Riding down the middle of slow moving traffic

[WLG Commuta]

Morning,

I had yet another F@#!*% near death experience with my wife on pillion this morning when i had to slam on anchors when a dopey guy in a van changed lanes!!! (w/out indicating of course). I was going roughly 40kmph (not keen on any faster knowing i have limited time to break with two of us on board, but the issue i have is this idiot not only changed lanes, as i've explained, but decided to then open his window down and yell:
'Get out of the centre lane C%$T!!' :oi-grr:

At this point not only did i get a healthy dose of adrenalin from the fright, but being provoked, tempted me to stop traffic and share my Hulk like anger and throbbing vein under my helmut with him and give him some back by.... i dont know?.... Rip his F%$!@g head off! :mad:

My wife needless to say calmed me down and we biked off with me spitting tacs all the way to work!

My question: Is it legal / do we have the right to move through the traffic with our indicator on at a reasonable speed i.e slightly faster than the traffic we're in?:Police:

Unsure and still angry!

[CookMySock]

do you mean riding up the white line between the lanes? Yes you are fully entitled to do that. A site search here will reveal a wide range of information on lane-splitting. He is not remotely entitled to cut you off and abuse you - that is dangerous driving at the very least.

Steve

[vgcspares]

yes it might be legal, BUT

both the insurance community and the police will consider you at fault if you have any kind of accident while lane splitting

you can do it so long as you get away with it - which for once appears to be an interpretation of the law which makes some sense !

[BMWST?]

i dont think it is legal

[James Deuce]

i dont think it is legal
It is, and it has been gone into at length and legal advice has been provided by the Police on KB repeatedly.

If you over take a vehicle on the right hand side whilst indicating you are fine. That also applies to overtaking on double yellows. Don't cross them, use your indicators, all good.

The Popo apply discretion to the situation and will pull you if you are a danger to yourself or others.

[Ixion]

Splitting through stopped traffic : Unequivocally legal

Splitting through 100kph traffic : Almost certainly illegal

Splitting through slow moving traffic : Define slow

Input from cops has indicated that they are relaxed about it under around 50kph bike speed and < 20kph differential

[portokiwi]

:first: COOL:first:

[CookMySock]

Splitting through 100kph traffic : Almost certainly illegalThis is not what I thought. My understanding is, we can pass at or around open-road speeds, where there is room, and when it is safe, and the speed differential is not excessive.

Anyone else?

Steve

[vindy500]

This is not what I thought. My understanding is, we can pass at or around open-road speeds, where there is room, and when it is safe, and the speed differential is not excessive.

Anyone else?

Steve

if youre splitting through 100kmph traffic it implies youre going over 100kmph. this is called speeding as far as i know which is illigal

[Dealer]

In the same lane-
legal to overtake on the right hand side, not the left.
Unfortunately there is more room to overtake on the left, as everyone drives to the right of their lanes. I usually limit my speed to 60km or 20km faster than traffic (usually).
Have ridden past cops and not received any letters in the post (yet).

[marty]

is the 'search' function disabled on your browser?

[Dealer]

theres a search function on the browser?

[vifferman]

My understanding is, we can pass at or around open-road speeds, where there is room, and when it is safe, and the speed differential is not excessive.
If you're lanesplitting (which is what we were talking about), and "the speed differential is not excessive " (i.e., less than 20km/h), then to be going at up to 100 km/h, the traffic must be doing up to 80km/h. The police would most likely view that as too fast to be safe.

If the traffic is doing 70km/h or more, I generally don't lanesplit.

[CookMySock]

I ask, as I often roll up behind cars while I am travelling at 100-110 ish, and they usually move over just a little, which is plenty of room to roll past while straddling the white line. It's just too easy, even with oncoming traffic. It's hardly even a "passing manoever" - more a split past. 50% of the time I won't do it because there is some risk - traffic doesn't move over, cager hasn't seen me (rare!), cager moves up to the white centerline, cager is driving erratically, can't see their eyes in the their rear-vision mirrors, ad nauseum.

Not legal? Dangerous? Comments? I seem to have no problem doing it, and cars widely assist me with it even.

Steve

[Cynos]

Morning,

I had yet another F@#!*% near death experience with my wife on pillion this morning when i had to slam on anchors when a dopey guy in a van changed lanes!!! (w/out indicating of course). I was going roughly 40kmph (not keen on any faster knowing i have limited time to break with two of us on board, but the issue i have is this idiot not only changed lanes, as i've explained, but decided to then open his window down and yell:
'Get out of the centre lane C%$T!!' :oi-grr:

At this point not only did i get a healthy dose of adrenalin from the fright, but being provoked, tempted me to stop traffic and share my Hulk like anger and throbbing vein under my helmut with him and give him some back by.... i dont know?.... Rip his F%$!@g head off! :mad:

My wife needless to say calmed me down and we biked off with me spitting tacs all the way to work!

My question: Is it legal / do we have the right to move through the traffic with our indicator on at a reasonable speed i.e slightly faster than the traffic we're in?:Police:

Unsure and still angry!

40kmh is about as fast as I'll travel when lane splitting in heavy traffic - most lane changes by cars in that kinda traffic are split-second decisions, which means they don't bother indicating, so I try to ride like it - I'm on a 150kg 250cc, to give you an idea of my stopping distance. If you've extra weight on the bike, your stopping distance will be longer, so IMO 40km/h is a bit too fast.

[vifferman]

Not legal? Dangerous? Comments? I seem to have no problem doing it, and cars widely assist me with it even.
I don't get it.
You allegedly live in Edgecumbe. What real world experience do you have with the type of lanesplitting those of us who communt in D'Auckland or Wellington have to do?
Even if you haven't ridden in D'Auckland much, Shirley you must realise that communtering here is a stoatally different ballgame to riding in the Deep, Dark Wilds of up-town Edgecumbe.

[Katman]

Deep, Dark Wilds of up-town Edgecumbe.

And there was me thinking you couldn't get any more International than Edgecumbe.

:wacko:

[WLG Commuta]

Thank you for all the replies, and opinions

As i said i commute everyday and have some dopey idiot do the pull in front of you stunt each day with plenty of time to brake and i hold my breath and travel on.

My issue and what got me thinking is the guy insisted i had no right to be passing through the middle and i was unsure of my legal obligation before i decided to re mold his door with my boot.

If you are going 40km p/h and you know what you're doing and concentrating, its plenty of time to slow down to stop or at least change safe direction with a pillion, its just an annoyance when i watch where I'm going but some half asleep tin head can just do as they please. I will be commuting on Monday and i will no doubt see that tosser again and the satisfaction of pulling the finger and getting to work 30min before he does will make my day!

[WLG Commuta]

FYI - I am in Wellington and the worst of this sh*t is the Ngauranga fly over before the SH1 & @ merge

[CookMySock]

I don't get it.
You allegedly live in Edgecumbe. What real world experience do you have with the type of lanesplitting those of us who communt in D'Auckland or Wellington have to do?
Even if you haven't ridden in D'Auckland much, Shirley you must realise that communtering here is a stoatally different ballgame to riding in the Deep, Dark Wilds of up-town Edgecumbe.Take a look back at what I have typed in this thread, and quote me and ask a with a relevant question instead of attempting to discredit.

Steve

[Hiflyer]

Yay another bitching thread !!!! :girlfight:









:yawn::zzzz:

[Katman]

instead of attempting to discredit.

Steve

Why do you make it so easy?

[CookMySock]

Why do you make it so easy?For you to show your lack of character? Keep doing it, Steve.

Steve

[MarkH]

I will be commuting on Monday and i will no doubt see that tosser again and the satisfaction of pulling the finger and getting to work 30min before he does will make my day!

If he pulls that shit again (changing lane without indicating) then you have my permission to do any/all of these things:
- *555 his number plate, complain that this car changed lanes without indicating almost causing an accident.
- removing a wing mirror.
- kicking a door in.
- doing bodily harm to the driver.

Unfortunately you are only legally allowed to do the first one. I wont personally mind if you do more, but the police might.

[James Deuce]

FYI - I am in Wellington and the worst of this sh*t is the Ngauranga fly over before the SH1 & @ merge

I know you guys. I let you into a gap in front of me on Molesworth St and your lovely wife gave me a friendly wave and I followed you onto the motorway.

Welcome to KB btw.

[Laxi]

legal/illegal :slap: just take his wing mirror as a souviner and be on your merry way giving him a polite 1 finger wave

[bikejam2]

Just move the passengers wing mirror so he can't see down the side of his van, give him the one finger salute and *555 him, that way cops can't get ya for vandalism.

[avago]

I believe Dealer is correct. Had a cop try to do me for dangerous driving cos I was lane splitting. I went and spoke to the chief traffic cop (back in days of MOT) and got it sorted. If in same lane as car, passing on left is classed as undertaking and therefore illegal. Passing on the right of car, no problem!

BTW any else noticed that the cars typically only swerve across lanes when the traffic is moving slowly? hence making lane splitting dangerous at slower speeds.

[Number One]

the worst of this sh*t is the Ngauranga fly over before the SH1 & @ merge
YUP. Split there every day and usually pass a couple of coppers too. NOt once have I had a warning, raised hand or grumpy screaming cager - BUT I don't split fast AND I am always prepared to stop on a dime. I look really far ahead and use cars as shields. I also tend to run in a lower gear so that the throbby vtwin exhaust alerts them to my presence...this I am sure makes a huge difference! I hardly ever get people cutting me off as if I wasn't there.

Does get tiresome though doesn't it - it's not like they get any further ahead with their constant lane changes...I wish there was a bike only road to and from work with lots of nice corners too!

[caseye]

Hey now there's an idea, why can't we riders use the emergency or bus lanes on the motorways?
A lower gear on a V Twin is always a great idea, they definitely can't say they didn't know you were there.
Here in Ak lane splitting is dangereous at all times, done with skill, smoothness and a certain amount of respect for your fellow motorists it's perfectly acceptable to most of them and more importantly to the copper sitting in his car going nowhere fast when you go by them.
However I'm increasingly seeing folk on 250'swith "L Plates" motoring frantically through traffic at break neck speeds, it is giving all of us a bad name.
Wish we could have a meaningful one on one chat with some of these hero's.

[Patrick]

For you to show your lack of character? Keep doing it, Steve.

Steve

Hey look... he is talking to himself again...