Lane splitting/filtering: the legal and commonsense answers

[soopa]

Hmmmm I'm thinking its a mixture of you being legally at fault and bad luck.

Moving past stationary cars: Legal
Cars start moving: Classes as splitting.

That's happened to me a few times and its a case of knowing the lights (like seeing when the other ones are about to go red, or knowing when these ones went red) and when it does catch you out either pin it ahead of them or indicate and pull into a lane. I've found probably 85% of the time a car will let you slide in front of them.

Yep I did try go ahead of him as soon as it turned green, however as I accelerated thats when the gapped closed on me. Mind you I was going like 5km/h when the lights changed. Just hoping that footage can see what actaully happned!

[caseye]

Yep I did try go ahead of him as soon as it turned green, however as I accelerated thats when the gapped closed on me. Mind you I was going like 5km/h when the lights changed. Just hoping that footage can see what actaully happned!

The moral of this story?
Don't still be there when they begin moving, you don't have to sprint out of the blocks but doing 5kph when potentially between cars is a bad idea.
Ride for a while longer, get confident on your bike, know what it and you can do before you start trying splitting or filtering.
Then, maybe you'll become an old rider.

[rustyblade]

I got stopped by the po-po, the fuzz, the five-oh, the cozzers, the rozzers, the one-time blah blah the other week.

~55 through some cars here and there on SH1 going north, Gent on a BMW police bike was NOT happy with me, bit different from england here!

Taught me - ~35 is the max to go, if the cars go faster find a space and muscle in.

since then my bike has generally started cooking herself in the slowness generally.

Apparently he wasn't happy with the standard of my riding - but if my standard was bad then I'd be DEAD!
advanced biker course and 20 years of experience count for nothing apparently.
Props to mr copper for not ticketing me, respec'.

Who's up for the AKL TRAFFIC 900 SPECIAL STAGE SPLITTING MOTORCYCLE RALLY 2014 ?!

[swbarnett]

- but if my standard was bad then I'd be DEAD!

If this were true then a fair proportion of Auckland's car drivers would be dead also.

advanced biker course and 20 years of experience count for nothing apparently.

Correct. You are only as good as your last ride.

[Juniper]

Who's up for the AKL TRAFFIC 900 SPECIAL STAGE SPLITTING MOTORCYCLE RALLY 2014 ?!

oh????????

[TheDemonLord]

Who's up for the AKL TRAFFIC 900 SPECIAL STAGE SPLITTING MOTORCYCLE RALLY 2014 ?!

Pfft, I do that every morning.

Was having a good blast this morning - someone on a Yamaha R1 in front of me and we were both pootling along at 20 kph above the speed of the traffic

[biketimus_prime]

Yeah I also commute into town every morning. It's pretty good usually. Just some people won't move over to give you space to pass sometimes but 9 days out of 10 are excellent. I make an effort nowadays to wave to say thanks (small wave) if people go out of their way to move over and let me through, especially truck drivers are good dudes about making space. It lets them know I realise they're making an effort for me and also lets those around them know what good behaviour is around bikes. I figure people like being rewarded or recognised for their good deeds, eventually as more people see me waving, they will also make an effort to watch out and move over for lane splitters in order to experience me waving at them and making them feel good.

[Berries]

I figure people like being rewarded or recognised for their good deeds, eventually as more people see me waving, they will also make an effort to watch out and move over for lane splitters in order to experience me waving at them and making them feel good.

Tui ad right here?

[caseye]

Tui ad right here?

I actually think that he's right, if enough of us did wave our thanks and only moved when the room was made, we'd all be accepted more readily by car drivers.
Pity is so many bike rides think their shit doesn't stink and do exactly what they want when the........... U no the rest already.
Minority spoiling it for the majority.

[swbarnett]

I actually think that he's right, if enough of us did wave our thanks and only moved when the room was made, we'd all be accepted more readily by car drivers.

Spot on. I, for one, wave for every vehicle that makes room when I can.

[TLJimmy]

I've been lane splitting for 29 years without incident - especially coming up to roundabouts - majority of drivers cant seem to anticipate whats going to happen, and consequently there are often long, unnecessary que's. I ride with 2 fingers on the brake and clutch, and look at the cars ahead, and the drivers rather than indicators at roundabouts. Of course you wave if a car gives you room - its courtious and takes no effort - bikers cop enough flack - you mayaswell smooth the way where you can.

A cop saw me lane splitting yesterday, smiled and pointed at his speedo - I was doing just under 60. So there is at least one reasonable copper out there The road code says you can overtake where there are double yellow lines, as long as you do not cross them. To me that is condoning lane splitting - and is what I will say if plod pulls me up. (unless they've changed the rules - they seem to upgrade them every-so-often without advertising the fact).

[yevjenko]

Spot on. I, for one, wave for every vehicle that makes room when I can.

Seconded

sent from my phone (so scuze auto correct typos)

[oneofsix]

Spot on. I, for one, wave for every vehicle that makes room when I can.

I even wave to the ones that make space just because they can't follow the road and have even given a friendly wave to the one or two that have realised too late what I was doing and missed the opportunity to shut the door just to make them think

[Juniper]

Spot on. I, for one, wave for every vehicle that makes room when I can.

Also to the ones that indicate to change lanes, but then see you coming so stop and pull back to let you pass.

I have stopped traffic for a car before. He was trying to change lanes and the guy in the lane next to him wasent letting him through so I pulled infront and slowed down to let the car move in. Then continued on my way.

[swbarnett]

Also to the ones that indicate to change lanes, but then see you coming so stop and pull back to let you pass.

Indeed.

I have stopped traffic for a car before. He was trying to change lanes and the guy in the lane next to him wasent letting him through so I pulled infront and slowed down to let the car move in. Then continued on my way.

I've lost track of the number of times I've pulled back into the lane for the express purpose of stopping it so someone can come out of a side street or driveway.