Auckland commuters

[Mom]

Will I get pinged using the flush median to filter past slow/stopped traffic?

Or, how likely am I to get pinged doing it respectfully? I know it is risky in slow moving traffic, but I would be taking special care to watch for turning vehicles for my own safety.

I had a friggen stupid bint come up along the left of me tonight, totally oblivious to my existance, so much so she did not register my presence even though she stopped beside me. I was to the right of the lane ( right wheel track right), attempting to see past the friggen tinted to the max people mover in front of me. Traffic was moving 15 kph max. This bint came up my inside taking up the shoulder! To her credit, she looked a bit surprised to see me glaring in her drivers window :shutup: I used polite sign language to indicate that this was MY lane and she should be behind me, it worked :yes:

I so wanted to creep by the very slow line of cars on the median strip, but it is illegal, and I am a good law abiding gal. Probably would have been safer for me though, and frankly would have avoided a bit of arm pump for me.

So how likely am I to get pinged for that if plod saw me?

I am happy to filter past slow moving traffic if there is no flush median.

[steve_t]

Did you get in on this thread, Mom?

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php/136579-Am-I-in-the-wrong?

[Mom]

Did you get in on this thread, Mom?

No, but thank you, I have just asked the question of the lovely Toaster :D

[chasio]

You'd have to miss a plod and be unlucky. If you look confident and are not taking the piss (and I know you will / won't in that order) should be all good. Either I've been really lucky for the last few years or they genuinely aren't too bothered.

Course, you may not know where they like to hang out on your route yet and someone may not like fancy blue bikes, so you could be unlucky... I hope you're not :)

[Nasty]

and his thoughts were????

I spend a reasonable amount of time splitting up here and find it an interesting way to travel ... when I don't feel comfortable I drop back into the traffic ... am not sure how likely it is to get pinged .. but I have some rules around how much faster than the traffic etc ....

[Mully]

I do it everyday - past Mr Plod in his disco taxi quite often.

My theory is, in Auckland traffic, anything is legal as long as you don't do it like your trousers are on fire. Unless you're unlucky, and Mr Plod is having a bad day, I'd suggest you'd be unlucky to get pinged.

You're more likely to get cleaned up by an errant cager pulling into the median without "seeing" you.


EDIT: And be aware of rubbish swept onto the median by the traffic - stones etc....

[swbarnett]

I do it everyday - past Mr Plod in his disco taxi quite often.
Ditto.

I also concurr with everything else Mully said.

[Captian soup]

iv never been pinged for median strip spltting either, dominion rd great south/north, infront of mr plod no worries..i think they sit there and think "lucky prick":lol: i have only been riding for a year or so though..

[Gremlin]

As with most stuff, if the cop is a bad egg, or having a bad day, they'll find something.

Technically, no, you cannot use the median to pass vehicles.

[marie_speeds]

I haven't done it, but that is a confidence thing and with my L plate I most definitely would get pinged :yes: but I do watch others do it every morning on strip in Waterview. I think that as long as traffic is moving and nothing is dangerous the police don't worry about it. Well certain officers anyway.
I once drove from Papakura back to the city in a line of traffic all doing 120km and in the mix of the line was a police car.... he didn't do a thing and then just got off at the city and went back to central. So I sort of gathered that he was either late for something or just didn't want to disrupt a good flow of traffic.

[YellowDog]

I've been doing the SH1 Harbour Bridge crossing every morning this week. On the first couple of days when I have seen Cop Cars ahead of me, I have pulled into lane only to be overtaken by bikers who just iignor them.

As has already been said, just ride responsibly and you'll be left to it.

After all Cop bikes do lane split to get through the traffic, so it must be OK...........

Remember to use the KB wave (the middle finger one). They love it :yes:

[ac3_snow]

I have heard of someone getting pinged for using the median strip as its 'not a passing lane' - think I even read about it on here somewhere...
But again I have yet to be pinged for such so +1 to what everyone else has already said!

[Mom]

If you look confident and are not taking the piss (and I know you will / won't in that order) should be all good.

Sweet, thanks guys, this will cut a HUGE amount of time off my trip. I have two 50kph sections to travel, complete with several roundabouts, it has been driving me crazy this week being such a good girl :innocent:

Yay, Maha, you will have to watch out for me 10 mins earlier each night :sunny:

[C.Linnell]

I do this sometimes on a short stretch of Manukau road when all the cars are stopped at rush hour.

I've never seen a cop there, but and I feel like if I was doing it slowly and carefully there'd be no issue.

However, there's a massive risk of drivers going "fuck this" and pulling out into the median. It's happened more than once just in front of me (thankfully not too close). You know they're not going to look before they leap.

[Voltaire]

yeah, you gotta be extra vigilant riding in the city as car drivers are pretty unpredictable contrary to what is spouted on by " you know who":innocent:

As tempting as it is to go 50kmph down the bus lanes when traffic is at a crawl I don't recommend it for the reasons given above.


However, there's a massive risk of drivers going "fuck this" and pulling out into the median. It's happened more than once just in front of me (thankfully not too close). You know they're not going to look before they leap.

Car drivers live in their own little world of music, phone, makeup, passengers....and attention to road is way less than a rider.

[zeocen]

I don't do it purely because of unpredictable behaviour.

For example, I was waiting at a petrol station exit to go right, it was choca and a car had stopped to let me through so I went out slowly and gave him a thank you nod. Then, suddenly as I was passing through the medium barrier I see a fuckwit on a green ZX10 come blasting through and almost collect me. He would've been doing over the speed limit in the medium and I couldn't see him over all the cars, it was because I was coming out slow that I managed to avoid him.

[Swoop]

Don't do it.






































That's what cycle lanes and footpaths are for!!!

[vifferman]

EDIT: And be aware of rubbish swept onto the median by the traffic - stones etc....
Indeed.
When I used to make a habit of spending as much time while communtering NOT being in the lanes with all the mobile chicanery, I picked up lots of crap in my tyres, including three times getting a nail in a near-new rear tyre. :facepalm:

[Neon]

I have been pinged for it. And yes, I was being sensible and just passing a couple of cars at a time, not flying down the median strip like a madman. It was on my daily commute and in two years I haven't seen a cop around those parts again. Must have been my unlucky day.

I'm a little more careful about when and where I do it now, but it shits me when I'm creeping along with the traffic and two or three bikes fly past me on the median like I'm tied to the fence. :facepalm:

[Blinkwing]

And be aware of rubbish swept onto the median by the traffic - stones etc....

Ran over a hubcap once. Wasn't pretty.

[Insanity_rules]

Ive tried splitting up the southern motorway at 5pm once. NEVER again, blardy Jaffa's are crazy! Its much easier to do on the Hutt motorway.

[MarkH]

Ive tried splitting up the southern motorway at 5pm once. NEVER again, blardy Jaffa's are crazy! Its much easier to do on the Hutt motorway.

Meh, you get used to it. I often split along the southern motorway.

[steelphoenix]

I hardly split at all - being as I'm 6L, I'm trying not to lose my licence before I get to 6F!

I only split when -
- traffic is stationary (very rare),
- at lights, waiting for the change,
- coming up to roundabouts.

I have yet to be pinged or have someone go out in front of me. Though I've only been doing this since November... (= large grain of salt)

[zeocen]

Ive tried splitting up the southern motorway at 5pm once. NEVER again, blardy Jaffa's are crazy! Its much easier to do on the Hutt motorway.

I've been doing it five days a week for years and years now. The car drivers by majoriy are really quite accomodating. Motorcyclists on the other hand... I really start to hate my own kind...

[swbarnett]

However, there's a massive risk of drivers going "fuck this" and pulling out into the median. It's happened more than once just in front of me (thankfully not too close). You know they're not going to look before they leap.
Happend to me once right beside me. Thankfully I managed to scrape past them. Had to lift my left foot off the peg as the car bumper scraped past and along the muffler. Way too close for comfort.

[swbarnett]

Ive tried splitting up the southern motorway at 5pm once. NEVER again, blardy Jaffa's are crazy! Its much easier to do on the Hutt motorway.
Done right and in the right frame of mind traffic that tight can be a lot of fun to split through.

[jtzzr]

Ive tried splitting up the southern motorway at 5pm once. NEVER again, blardy Jaffa's are crazy! Its much easier to do on the Hutt motorway.

Split when cars are side by side and not staggered, well that`s what Iv`e heard, Mom just take it easy , and keep your eyes peeled.

[Mom]

Split when cars are side by side and not staggered, well that`s what Iv`e heard, Mom just take it easy , and keep your eyes peeled.

Yeah thanks, my peeled eye balls are working so far...Been ages, hows you?

[Voltaire]

I was driving up the Southern Motorway around 6 heading North past Mt Wellington....I could see flashing lights coming up between the lines of cars in my mirror...... a bike went past with his hazard lights on ...... never seen that before.... spose it saves you choosing which indicator to leave on lanesplitting...:innocent:

[aprilia_RS250]

I live in Akl and lane split everywhere and anyway I can. Footpaths, pedestrian alleyways, bus lanes, flush medians, road islands and once I even rode over the big albany roundabout to cut time. I ride with the mindset if there is a space and it's safe do it, after all you're on a motorbike which is a great traffic reducing form of transport.

Have passed many many cop cars while splitting before, I have some tunes going and tend not to look at my side view mirrors...:scooter:

[C.Linnell]

....

@Aprilia. I can't wipe the smile off my face... I just can't tell if you're kidding... either way that's fucking hilarious (for very different reasons).

[cheshirecat]

Was riding out to the Le Mans 24 hr bike race once on the autoroute (as one does) and as the traffic became nose to tail doing 50/70; the bikes kept doing 130/150 through all the gaps, between cars, outer median etc. I decided to join them and picked a goup doing the lower end (130ish) and ended up riding between cars relying on my high bars and mirrors (CBX1000) to avoid clanging the cars. It was so close you daren't even think about the gap. Throughout the entire weekend not one bike accident did I see - apart from the track.
I might add the cars are very bike disciplined there - they have to be and they will take you on.

[Swoop]

@Aprilia. I can't wipe the smile off my face... I just can't tell if you're kidding...
It is simply "the law".
If you do not know you are being chased, then it is not a "chase".

[flyingcrocodile46]

I have seen a couple of other bikers get pulled over when they were lane splitting (one looked very nervous while riding, but I couldn't guess as to why the other was pulled over) and have been waved at to slow down as I passed a caged plod a couple of times (when going 40+ kph faster than the traffic), but otherwise have passed both caged and bike plods while lane splitting with no problems at speeds of around 20-30kph faster than traffic. Once while lane splitting I had bike plod come roaring up behind me with lights and sirens going. I pulled over and he kept going, so I pulled out behind him and found he was leaving me behind untill I picked up the pace to around 60kph faster than the traffic. I then backed off as I was a bit nervous about lane changers

I reckon if you aren't nervously wobbling or splitting at excessive speeds, plod will ignore you.

[MaxCannon]

I split past cops cars every week.
Have never been pinged.
If you are sensible, ride at a reasonable speed and keep your nose clean I don't think they will care.

However - on trying to get out of the way of a patrol car with it's lights and siren going I pulled onto the hard shoulder of the motorway.
The officer decided that whatever emergency he was trying to get to was now less important than issueing a ticket for me riding on the hard shoulder.
When I tried to explain I was just trying to get out the way so he could go past he wouldn't listen.
Ticket is yet to turn up (he said he'd post it) so when it does I'll be writing to them and quoting the section of the road code that says what I did was right.

Moral of the story - just because you aren't breaking the law doesn't mean a cop having a crap day won't try to give you a ticket.

[Toaster]

After all Cop bikes do lane split to get through the traffic, so it must be OK...........


It is a bit more complex than that mate, police are entitled to overrule and give direction to drivers in contravention of a road rule if the circumstances require it. Lane spilitting is a grey area and depends on a number of factors as to whether it would be breaching a specific rule or as bad as careless driving.

In my experience, there was a time and place for everything and if the rider or driver was not presenting any danger to themselves or others... well common sense prevails.

Using a flush median is illegal and it is not a lane available to bikers just because they are narrower than cars.

I am a great believer in taking a pragmatic approach and using discretion where appropriate... but hey, I am no longer in that career.

[MarkH]

However - on trying to get out of the way of a patrol car with it's lights and siren going I pulled onto the hard shoulder of the motorway.
The officer decided that whatever emergency he was trying to get to was now less important than issueing a ticket for me riding on the hard shoulder.
When I tried to explain I was just trying to get out the way so he could go past he wouldn't listen.

A fuckwit in the police force, who'd have thunk it?
Yeah, I'm afraid that fuckwits infest every part of society.

Good luck contesting the ticket - a well written letter will often get a response that they are dropping the matter. If the idiots don't listen then let them know you are going to contest it in court, chances are that they wont be willing to go to court to push the matter and look like dicks in front of a judge.