The Great KB Lanesplitting Poll

**Marmoot** · 11th February 2004, 13:30

But no matter how f*&ked off you feel, if you're lying on the ground with some broken bike bits then you're not winning....

That's just a food for thought for those splitting at 60 around standstill traffic.

**jrandom** · 11th February 2004, 13:33

Originally Posted by Slingshot

I need to figure out what I can do to the bastards that do that.

Er. Ball bearings and water pistols filled with brake fluid come to mind.

**Slingshot** · 11th February 2004, 13:54

Originally Posted by Marmoot

That's just a food for thought for those splitting at 60 around standstill traffic.

Don't get me wrong, if the traffic is stopped I don't blast through at 60Kmph. I guess I would go up to about a 30K speed differential.

**James Deuce** · 11th February 2004, 15:43

Originally Posted by jrandom

Er. Ball bearings and water pistols filled with brake fluid come to mind.

Knowing my luck, I'd drop the ballbearings into my carbs, and the water pistol with brake fluid would leak all over my bike. And probably pool in my crutch, causing nasty chemical burns after it ate through my trousers.

**Zed** · 12th February 2004, 09:26

Originally Posted by jrandom

Dunno if I'm doing this right, but here goes with the poll.

Fire away, guys. The more the merrier...

I believe that fate will catch up with those who chose No.1...unfortunately that maybe me one day because I tend to get "provoked" by other biker lunatics sometimes to split at higher speeds than my normal boundaries permit!

Normally I ride somewhere in between No.2 & 3.

For what it's worth here's something to take note of for all you lane splitters, this was right from the 'horses mouth' last year (a biker cop): It is illegal to pass a vehicle on the left hand side. Therefore, when you pass make sure you turn your right hand indicator on and split the outside lane passing cars on their right hand side- i.e passing vehicles on the inside lane on their left hand side is illegal. This is a technicality only and probably won't release you from a fine because the cop also told me that you can only lane split (on the rh side) when vehicles are stationary!

Zed

**Marmoot** · 12th February 2004, 09:38

Originally Posted by Slingshot

Don't get me wrong, if the traffic is stopped I don't blast through at 60Kmph. I guess I would go up to about a 30K speed differential.

Good on ya

**jrandom** · 12th February 2004, 09:57

Originally Posted by Zed

the cop also told me that you can only lane split (on the rh side) when vehicles are stationary!

Hmmm. Methinks this likely be bollocks. Without checking the relevant legislation I'm pretty sure that passing a moving vehicle on the RHS within a marked lane is entirely legal if you indicate appropriately, don't cross the centerline and don't exceed any speed limits. And you *can* lane split on the *LHS* (not just RH) when vehicles are stationary! Look it up folks, it's legal to pass on the left when the passee is stationary or turning right.

They could, I imagine, argue careless/reckless/dangerous due to proximity of cars in lanes and all that but the fact remains that they couldn't slap any $150 instants down (without actually lying about the facts) for splitting on the left of the line while indicating, or splitting on the right of the line past stopped traffic. I'd argue that motorway-stopped traffic (as opposed to traffic-light stopped) wouldn't count as 'stopped', though, since it's more a waveform than a stopped column of cars.

Just goes to show, it all comes down to which cop catches you, which is why I simply stop filtering in the presence of cops. Been doing that for a year and ain't been close to caught yet. Here's hoping the luck continues.

**Zed** · 12th February 2004, 10:11

Originally Posted by jrandom

Just goes to show, it all comes down to which cop catches you, which is why I simply stop filtering in the presence of cops. Been doing that for a year and ain't been close to caught yet. Here's hoping the luck continues.

I'd be keen on hearing from any of you who have been pulled up for lane splitting- no doubt there would be some entertaining stories!

Zed

**Marmoot** · 12th February 2004, 10:19

We talked about this before.

My experience is it was ok in normal traffic, but "no-left-split" on motorways. $150 ticket by a bike-cop in North Shore (Southbound before Onewa Rd onramp) was enough to deter me.
The same info he gave me: it's ok to split on ANY lane as long as u stay on right side of the car in your lane.
Which sounds like stupid practice but necessary legality.

They actually have the "keep-left" rule for cars and 5 demerit points for not doing that, but not enforced

**riffer** · 12th February 2004, 10:22

I don't know about you guys but on the Hutt Motorway you quite often have to split on the left hand side as you either get cars deliberately closing the gaps or they are just too pig-ignorant to notice you.

I saw one guy on a 400 BROS give up this morning and use the breakdown lane - naughty - that's one place I definitely keep away from!

**Coldkiwi** · 12th February 2004, 10:48

cops seem ok with the left passing if its stationary. I was running late (hold your gaffaws please) and with all the traffic locked up yesterday morning I decided to trundle very slowly past two seperate HP cars along the southern motorway. Neither of them batted a doughnut so I can only assume (snarky letters arriving in my mail box excluded) that they're ok with it.

yeah.. using emergency lane is really asking for a hiding. $600 for the govt thank you.

**Racer X** · 12th February 2004, 12:38

Breakdown lane is illegal is it?? I had heard that bikers are now allowed to ride in bus lanes whenever they want. Is that true?

**jrandom** · 12th February 2004, 12:57

Originally Posted by Racer X

Breakdown lane is illegal is it?? I had heard that bikers are now allowed to ride in bus lanes whenever they want. Is that true?

I've had tickets for:

- using the breakdown lane (failing to drive within a marked lane, $150)
- using the bus lane on the mway (failing to comply with a gazetted road sign, $150)

I was informed by the cop re. the second ticket that bus lanes on main roads are fine since local councils designate them as 'transit lanes' and include bikes in the allowable users, but the bus lanes on motorways are administered separately by TNZ and are not for use by anything *except* buses. Asked for lenience in view of my (genuine) ignorance of such a distinction but he wasn't interested.

**Slingshot** · 12th February 2004, 14:35

I had a close call while splitting my way home yesterday, a wanker in a big 4WD served to the left to close the gap I was using. I took evasive action to avoid him collecting me. It left me so little room that the "CE Approved" armour in my jacket nicked the wing mirror of the car on my left.

Bascally the gap went from around 1.5 meters to about half a meter in probably less than a second

**Kwaka-Kid** · 12th February 2004, 14:39

Zed i believe you may have misheard the bike cop as i know them all on the motorway and the main 2 who give you hints on it, and the first thing is get the word "Lane split" out of your head.. and think of it as overtaking... now you may only overtake a moving car on the right, and must indicate to do so (right when pulling out, then left when pulling in) so the second you go over the white line on your right, you are then either failing to ride in a lane (if you were in the fast lane) or you are Overtaking on the left, bang, ticket. Now when traffic is stationary, you may "Overtake on the left" as i call it.. relate it to when a car is Indicating right, or stopped waiting to turn right into a side street... do you sit behind him? no if there is room on the road everybody goes aorund him, i.e overtaking on the left, and its legal... so yeah, thats the way i look at it, anyways being side tracked atm and need to work on bike. cyas