles
FEMA criticizes motorcycle noise driving bans in Tyrol

Hard hit for all motorcyclists! While in Germany there are still discussions about driving bans because motorcycles are too loud, Austria is cracking the ball and blocking individual routes for loud bikes from the age of 10. June. FEMA (umbrella organization of European motorcyclist organizations) has now expressed its criticism of the measures imposed.


Michael Schumann,

Slawomir Niewrzol

06/18/2020

While there is debate in Germany, Tyrol is imposing the first motorcycle noise driving bans. They are valid on certain routes (see map) from Wednesday, June 10th until October 31st, 2020. Exclusively for motorcycles that have registered a stationary noise of more than 95 decibels (dB (A)) in the vehicle documents under item U.1. As a consequence of violating this noise driving ban, there is a risk of motorcyclists such as a BMW S 1000 RR (registered stationary noise 98 dB (A)), a Ducati Multistrada 1260 ((102 dB (A)) or a Harley Dyna Street Bob (97 dB (A)) a fine of EUR 220. In addition, according to the Tyrolean provincial government, they are instructed by the police to turn back.

All motorcyclists affected

The ban applies to all motorcyclists without exception, regardless of whether they are Austrians, Germans or elsewhere, it applies to residents as well as to travelers or tourists. But it only applies to motorcyclists. Cars and trucks can continue to roar loudly through the Lechtal without restrictions.


Driving bans in Austria for loud motorcycles


State of Tyrol (Office of the Tyrolean Provincial Government).

Map section of the affected routes in Austria.

According to MOTORRAD information, the Tyrolean motorcycle noise driving ban, which includes the Hahntennjoch, but not the Fernpass as a transit route, is the first of its kind in Europe. Tyrol’s Deputy Governor Ingrid Felipe (The Greens) cites the protection of the population as a reason “excessive motorcycle noise.” The Austrian ARGE Zweirad, the counterpart to the German motorcycle industry association, was heard and commented before the announcement “glad that there were no road closures.” Apparently, general closures were the alternative to the current noise limit. According to the ARGE, only around seven percent of all bikes in Austria are louder than 95 dB (A). According to MOTORRAD research, a lot of motorcycles, for example various Aprilias, Ducatis, Hondas, Kawasaki, Harleys and numerous bikes from other manufacturers are affected. A small, but by no means complete, selection is shown in the following table.

Selection of models that are affected by the noise driving ban in TIrol

model Noise entered in the vehicle registration document
Aprilia V4 Tuono 1100 Factory 96 dB (A)
Aprilia RSV4 1100 Factory 105 dB (A)
Aprilia RSV4 1000 RR 96 dB (A)
BMW S 1000 RR 98 dB (A)
Ducati Hypermotard SP 97 dB (A)
Ducati Multistrada 1260 102 dB (A)
Ducati Diavel 102 dB (A)
Ducati SuperSport 98 dB (A)
Harley-Davidson Dyna Street Bob 97 dB (A)
Harley-Davidson FXDR 14 97 dB (A)
Harley-Davidson 1200 Custom 99 dB (A)
Harley-Davidson Sportster Forty Eight 99 dB (A)
Kawasaki Z 900 97 dB (A)
KTM 890 Duke 96 dB (A)

Detailed information on the motorcycle noise ban can be found in the FAQs from the Office of the Tyrolean Provincial Government.

FEMA criticizes route closures in Tyrol

In mid-June, FEMA (umbrella association of European motorcyclist organizations) expressed its criticism of the route closures in Tyrol. Accordingly, FEMA has analyzed the underlying study in detail and has come to the conclusion that the driving style of individual motorcyclists is the real problem. According to FEMA, the noise pollution from motorcyclists results less from the design of the motorcycles – the very sporty and high-speed driving style of some motorcyclists is the real problem. Accordingly, with the measures taken, the residents of the region did not get what they actually wanted. Instead of pulling inconsiderate drivers from the traffic who cause the noise, many considerate motorcyclists now have to suffer from the decision of the Tyrolean state government.

Conclusion

The decision of the Tyrolean state government is likely to hit many motorcyclists pretty hard. As our first research shows, quite a few popular models are affected by the driving ban.

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