Thumper
25th October 2006, 10:23
When coming in from the North Shore this morning on the Northern, filtering as one does, I noticed a biker cop on the side of the road chatting with a biker just before the Takapuna off-ramp.
While this subject has been done to death on various forums, I am still none the wiser as to whether filtering is or isn’t legal. My current understanding is that while it isn’t technically legal to filter (especially if undertaking not overtaking) a certain amount of leeway is being given by the cops in this regard. In order not to test my understanding I slipped back into a lane with the strategy of getting some clear air then reverting to filtering once the cop was out of sight. As I did this I noticed that about six cars ahead of me in the same lane was a police car. So I though mmmmmm, police car and bike within 100m, better play safe and just sit in the lane for a while.
Less than a minute later, the bike cop came filtering down past me on the right (between middle and fast lanes with a mix of undertaking and overtaking) obviously having finished off with the biker he was chatting to. As he passed me he signalled to me that I should be filtering behind him. This seriously confused me. While I was thinking about what I should be doing, the biker that he had pulled over and a second biker on a GN came filtering past behind the biker cop. As the biker cop passed the patrol car he gave them a wave and shouted something to the driver. The other two bikes just continued past the patrol car. Right I though, looks all good to be filtering so off I went behind the cop and other two bikes. No problems what so ever. Cruised past the patrol car and filtered all the way through until the traffic cleared just before the bridge.
All I can say is “WHAT THE…..”. First time I have seen a biker cop actually encouraging bikers to filter on the Northern. Has anyone else experienced anything similar?
While this subject has been done to death on various forums, I am still none the wiser as to whether filtering is or isn’t legal. My current understanding is that while it isn’t technically legal to filter (especially if undertaking not overtaking) a certain amount of leeway is being given by the cops in this regard. In order not to test my understanding I slipped back into a lane with the strategy of getting some clear air then reverting to filtering once the cop was out of sight. As I did this I noticed that about six cars ahead of me in the same lane was a police car. So I though mmmmmm, police car and bike within 100m, better play safe and just sit in the lane for a while.
Less than a minute later, the bike cop came filtering down past me on the right (between middle and fast lanes with a mix of undertaking and overtaking) obviously having finished off with the biker he was chatting to. As he passed me he signalled to me that I should be filtering behind him. This seriously confused me. While I was thinking about what I should be doing, the biker that he had pulled over and a second biker on a GN came filtering past behind the biker cop. As the biker cop passed the patrol car he gave them a wave and shouted something to the driver. The other two bikes just continued past the patrol car. Right I though, looks all good to be filtering so off I went behind the cop and other two bikes. No problems what so ever. Cruised past the patrol car and filtered all the way through until the traffic cleared just before the bridge.
All I can say is “WHAT THE…..”. First time I have seen a biker cop actually encouraging bikers to filter on the Northern. Has anyone else experienced anything similar?