
Originally Posted by
Madness
That's all well and good for a learner who rides within their lane and overtakes using a passing lane or the other side of the centre line, no issue.
With overtaking the issue is not one of road or lane width. It's about the length of the gap the ovretaking driver decides is long enough.

Originally Posted by
Madness
Lane-splitting is not a pre-requisite activity in order to ride a bike on the road though
Technically, niether is overtaking. It is quite possible to ride or drive from Cape Rienga to Bluff without overtaking anyone.

Originally Posted by
Madness
and I certainly don't recall being tested on lane-splitting when I went through the graduated license system.
Things may have changed in the 30 years since I sat my license but I certainly wasn't tested on overtaking either.

Originally Posted by
Madness
The noob will of course have to have to have a "first time" should they choose to lane-split, all I ask is that they be sure they have the basic skills to do so without hitting my vehicle. It's not that much to ask, surely?
This is a bit of a catch 22. Being "sure they have the basic skills to do so without hitting my vehicle" can only be done with certainty in hindsight. You have to test the skills you think you have before you can be certain you have them. In academia, someone that knows a little about a subject will most likely think they know a lot. There comes a point when they know enough to realise exactly how little you actually know. The same holds true for any thing that must be learnt.

Originally Posted by
Madness
Now now, I think you need to sloow doown a little. I'm not saying no-one is allowed to learn to drive (or ride), I'm saying that if a biker clipped my wing mirror whilst lane-splitting I would expect them to know that this is unacceptable behaviour and them being a learner does not preclude them from this expectation. It's the road, it's not a dodgem ride.
No argument there.

Originally Posted by
Madness
No issues there. It's my fucking wing mirror, nobody on earth has the right to clip it whilst splitting past me in heavy traffic.
Not you.
Not Mr Branett.
Not Skippythekangaroo.

Another thing we agree on. Nobody's claiming in this thread that they have a right to clip a wing mirror. Just that, as we are human, it does happen (especially to novices), it's not deliberate and doesn't always warrant anything more than a wave of apology.
"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - Benjamin Franklin (1706-90)
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