Lane splitting/filtering: the legal and commonsense answers

[Madness]

please change my mind about this with some actual discussion, calling me a retard is not working.

edit - its possible mr barnett is 'biggest fuckwit', i cant say i've noticed much else he has posted. i was endorsing one post, not his entire existence.

I can't be arsed changing your feeble mind. You seem to have formed the opinion that I'm simply trolling so why the fuck would I bother?

You'll figure it out eventually, I just hope the damage isn't too life-altering.

I wasn't suggesting you're fucking Mr Branett, just explaining why I choose to discount his posts on this subject as the self-assuring dribble that it is.

If you didn't realise already, all sccoter riders are sub-human.

[Madness]

I bet these fuckwits thought splitting was safer too...

[Madness]

fixed that for ya

Pretty fucking obvious I never typed that - I know how to use capital letters.

Dumb cunt.

[st00ji]

no doubt they did. they all failed pretty handily also.

katman will no doubt be along presently to point out all their shortcomings. every single one of those incidents was avoidable if the rider had been more observant and thoughtful in their approach. one guy hit a car that was indicating for christs sake. each one was the fault of the rider IMO, not caused by inherent unsafeness in lanesplitting.

like the original video with the 'american fuckwits' or whatever, at least the choice was theirs.

[Madness]

each one was the fault of the rider IMO, not caused by inherent unsafeness in lanesplitting.

But lane-splitting is safer so surely those vids must be computer generated? The riders did have a choice, to ride like fuckwits or not. Not one of them was "in control" as you & Mr Branett profess to feeling while you lane-split. Maybe you should offer others training, 4 years of riding & all - you must have the most unfuckinbelievable skills.

[Katman]

no doubt they did. they all failed pretty handily also.

katman will no doubt be along presently to point out all their shortcomings.

Why would I bother?

You've made the point quite nicely already.

[Erelyes]

I bet these fuckwits thought splitting was safer too...

#1 was doing, what, 50, when traffic was doing 5? They left themselves no time.
#2 was what we call a 'freak' accident, and resulted in minor damage.
#3 was doing, what, 35- 40, leaving themselves more time than #1, which is probably why it was 'no damage'
#4 was testing the limits and found them, again in a minor way.
#5 was plain dumb, and was that even splitting? Just seems like a dumb passing move. They should have known the car would move right in response to the bike passing it on the left. I read that even before the hit.

I think you've proved your point that splitting is more dangerous, but I think it is by such a slim fraction that if you lose sleep over it you may as well stop riding tbh.

Sure it's not for beginners (tho I do the odd slow split through stopped traffic, confident with that after a couple thou KM) , neither is riding a supersport.

[Madness]

if you lose sleep over it you may as well stop riding tbh.

Rest assured, I sleep like a corpse.

[swbarnett]

If lane-splitting is safer than riding in the queue then why isn't the practice taught to learners as part of the licencing system?

Lane-splitting can be safer than staying in traffic when done with the appropriate levels of skill and respect (for the risks, not for the other drivers; although that certainly doesn't hurt). Rank novices have neither. I agree with those here that say that riders should not be encouraged to lane-split before they are ready.

The simple fact that you and a few others think it's safer to ride with 500mm or so between you & other vehicles than it is to ride with several metres gap does not mean splitting is safer.

No argument here.

Mr Branett is one of the biggest fuckwits on this forum who thinks it's quite acceptable behaviour to clip the wing mirrors of other vehicles

I had a feeling you'd completely missed the point of that other thread.

Again, what facts are the claims that splitting is safer based on?

I can only speak for myself but my asertion is not that lane-splitting IS safer than sitting in line with traffic. It is that it CAN be as safe or better if done with an appropriate level of skill and respect.

[Madness]

I had a feeling you'd completely missed the point of that other thread.

Funny, I thought the same about you. Clipped many lately?

I'll give you credit for this though (just a smidge)...

I can only speak for myself but my asertion is not that lane-splitting IS safer than sitting in line with traffic. It is that it CAN be as safe or better if done with an appropriate level of skill and respect.

Maybe you did get the point of that other thread after all?

[swbarnett]

Funny, I thought the same about you. Clipped many lately?

Not a one. Since January I have a commute of about 120km return on Auckland's motorways.

Maybe you did get the point of that other thread after all?

Nah, if I remember rightly I don't think this exact point ever came up. Although I can't be certain.

[st00ji]

out of interest madness, do you commute on your bike?

either way, dont you feel like riding a bike while behaving like a car gives you all the disadvantages of a car with none of the benefits?

[Berries]

out of interest madness, do you commute on your bike?

either way, dont you feel like riding a bike while behaving like a car gives you all the disadvantages of a car with none of the benefits?

I think you are missing the point. He is not saying that he doesn't split, just that he does not believe that new and inexperienced riders should be encouraged to do something because it is 'safer' than sitting in the traffic. While a number of people are saying they have been rear ended in traffic when stationary does anyone really believe an inexperienced rider should be encouraged to squeeze between two lanes of moving traffic? I agree with you, if I was going to sit in traffic I would get a car and have the heat, the radio, the comfort etc etc. What is the point of a bike in town otherwise? But to encourage people who are still learning the ropes to do something that puts them at far greater risk than sitting with the traffic is, as Madness has said a number of times, retarded.

[st00ji]

im not missing the point, im just trying to get him to expand on his opinion.

i wish he would have posted something like what you just did TBH, mostly its just been expletives and stirring.

[Berries]

He has tourettes.