Seems the consensus is that Stuff?/Fairfax cannot write for shit, unfortunately we (including myself) continue to give them oxygen by reading their uninformed shit.
I see pretty reasonable comments on here, apart from she who cannot be named. What I read of the Stuff comments was disappointing, either car drivers screaming for a ban or riders screaming it was all the car drivers fault. Few if any taking ownership of their own contribution to the issues around filtering.
As a commuter, I try to time my trips to avoid the buildups requiring filtering but that is not always possible or predictable. When I do filter I have a set of self imposed rules I follow.
1. When the speed of traffic exceeds 35kph I am looking for a gap to rejoin normal traffic. I can happily keep my bike balanced moving at 5-7kph but the bike is inherently less stable and its harder work. Its easier to move at 10-20kph. So when things get to 35+kph my stability is absolutely not compromised and I am less likely to have a car pull a fast lane change with no indication or looking, its harder for them to do it while stationery or at low speed, they are basically lazy fuckers.
2. I do not filter past major merges. Too many things going on, cars moving from the nearside to offside lane, aggressive merging vehicles who just plough on whether or not anyone is giving them room etc etc
3. I do not filter in the rain. Visibility is reduced, things get blurry, majority of road users make NO allowance for changing conditions so it all becomes too risky.
4. I do not use the hard shoulder. Car drivers are used to the idea of traffic on their right when in multilane roads, they are not used to vehicles on the hard shoulder and it pisses everyone off.
5. I do not filter approaching a bus stop. Those fuckers (the bus drivers, not the bus stops) are just evil and will drive right over you.
6. I do not use my indicator. That sends confusing messages, I am not changing lanes, I am using space in the lane I am already moving in. For visibility I have a big fuck off LED headlight, two big fuck off Aux LED lights all on a big fuck off bike and I wear a white helmet. If they don't see that, a wee blinking orange light will make bugger all difference.
So far that has worked for me. Others will take a different approach which is I am sure equally successful for them. I do find it hard to understand the people who split when the traffic is moving nicely at 80/90 kph and that isn't fast enough!
I wonder, if we had some kind of law like the Aussies have been using, would that avoid the apparent confusion for all concerned? It would make very clear that what seems to be getting classed on here as dodgy or ill advised would become unequivocally illegal.
http://mylicence.sa.gov.au/my-motorc...lane_filtering
Life is not measured by how many breaths you take, but how many times you have your breath taken away
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Originally Posted by Akzle
(or stay just to piss me off .. ??)
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