Lane splitting letter to DomPost 27 Dec 2013

[swbarnett]

but IMO any [motorcyclist] that needs or wants to split cant complain when it turns bad

Totally agree with this bit with minor correction. Splitting is a privelege that, if not treated with an appropriate level of respect and personal responsibility, can turn nasty very quickly. Done properly, however, you're safer between the lanes than taking the risk of being caught up in a concertina brought about by stop-start traffic.

its a unnessary and stupid thing to do (south Is) more so aceptable in stalled traffic in the north IS

Commute on the Auckland motorway long enough and it becomes "necessary" in as much as lots of time is saved and you won't get rear-ended.

either way cagers dislike it

The feeling I get is that those that complain about it know nothing of which they speak. They've probably never done it and most probably never ridden a motorcycle at all. A lot are just jealous of how quick we can get through traffic.

[swbarnett]

yeah and only a fark wit would split lol

Be careful who you call a "fark wit". A lot of car drivers have been heard to say words to the affect of "only a fark wit would ride a motorcycle".

[dangerous]

Be careful who you call a "fark wit". A lot of car drivers have been heard to say words to the affect of "only a fark wit would ride a motorcycle".

im bloody fishing here man, 4 days straight rain, aint ridden for weeks lol, just filling in time, granted bout ya rear ending, tiz why I avoid siting directly behind cages

[Swoop]

Nothing has changed. It's all about interpretation.

That's what keeps the lawyers in business!

[swbarnett]

im bloody fishing here man, 4 days straight rain, aint ridden for weeks lol, just filling in time,

Ouch!

granted bout ya rear ending, tiz why I avoid siting directly behind cages

I was talking about cars rear-ending the motorcycle.

[dangerous]

Ouch!


I was talking about cars rear-ending the motorcycle.

I know, as in it means I have a way out by sitting to the side and... if a cage brakes late behind me hopfully they will turn away from me... but I find it easier not to ride in town slash traffic

[swbarnett]

I know, as in it means I have a way out by sitting to the side and... if a cage brakes late behind me hopfully they will turn away from me... but I find it easier not to ride in town slash traffic

Yeah, of course. I see what you mean now.

[pzkpfw]

Look at Rule 2.6 to 2.11 of the Land Transport (Road User) Rule 2004..

http://www.legislation.govt.nz/regul...resel_25_a&p=1

It's not in the Land Transport Act, unless you're talking Careless Driving, at Section 37.

The biggest problem is Rule 2.6. It introduces a subjective judgement as to what is safe.

Nothing has changed. It's all about interpretation.

Thank you.

Geez, the law! (Not the fault of those whose job it is to uphold it).

Didn't really see anything there to specifically support the usual "legality of lane splitting" opinion - { pass on the right, in same lane }. (Nor the opinion of the guy who wrote the letter I quoted in post #1).

Perversely, the usual opinion is that passing on the left is "bad", but this next bit seems to support it in the way passing on the right is assumed to be supported:

2.8 Passing on left

(1) A driver must not pass or attempt to pass on the left of another vehicle moving in the same direction except in accordance with this clause.
...
(3) If the roadway is marked in lanes, the driver may make the movement referred in subclause (1) only if the driver's vehicle does not encroach on a lane that is unavailable to a driver.

Sigh.

I do like this:

2.9 Passing where roadway marked with no-passing line
...
(2) The driver must not pass or attempt to pass a motor vehicle or an animal-drawn vehicle moving in the same direction within the length of roadway on which the no-passing line is marked until the driver reaches the further end of the no-passing line, unless throughout the passing movement the driver keeps the vehicle wholly to the left of the no-passing line.

... that'll work in a few places.

[Daffyd]

Bloody hell! Lane splitting? Youse fellas should come to the Philippines for a few lessons!

I live a few hundred metres from the main drag here in Batangas City. It's a two lane road, (one each way), and traffic is frequently either stopped or moving at less than 10kmh. Unless you're on a bike! You lane split... on the right, on the left... anywhere there's a gap. I have been riding one way on a quiet day, when an oncoming bike, jeepney, tricycle will pull out on to my side of the road to pass a few vehicles. If I don't make room I'm dead!

Boy-oh-boy, it's an education!

[ruaphu]

Hehehe, nice one Big D, crikey that bought back a few memories.

I had to give up the beautiful sport of lane spliting on my cruiser with it's horrendously wide panniers, kept collecting mirrors of all shapes and sizes
they tend to make a mess of one's panniers

[Moi]

Here you go...

Yeah, I know, it's a re-post... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJy10pBhJCw

Hehe... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPaSibKgkSo

[GingerMidget]

I very rarely see people doing silly things while lane splitting out that way. ost seem to be doing sensible speeds and not cutting up other cars.

There was this one silly cow who was done for unsafe overtaking, but I'm pretty sure she learned her lesson.
By silly cow, I mean me. Paid up the ticket and moved on.

Someone else mentioned it being a privelege, and I agree.

[dangerous]

Thank you.

Geez, the law! (Not the fault of those whose job it is to uphold it).

Didn't really see anything there to specifically support the usual "legality of lane splitting" opinion - { pass on the right, in same lane }. (Nor the opinion of the guy who wrote the letter I quoted in post #1).

Perversely, the usual opinion is that passing on the left is "bad", but this next bit seems to support it in the way passing on the right is assumed to be supported:



Sigh.

I do like this:



... that'll work in a few places.

yeah and do ya know you can park on yellow broken lines aslong as you are on the inside of the line, no chance for a cage but bikes can.

[vifferman]

I must be OK then; I don't ever ride up/down/along the Ngauranga Gorge road, and when I lane split I don't use my hazard lights as I don't have any.
Don't use my confirminators either as I'm never entirely sure at any given moment whether I'm going leftwards, rightwards, or in-between.
Keep the fuckers guessing, I reckon.

[Devil]

yeah and do ya know you can park on yellow broken lines aslong as you are on the inside of the line, no chance for a cage but bikes can.

Any chance you can find the law regarding that? I'd never heard that one. Definitely interested to see what the wording is.