Lane Splitting/Sharing - Do You Do It?

[massacremasses]

Originally Posted by bonbon76

True... but you have a wee bit more time than if you were in the middle of the lane, the slightest movement to switch they would hit you. When you in a lane to yourself, they can at least jerk back when they see you late, which has happend to probably everyone on here. No time for teh driver to react when your already on his/her car.

Originally Posted by broilmebk

You're not riding beside them for long. When you're splitting lanes you've got cars close to each other so they're not going to switch lanes anyway (Unless of course they're being an a-hole and blocking)

and there is the answer.

Generally when you are splitting lanes there is a car on BOTH sides of you. Neither person is going to merge into the other car.

There are some sketch times like when they are only a little bit behind a car and they can easily try and brake and merge to get in the space behind and you are right there trying to split lanes up. I mean that chances are there, but generally when you are splitting lanes the cars are on both sides of you.

still people are crazy and you need to exercise caution when doing it. Or look like a good by sitting in traffic. lol

[Whiskey]

Originally Posted by bonbon76

True... but you have a wee bit more time than if you were in the middle of the lane, the slightest movement to switch they would hit you. When you in a lane to yourself, they can at least jerk back when they see you late, which has happend to probably everyone on here. No time for teh driver to react when your already on his/her car.

Even when it's legal (as it is here) you don't find everyone splitting all the time, if urban traffic is moving at a reasonable pace most people go with it, when it slows down or stops all the bikes begin to filter.

BTW if it's being suggested to politicians ect. the word 'filter' sounds less dangerous/obnoxious than lane split...

You filter through slow moving traffic, you split lanes like the moscow R1 or the london courier below

Link to original page on YouTube.


just an outsider's view

[massacremasses]

yeah I dont split lanes at high speeds, generally only at lights since traffic isnt bad here.Going to the front of the traffic line is pretty great. Also while sometimes it pisses assholes off, it really doesny affect them which is why they need to calm down. Generally Im off and at the next light by the time they are halfway through the intersection... lol

[toua70]

Originally Posted by Ramen

Same. Some riders around here do it, but I would fear a ticket. Police agencies are definitely giving more tickets nowadays.

I think it should be legal. Isn't that an advantage of having a motorcycle? I went to fresno during memorial weekend. I even got off work early around 1pm and LA traffic was insane! I had to lane split from the 405 all the way up to the 5. If it wasn't for lane splitting, I would've been stuck in traffic for at least 2-3 hours. It was bumper to bumper.. so yes, definitely should be legal. If other states has a no helmet law, why can't lane splitting be legal? I rather wear a helmet and lane split any day then not being able to lane split and having the option to not wear a helmet. No helmet = fail. Lane splitting = good.

[Ramen]

Originally Posted by toua70

I think it should be legal. Isn't that an advantage of having a motorcycle? I went to fresno during memorial weekend. I even got off work early around 1pm and LA traffic was insane! I had to lane split from the 405 all the way up to the 5. If it wasn't for lane splitting, I would've been stuck in traffic for at least 2-3 hours. It was bumper to bumper.. so yes, definitely should be legal. If other states has a no helmet law, why can't lane splitting be legal? I rather wear a helmet and lane split any day then not being able to lane split and having the option to not wear a helmet. No helmet = fail. Lane splitting = good.

Agreed. Unfortunately, I think legislators are more likely to be sympathetic to the "they should wait just like everybody else" line of thinking. Us motorcyclists need more lobbying skills!

[sombo]

Originally Posted by Ramen

Agreed. Unfortunately, I think legislators are more likely to be sympathetic to the "they should wait just like everybody else" line of thinking. Us motorcyclists need more lobbying skills!

US lobbying skills = $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ in the politicians pockets.

The more money a lobbyist puts into a politicians pockets, the more that politician will fight for what that lobbyist wants regardless of what the people they are supposed to represent actually want.


I don't really mind the filtering at lights to have bikes in the front. I just don't trust bumper to bumper traffic here in FL to even think about lane splitting during slow ass rush hour. It won't matter if their is a car there as long as they block you, they win. And yes, drivers here in FL can be that much of a douchebag.

[Ramen]

Originally Posted by sombo

And yes, drivers here in FL can be that much of a douchebag.

I blame the NY transplants. As they say, misery loves company.

[bonbon76]

Originally Posted by broilmebk

You're not riding beside them for long. When you're splitting lanes you've got cars close to each other so they're not going to switch lanes anyway (Unless of course they're being an a-hole and blocking)

You havent rode in the Boston area have you LOL...... There are plenty of those around here. Which Im sure there are everywhere but.. I trust no one. It maybe just that we dont lane split here so Im obviously not comfortable with it. That may change I guess if it all of a sudden became legal, which I doubt.

[massacremasses]

most everyone saying its no big deal is from CA. lol

Once you do it you realize its not that big of a deal.

[mustang5.0]

Originally Posted by massacremasses

most everyone saying its no big deal is from CA. lol

Once you do it you realize its not that big of a deal.

when it the letter of the law and personal safety is involved.. people freak out.
yeah.. no big deal

[broilmebk]

Originally Posted by massacremasses

most everyone saying its no big deal is from CA. lol

Once you do it you realize its not that big of a deal.

Haha same exact boat I was in. I'm new to riding so lane splitting freaked me out at first.

[Jinx250]

Originally Posted by mustang5.0

when it the letter of the law and personal safety is involved.. people freak out.
yeah.. no big deal

I'm not sure what side you're taking here, but I'd rather lane split while moving and filter when stopped than have this happen:



Even in CA, there are riders who feel it's "not safe" to lane split. My response is always that people who choose not to do something while never having tried it are entitled to not do that something, but should also not judge those who participate. Because they have no frame of reference for making the judgment on others.

[broilmebk]

Originally Posted by Jinx250

I'm not sure what side you're taking here, but I'd rather lane split while moving and filter when stopped than have this happen:



Even in CA, there are riders who feel it's "not safe" to lane split. My response is always that people who choose not to do something while never having tried it are entitled to not do that something, but should also not judge those who participate. Because they have no frame of reference for making the judgment on others.

[Miles_Prower]

i think it should be legal, but there should be stipulations obviously.

i personally wouldn't split when traffic was moving over 10mph or so probably. it just seems too dangerous to me, too many unknowns.

i would have no qualms about moving through stopped traffic, though where I live that's not a huge issue. There is one road that runs through the "city" which always is backed up and adds 15-60 minutes onto my commute time (especially when there are stupid farm show events..tractor dancing??..really???). I wouldn't mind if it was legal to filter through especially now that I started commuting on my bike.

[massacremasses]

Originally Posted by Jinx250

^

Originally Posted by mustang5.0

when it the letter of the law and personal safety is involved.. people freak out.
yeah.. no big deal

Let me know how that works out for you.

I purposely split lanes at almost all lights because. Im afraid of that happening. If you're in the middle space the chances are that youll be safe when that car to the side of you gets rear ended.

[Miles_Prower]

wow that guy got plowed! im so scared of that happening..as soon as i stop i have my eyes on my mirrors and ill watch as a person pulls up behind me. hopefully itll never happen but the first time i see some guy coming in quick im shooting out of the way.

[broilmebk]

Originally Posted by Miles_Prower

wow that guy got plowed! im so scared of that happening..as soon as i stop i have my eyes on my mirrors and ill watch as a person pulls up behind me. hopefully itll never happen but the first time i see some guy coming in quick im shooting out of the way.

If the car behind me isn't already stopped I try to tap the brake several times until they do.

[Miles_Prower]

Originally Posted by trixter

Look at how quickly it happened though. Even if you had the ability to see the vehicle before it hit you would you have enough space to get out of the way?

that's true, i try to watch my mirrors even as im slowing down but you never know if the person is going to stop or not. there'd be next to no reaction time.

and yep, started tapping my brakes so people can see i'm slowing down.

[mustang5.0]

Originally Posted by Jinx250

I'm not sure what side you're taking here, but I'd rather lane split while moving and filter when stopped than have this happen:



Even in CA, there are riders who feel it's "not safe" to lane split. My response is always that people who choose not to do something while never having tried it are entitled to not do that something, but should also not judge those who participate. Because they have no frame of reference for making the judgment on others.

im not about sides.. but i do split lanes..
in that pic, it looks like the guy is in the mid of the lane.. correct?

[blink]

Just be safe, then be stupid

[Whiskey]

Originally Posted by blink

Just be safe, then be stupid

Much safer to be at the head of the line of traffic, ready to move before trouble comes looking for you.

Get to the top of the line, keep an eye on the mirror until something heavier stops behind you. Then you can click into neutral, knowing you can't end up in a sandwich like the pic above, and if anything is going to be rear ended it'll be the cage behind you

[ajcadoo]

Originally Posted by lostdaemon

their primary direction is forward, not sideways - it's safer to split than to be sandwiched.

This sentence is so wrong. If their primary attention is forward, then there is no risk of being sandwiched!

Lane splitting is wrong in so many ways. It is unbelievably dangerous and I will never do it.

Cagers look for gaps in traffic when they switch lanes, they aren't looking for a small bicycle traveling 20-30MPH faster than them a few hundred feet behind.

[etiainen]

When I'm literally sitting at lights that have traffic backed up multiple blocks and nothing is moving, it is hard to resist the urge to lane split.

[massacremasses]

Originally Posted by ajcadoo

This sentence is so wrong. If their primary attention is forward, then there is no risk of being sandwiched!

Lane splitting is wrong in so many ways. It is unbelievably dangerous and I will never do it.

Cagers look for gaps in traffic when they switch lanes, they aren't looking for a small bicycle traveling 20-30MPH faster than them a few hundred feet behind.

you split lanes on a bicycle? wtf.

Dont do it then, but it being "wrong in so many ways" is silly and inaccurate.

also we were talking about filtering at lights as to try and not get sandwiched. filtering in stop and go traffic is different and probably more dangerous. But stopped at a light I dont see how its "unbelievably dangerous"

Originally Posted by Whiskey

Much safer to be at the head of the line of traffic, ready to move before trouble comes looking for you.

Get to the top of the line, keep an eye on the mirror until something heavier stops behind you. Then you can click into neutral, knowing you can't end up in a sandwich like the pic above, and if anything is going to be rear ended it'll be the cage behind you

[Malicious Logic]

I wish it was legal here....I'd love to lane split to the front at lights. Probably the only time I'd do it, unless I was on the highway. Traffic usually gets pretty backed up. We have some douchebags here in OK too that would probably try to stop you even if it was legal but I don't think that's a reason to not make it legal. Should only be something that you as a rider need to take into account when you decide whether or not you're gonna split.

[lostdaemon]

Originally Posted by ajcadoo

This sentence is so wrong. If their primary attention is forward, then there is no risk of being sandwiched!

I'm sorry, cars drive sideways now? I said direction, not attention.

My meaning was that I'd rather be between two cars, side-to-side, that between the rear bumper of one car and the front bumper of another car. If some idiot doesn't see me, they may stop before hitting the CAR in front of me...but I'd be crushed. Sorry if that was unclear.

And you can totally filter on a bicycle at lights - not advisable while traffic is moving, unless necessary (getting into a left turn lane.) It's actually a good idea to filter forward on a bicycle to the front of the line, in the crosswalk, whatever gets you in the most visible position possible. Unless you ride on the sidewalk...?

I feel more at risk splitting or filtering on my bicycle than on my motorcycle - I have a lot less armor on, and a lot less speed to get out of trouble!

I gotta say for California, and this goes for bicycles as well as motorcycles - the more bikes that are on the road, the more the cagers get used to it, look for bikes, and get out of the way. Maybe I'm over hopeful for a sea change...

[blink]

Originally Posted by ajcadoo

This sentence is so wrong. If their primary attention is forward, then there is no risk of being sandwiched!

Lane splitting is wrong in so many ways. It is unbelievably dangerous and I will never do it.

Cagers look for gaps in traffic when they switch lanes, they aren't looking for a small bicycle traveling 20-30MPH faster than them a few hundred feet behind.

Lane splitting is dangerous, I would only do it during rushhour traffic if everyone is stopped at a light...

[Motofool]

Where in USA is lane splitting legal?

California only?

How does the Californian law reads?

[Jinx250]

Originally Posted by mustang5.0

im not about sides.. but i do split lanes..
in that pic, it looks like the guy is in the mid of the lane.. correct?

Yes, the guy was sitting at the light in the middle of the lane. The guy on the bike got punted into the bed of the truck, escaping with only minor injuries. Happened in (I think) 2009 in Wisconsin.

Originally Posted by ajcadoo

In my opinion Lane splitting is wrong in so many ways. It is unbelievably dangerous and I will never do it.

Fixed it for you.

[broilmebk]

Originally Posted by trixter

There are two types of statutes generally speaking. Restrictive and affirmative statutes. In general everything is legal unless there is a restrictive law against it. Affirmative laws generally are the exceptions to restrictive laws, for example killing someone is illegal - unless it is in self defense.

California has no law regulating lane splitting, since it is not banned it is legal.

Originally Posted by trixter

Yeah that is the Black Devil R1 ride.

The reason CHP doesnt care is because it is legal in California although as cited above only 53% of drivers know this. This is Motorcycle safety awareness month or something (heard it on the radio when that study came out a couple weeks ago). However there is not much awareness going on that study got 1 day of news and that was it.


http://www.chp.ca.gov/html/answers.html


http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/hdbk/shr_slow_veh.htm

Is what's stated in the handbook not considered law?

Motorcycles may travel faster than traffic during congested road conditions and can legally travel in the unused space between two lines of moving or stationary vehicles; this is commonly called "lane splitting."

[broilmebk]

thanks for clearing that up

[dfox]

Well, I tried it today. Just got tired of watching bikes and scooters ripping past traffic in the bicycle lane, and took to it myself, just for a short period of road to try it. There is a two lane plus bike lane road that goes to one lane bike lane and parking for about 1/4 mile, then back to two lanes just before a traffic light.

Got a few yells from angry drivers, but other than that, nothing too bad. I was behind a long line of bikes, so I was only going 5 to 10 at most. I put on my right turn signal, then "changed my mind" once the light turned green. Figured this would help if I got pulled. The guy at the front of the line slowed down to let me in, he had no issues with it.

It probably cut about 15 mins off my commute though. I won't continue doing it, unless it becomes legal, but just curious how many others illegally filter at traffic lights.

[lgk]

wish we could lane split here....

there is a law that forbids riding two abreast, effectively eliminating lane splitting.

i know my local rep, if he gets reelected ill try to get him to do something.

[dfox]

Massachusetts has tried to pass a lane splitting bill twice now. I don't know exactly what happened, but I've contacted the representative who sponsored the bill to see what can be done, since it hasn't been tried since 2007, and there have been some additional studies published since 2007 regarding the potential safety benefits, as well as reducing traffic congestion.

i see the benefit for sure, a motorcycle within a line of traffic is much less visible than one in front of traffic.

[lazarith]

I tried lane splitting once in 5mph bumper-to-bumper traffic. There were 2 cars on either side of me that slowly converged like they were conspiring to squish me! (Boston area)

[broilmebk]

Thought it was illegal there?

[lazarith]

Yeah, but I didn't know that at the time because everyone seems to do it.

[broilmebk]

Hah. Be careful out there!

[lazarith]

Anybody else have a car split them? As in, being to the side of a lane and have a car zoom through your lane between you and another car?

[massacremasses]

no, take out their mirror. or kick in their door. Then see if they do that again.