Topic: lane spliting

[loonymoon]

Loonymoon, I don't know about bravery. I don't ride slowly; however, I ride defensively. I don't see how I could be defensive while splitting lanes, especially on a CB750. Drivers seem to get nutty about being in the "fastest" lane when they get stuck in traffic. I do know the feeling though; I've always felt wimpy while watching bikes zip by me as I stand still in a lane.

The good thing is that most of the drivers actually expect you to ride like a nutter between the lanes - whether they like it or not! You get strange looks when you actually sit in the traffic, which I do sometimes for a breather or to let other faster/smaller/more nimble/or just more competant riders through. 

The yammy scooter is definately not confidence inspiring as it's pretty big and unwieldy.I'd probably feel better about it on my cb350f but I wouldn't want to subject it to that kind of riding - too much chance of a bump or scrape. 

[cafe75-550]

I only lane split when traffic's moving less than 25 mph, mostly just at lights or in heavy traffic. I honestly don't see why people have such a problem with it, it gets the bike out of their way and out of traffic. I actually think its safer than sitting back behind a car in most cases, I know more than one person thats been rear-ended on their m/c by some car that wasn't paying attention. If it wasn't for moron drivers (I had a guy in a Mini block me just 2 days ago) it would be a lot safer, its like car drivers take it personally that you're passing them. Like anything though, you can lane split so thats it not safe (ie,70 mph on the freeway), but I don't think that should affect whether or not you can split at all, you can do almost anything so that its unsafe. What's funny is that I bet that a lot of these states that don't allow lane splitting also don't have helmet laws...

Reading the replies on here it seems like in countries where more people are on m/c's its less of an issue, maybe as the price of gas continues to skyrocket and traffic gets worse more people will come around....

[loonymoon]

I only lane split when traffic's moving less than 25 mph, mostly just at lights or in heavy traffic. I honestly don't see why people have such a problem with it, it gets the bike out of their way and out of traffic. I actually think its safer than sitting back behind a car in most cases, I know more than one person thats been rear-ended on their m/c by some car that wasn't paying attention. If it wasn't for moron drivers (I had a guy in a Mini block me just 2 days ago) it would be a lot safer, its like car drivers take it personally that you're passing them. Like anything though, you can lane split so thats it not safe (ie,70 mph on the freeway), but I don't think that should affect whether or not you can split at all, you can do almost anything so that its unsafe. What's funny is that I bet that a lot of these states that don't allow lane splitting also don't have helmet laws...

Reading the replies on here it seems like in countries where more people are on m/c's its less of an issue, maybe as the price of gas continues to skyrocket and traffic gets worse more people will come around....

I agree, I only "filter" as we call it here in the UK when the traffics doing less than 20mph. Some bikers thrash through at >70mph and that's just silly - all it would take is a slight mirror clip and a major accident could result!

In the UK - especially in London jams most car drivers are resigned to it, and do nothing. some help you and some try to block you. I drove the car in this morning and there was a guy in a car trying to block a bloke on a GSF suzuki ( incidentally he was one of the bikers I let past me yesterday on my scooter!!) . So I just hung back so there was a gap next to the moron in the car and the bike could get though... ha ha!!

[boatsdickson]

After reading a little more about this, Im definately seeing the advantages of splitting. Moreso in the big cities with the huge auto population and jam-ups. An interview with a fellow on a Dateline tv episode the other night had the best opinion so far that Ive heard. I believe this guy was either a past rider or a current rider who just refused to ride in those kind of conjested conditions but he had a hard time sittin in traffic watching another rider sit in between cars or trucks on the freeway just waiting to be the next metal and meat pancake. Never thought about that myself really till I saw this show. Not to mention the hell it would put one of our air cooled beauties through...

[loonymoon]

Oh and another thing, in central London motorcycles are exempt from the  £8 a day congestion charge on the grounds that they don't cause congestion- of course if they banned lane splitting then the bikes would be another cause of congestion taking up almost the space on the road that a car would sitting in traffic. At least the government got one thing right!!

Even though lane splitting scares me, I can't imagine not doing it at all, it is one of the great advantages of the motorcycle, and provided it's done sensibly is a good thing, otherwise the bikes would just lengthen the lines of traffic even more. And there's more and more bikes and scooters about in london these days (congestion charge again..??). Still not as many as some other more bike friendly european cities but I think we're getting there slowly.

 Some guys (mostly couriers I have to say) really take the p though.  I once saw a motorcyclist riding along the raised paved kerb area where the central barrier is on the motorway, I've seen a couple mount the kerb and go along the pavement (sidewalk) to get round a particularly troublesome truck that's in the way. Not things I'd ever do.  I'm really not that desperate to get to work!!!

[Buber]

Some guys (mostly couriers I have to say) really take the p though.  I once saw a motorcyclist riding along the raised paved kerb area where the central barrier is on the motorway, I've seen a couple mount the kerb and go along the pavement (sidewalk) to get round a particularly troublesome truck that's in the way. Not things I'd ever do.  I'm really not that desperate to get to work!!!

There you go....  Moderation is a word. I believe that i have a bike to have fun, but as well to get somewhere (in the city mainly) faster. So for me it should be said that below a certains speed (20mp/h, 40km/h) moving between the traffic should be allowed.

And yes, where there are a lot of bikes, theres no problem. Look at Italy, Spain, I'v eseen very nice things in Thailand to. On the traffic lights first slot would be left empty by the car drivers, so that mopeds and bikes can filter through and start first. And nobody was hurt

[heffay]

watched a helmet(brain)less guy on a rocket, lane splitting thru interstate traffic in rush hour, yesterday.
his female, helmet(brain)less, Keds wearing,  knee length jean wearing passenger had her face buried in his back and looked to be hanging on for dear life.

rant on:
PUT A FVCKING HELMET ON IF YOU'RE GONNA DRIVE LIKE AN A$$...
AT LEAST MAKE FOR DAMN SURE YOU STRAP ONE ON YOUR FAVORITE GIRL!
rant off

[Klark Kent]

those dudes should be wearing helmets all day long

[heffay]

those dudes should be wearing helmets all day long

we should all be wearing helmets all day long...

[fuzzybutt]

watched a helmet(brain)less guy on a rocket, lane splitting thru interstate traffic in rush hour, yesterday.
his female, helmet(brain)less, Keds wearing,  knee length jean wearing passenger had her face buried in his back and looked to be hanging on for dear life.

rant on:
PUT A FVCKING HELMET ON IF YOU'RE GONNA DRIVE LIKE AN A$$...
AT LEAST MAKE FOR DAMN SURE YOU STRAP ONE ON YOUR FAVORITE GIRL!
rant off

it's illegal here in sc too but you see helmetless, shorts and flip flop wearing dumbasses doing it all the time.

[heffay]

they both had on white and black armored riding jackets that matched the bike.   

[Venturous]

I don't lane split as it would be suicide here near Washington DC area, but I have done it while riding in Europe. I truly wish it could be as accepted and normal here as it is in Europe.

[750K2]

i saw a young couple lane splitting in heavy slow traffic yesterday on boston's south east expressway on a crotch rocket.  she was wearing a t-shirt, short shorts and sneakers..plus a helmet.  like that was gonna be helpful.  my candiates for automotive darwinism.

[dimesack65]

i know to many back roads to have to lane split, plus, I hate the freeway

[burmashave]

I struck up a conversation with a guy who was riding a 1970's BMW, and he told me a story about how he got screwed, not for splitting lanes, but for using a wide space to the right of a vehicle to make a right turn. I've seen the space, and it's almost a full lane wide. The officer wrote him a ticket, which he successfully fought, in part due to the fact that HD riders often do the same at that intersection. This definitely wasn't California; it occurred in upstate NY.

[ghost]

i know to many back roads to have to lane split, plus, I hate the freeway

+1 on that, plus it's illeagle here and i live in a rural area(closest neighbor is 5 miles away)

[jhasewhite]

lane splitting?  most of the riders here in sf don't even stop at stop signs, as cafe bikes tend to race each other. I usually  have other bikes trying to get in front of me while i'm splitting lanes. Pure chaos....

[speedy gonzalais]

One of the reasons i ride is traffic, i hate it i live on a small island and the roads are packed all day every day so being able to go around all the parked traffic is a bonus, you get the ocasional wan*er try and stop you from passing but most pull out the way, Wether its outta pure generosity or fear of thir motor being scratched i dont know, As long as your carfull you should be ok, I remember a few years back now on the A21 one of the worst roads in kent for accidents, jams and chaos, i was slowly making my way past all the motors nice and slow when another bike shot past me at some serious f'ing speed, i hate to say it but i wasnt suprised to find him dead a few miles up the road, where a truck decided to make a u turn i guess as he was going round a bend he didnt see the truck in the middle of the road b4 it was too late, just keep that im mind chaps and ride carfully.

[rhos1355]

Just seen kyuarico's utube video of the guy lane splitting in Japan. I was mesmerised. In some parts my buttocks clenched so hard I'm now self levitating
Having said that, I thought lane splitting was the main reason why people become bikers in the first place? I also have a rule; I only lanesplit on a dual (or more) lane road if the traffic is moving slower than 50mph. Well, at the start of the season it's a rule, but by October this year I found myself lane splitting on the M23 at 85mph!! Just sheer impatience and the lust for speed. I'm really being stupid I told myself when I got home that day, so I washed her down, polished her, covered her and that's where she'll stay until next season and when I get more sense into myself.

[Really?]

I used to lane split all the time when I lived in Southern California as a teen.  The motorcycle cops did it all the time too.  There were times I even followed behind them while they were lane splitting.

There was a time when the traffic on the San Diego Freeway was doing about 35mph and I was following a lane splitting cop.  I was doing 70-75mph and he was pulling away, that dude had more than two down below, that is for sure.

When I moved to Texas, I tried to do that (just normal lane splitting).  That came to a quick stop.  The people here drove very different.  Whereas in Southern California, the cars would actually separate as you were coming through.  Here is Texas, it was the opposite, they got closer on purpose and the lanes were actually smaller.  They would open their cars doors on you here.

I do not see lane splitting happen here so I do not know how it would work out now, prolly the same as it did 20 years ago.

[Pinhead]

I've only filtered once; I-70 was a parking lot for about 10 miles. Most people just looked as I went by but some of the jealous asshats wanted to try to stop me. Luckily I was going slowly enough to be able to dodge them. One was way too close, though, and he got a good dent in his door. I'm not a vindictive person, but when some douche nozzle (the business end of the douche) tries to run you off the road for no reason but jealousy, they deserve to get something in return.

[Grizzly]

My contribution for what thats worth is this.

I filter or lane split only when I consider it safe to do so.

If there are two or three lanes of stationary or very slow moving traffic then I will filter if it's safe. Some UK drivers are getting real good at letting motorcycles through when they are stuck in a jam. Having said that they are no where near the standard of say French drivers, not yet anyway. If a car moves over for me then I say thanks as I go past.

However if the trafic is moving along a bit slow then I never filter. The boy's in blue call this undertaking, it is illegal and if you are seen or a camera pictures you, you will get done, no question.

Grizzly

[jhasewhite]

ugghh, lane splitting in So Cal sucks!, I still have so many different colors or paint on those saddlebags...

-j

[City Boy]

After reading the reports from o'er the pond lads,I am envious.I have always admired the rules and attitude towards driving in Europe.Your authorities actually require people to know how to drive properly to gain and hold a licence.Here in N America it is called a privalege,yet treated as a god given right.In light of that ,rules and regs are made with the lowest common denominator in mind.The roads are chaos with little enforcement but draconian penalties to try to scare us into compliance.Here in Ontario,lane split or filter ,which used to be common in stop & go traffic,will see your bike and drivers lic. seized for a week,huge towing and storage fees ,and a date with a judge to try and talk your way out of a $10,000 fine.Sad but true.   Rock On

[Klark Kent]

My first time riding in CA was during rush hour- so I had to try filtering.  a little unnerving, but better than stop and go.  for the most part folks were very accommodating- three headlamps and an LAPD windshield might have helped.  what are the rules regarding how fast traffic can be moving?  I found it very hard to stop filtering and get in line when things picked up to less than 20mph and ended up filtering through moving traffic quite a bit.