Editing Sydney (section)

==By Motorcycle==
Motorcycling (and "scootering") is very popular throughout all of Australia, and increasingly so in Sydney due to the traffic congestion. 

'''Licence''': Some states of Australia permit riding a 50cc scooter on a car licence, but NSW is NOT one of them. You must have a motorcycle licence to ride any form of scooter or motorcycle. If you have held your motorcycle licence for under twelve months you may be restricted to riding a motorcycle of less than 250cc capacity. Check with the RTA to determine your circumstances.

'''Buying/renting a motorcycle''': Two useful resources for buying a used motorcycle are the [http://www.tradingpost.com.au Trading Post] and [http://www.bikesales.com.au Bike Sales]. For rentals [http://www.bikescape.com.au Bikescape] is a reputable company, as is [http://www.motorbikehire.com.au Motorbike Hire.com.au]. Expect to be required to pay a substantial deposit to hire a motorcycle, although this will be refunded on return of the machine. Bikescape also offer a "guaranteed buyback" sale plan.

'''Equipment''': A motorcycle helmet is required at all times for anyone on a motorcycle, including pillion passengers. Gloves and boots are highly recommended, but not mandatory. [http://www.mcas.com.au Motorcycle Accessory Supermarket] has a wide selection and is located in the CBD at 36 Wentworth St.

'''Road and parking rules''': Road rules for motorcycles are often different by state. Here are the NSW rules. 
* Motorcycles can use all transit lanes and bus lanes in NSW (bus lanes are marked by having an orange surface). The only time a motorcycle may not use a lane is when it is marked "Bus Only".
* "Lane splitting" (riding between adjacent moving cars) is illegal in all of Australia, including NSW. 
* "Lane filtering" (riding between stopped cars at a traffic light in order to get to the front) is not strictly legal, but not strictly illegal either. (A proposal to make it legal is currently being examined by the government). As long as you filter carefully and at a speed no more than a walking pace you are very unlikely to be ticketed for it.
* Parking - Sydney has a number of dedicated motorcycle parking areas. Unlike Victoria it is illegal to park on a footpath in NSW and you will get fined for it. You can, however, park for free in any area where cars are expected to buy a paper ticket. (Strictly speaking you ARE required to pay for parking here, however you will never receive a parking violation because a motorcyclist can legally claim that their ticket simply "blew away".)