Friendly reminder...

[Devil]

Hey guys and girls,
Dont forget to cancel your indicators when you're lane splitting (and staying in the same lane).

Whoever it was on the older CBR250 on the northern motorway this morning... you had people swerving away from you because they thought you were turning in towards them.

But otherwise, i compliment you on your cautious and safe lane splitting speed! Just watch the indicators. :wavey:

[pete376403]

Keep the bastards guessing! Anything that causes a cage to swerve AWAY from a bike can't be all bad.

[Devil]

Heh, yeah, all fun and games until they swerve in the wrong direction.

[Zed]

Hey guys and girls,
Dont forget to cancel your indicators when you're lane splitting (and staying in the same lane).

Whoever it was on the older CBR250 on the northern motorway this morning... you had people swerving away from you because they thought you were turning in towards them.

But otherwise, i compliment you on your cautious and safe lane splitting speed! Just watch the indicators. :wavey:Some people are horrendous in their lane splitting technique...I happen to think that having the right indicator on is more safer than no indication. Also, it would probably be best to be indicating as you pass cars- no indication would be a ripe opportunity for HP to ticket you. :msn-wink:


Zed

[Devil]

I disagree. You should use your indicator when shifting over the lane. This guy was riding in the left part of a lane, signalling right...

[Zed]

I disagree. You should use your indicator when shifting over the lane. This guy was riding in the left part of a lane, signalling right...
Yes you should use your indicator when shifting lanes. The thing with lane spliting is that you can never consistently stay in one lane, so in essence you are shifting lanes all the time. My point is that advocating no indication is more illegal than indicating right when passing on the left of the lane- which will become the right of the next lane once a car forces you to shift lanes.

If a cop witnesses 2 bikes splitting different lanes and one was indicating and the other wasn't, I think I know who would get ticketed! Both could be.


Zed

[James Deuce]

I disagree. You should use your indicator when shifting over the lane. This guy was riding in the left part of a lane, signalling right...
Well he'd get ticketed anyway.

There is an argument that lane splitting is legal, provided you pass a vehicle on it's right hand side, whilst to the left of the lane marker.

[Devil]

Yes you should use your indicator when shifting lanes. The thing with lane spliting is that you can never consistently stay in one lane, so in essence you are shifting lanes all the time. My point is that advocating no indication is more illegal than indicating right when passing on the left of the lane- which will become the right of the next lane once a car forces you to shift lanes.

If a cop witnesses 2 bikes splitting different lanes and one was indicating and the other wasn't, I think I know who would get ticketed! Both could be.


Zed
Ok if you're not staying in the one lane, yeah I agree. In this particular situation, he was quite happily tootling along in the same lane, plenty of room.
:spudwhat:

[kerryg]

My first post so don't be too hard on me.....

Can someone tell me what the strict legal position is regarding lane splitting? When is it allowed and when not?I tend not to do it out of fear of getting a ticket. Am I at risk of getting a ticket if I do it? I see bikers doing it all the time so get the feeling it's OK....but knowing my luck I'll get a $200 ticket first time I do it.

Enlightenment would be welcome. (I got my bike licence about a hundred years ago and I honestly don't remember any reference to lane splitting in the Road Code in those olden days.........)

[James Deuce]

Hi Kerryg. Nice bike. :)

Technically lanesplitting is illegal, though if you see my post above BRONZ believe that that interpretation is correct. A police person has quite a few things they can charge you with for lane splitting, so it is best not to antagonise them. I'm an old granny and only lane split when the traffic is more or less stopped. Don't use the service lane on the left because they will ticket you for that.

[Devil]

Yeah, technically, when the traffic is stopped its ok. as long as you can see at least 100 metres ahead of you. But when the traffic is moving, Its up to the officer whether or not they bother giving you a ticket.

[Jabez]

Hi Kerryg. Nice bike. :)

Technically lanesplitting is illegal, though if you see my post above BRONZ believe that that interpretation is correct. A police person has quite a few things they can charge you with for lane splitting, so it is best not to antagonise them. I'm an old granny and only lane split when the traffic is more or less stopped. Don't use the service lane on the left because they will ticket you for that.

Actually there is no law for lane splitting.
Kiwi Bike Rider Mag did an article on it a few months ago & some high up police representative (can't remember who) said that it would come under the 'overtaking law'. If you pass on the left of a vehicle you are deemed to be 'undertaking' which is illegal :bash: , You must pass between the driver side & lane marking, while indicating, with 100 mtr view of road ahead. :banana: The police can nab you for dangerous driving etc.

[James Deuce]

Actually there is no law for lane splitting.
Kiwi Bike Rider Mag did an article on it a few months ago & some high up police representative (can't remember who) said that it would come under the 'overtaking law'. If you pass on the left of a vehicle you are deemed to be 'undertaking' which is illegal :bash: , You must pass between the driver side & lane marking, while indicating, with 100 mtr view of road ahead. :banana: The police can nab you for dangerous driving etc.

Did I not say that?? Hmm. hmm?? :)

[kerryg]

Thanks for the information, everyone. So I now understand that lane-splitting is probably legal if the traffic is stopped, if I indicate, if I can see 100 metres ahead and only if I do it in the gap between the vehicle I'm overtaking and the centre line. That sounds pretty sensible but there sure are a lot of bikers taking a more ' liberal' view of it....

[vifferman]

The last time I was pulled over (no ticket), I asked the cop about 'filtering' and 'lane splitting'. He told me that the best option was to pass on the left (!) if the traffic was not moving. He said I would be unlikely to be ticketed for this, unless I collided with any other vehicle, then it would be my fault.

Reading the regulations on overtaking, it seems that the interpretation posted here is correct - you may pass as long as the traffic isn't moving, you indicate your intention, you pass on the right, and you don't cross the lane marking.

I've had to resort to overtaking on the footpath a couple of times (suburban street blocked with traffic) and once on the verge of the motorway byt the North Shore HP headquarters (traffic not moving, insufficient room to get around). Do you think that is OK? :confused2

[pete376403]

The last time I was pulled over (no ticket), I asked the cop about 'filtering' and 'lane splitting'. He told me that the best option was to pass on the left (!) if the traffic was not moving. He said I would be unlikely to be ticketed for this, unless I collided with any other vehicle, then it would be my fault.
Did he offer to give you that in writing?

[Posh Tourer :P]

The last time I was pulled over (no ticket), I asked the cop about 'filtering' and 'lane splitting'. He told me that the best option was to pass on the left (!) if the traffic was not moving. He said I would be unlikely to be ticketed for this, unless I collided with any other vehicle, then it would be my fault.


I chatted to a guy riding a GN250 who got fined for doing just that.....

[MD]

Trouble is for some reason most cars seem to hug the right side of their lane (or the centre line so they can increase their chances of having a head on!) and this makes it damn hard to pass on a cars right while not creeping over the lane divider. I,ve made a very conscious effort for some years to drive the car well to the left after noticing how many idiots hug the centre line these days leaving heaps of safe space on their left

[Lou Girardin]

After all the posts on this there are still misconceptions.
If the traffic is stopped, you can overtake on any side.
It is legal to overtake between the car and the lane divider on his right.
You can't ride on the stopping shoulder or between the right lane and median strip.
You can be done for careless or dangerous driving if your speed is considerably faster than the traffic flow.
You can be done for failing to indicate your lane changes.
You can't use M/way bus lanes.
I think that covers it.

[rodgerd]

My first post so don't be too hard on me.....

Can someone tell me what the strict legal position is regarding lane splitting? When is it allowed and when not?I tend not to do it out of fear of getting a ticket. Am I at risk of getting a ticket if I do it? I see bikers doing it all the time so get the feeling it's OK....but knowing my luck I'll get a $200 ticket first time I do it.


There was a letter from a senior Police officer in Kiwi Rider a couple of months ago. It basically boiled down to the letter of the law allowing lane splitting under certain conditions, but since one of those is safety, it's basically at the discretion of the officer as to whether you are legit in any given maneouver.

[rodgerd]

I've had to resort to overtaking on the footpath a couple of times (suburban street blocked with traffic)

I think riding a motorcycle on a footpath makes you a wanker, since you asked. And people wonder why riders have a bad public image...

[speedpro]

After all the posts on this there are still misconceptions.
If the traffic is stopped, you can overtake on any side.
It is legal to overtake between the car and the lane divider on his right.
You can't ride on the stopping shoulder or between the right lane and median strip.
You can be done for careless or dangerous driving if your speed is considerably faster than the traffic flow.
You can be done for failing to indicate your lane changes.
You can't use M/way bus lanes.
I think that covers it.
I actually wrote the letter to Kiwi Rider that prompted the enquiry to the Police about splitting lanes. since then I have been stopped and warned again and stopped and ticketed once as well. It turned out that someone had dialled *555 about me lane splitting at "speed" (through spaghetti junction at 5:30pm on a MB100 - yeah right!). The officer saw me pass 2 cars within the same lane on their left at 15KMH, that's the speed I was going. That was down on the NW m'way now. Anyway I've requested a court date as my reasoning letter fell on deaf ears (eyes?). I'm going to get a few people who have seen me doing it to write some sort of referance and I'm going to video the traffic flow to illustrate my point about where it's safest to ride etc etc. Technically I don't have a leg to stand on but I'm hoping that commonsence might prevail. If nothing else it'll make the police work for their $150.

Of course I'll be a marked man for the rest of my commuting days.