A couple of questions about filtering through traffic.

[mattian]

G'day folks. I am a newbie rider here on my restricted licence
I have been studying the road code for info and threads here on the subject and would really appreciate advice from some of the more experienced riders out there.
I often find myself sitting at the back of a long queue of cars at a red light. If, I am turning left at the lights ahead or, even going straight through am I allowed to bypass the queue via the lefthand side of the lane? as often, there is not enough space on the righthand side if the traffic is hugging the center line.
Question number 2. I was riding along the road the other day and came accross a long queue of cars stopped in the middle of the road while waiting for a huge truck to pull into a driveway. I slowed down to join the back of the queue and the traffic started moving again at about 40kms and hour. The speed limit being 50. There was enough space for me to overtake the queue on the righthand side of the lane without crossing the center line so,.... I did. I made it to the front of the queue and a little further down the road had to stop at a pedaestrian crossing. one of the cars behind me had obviously taken exception to my overtaking manouvre and slammed on his brakes and swerved around me and pulled up right next to me and gave me the ugliest evil eyes. It got me thinking........ Did I do anything wrong? As far as I can tell I never broke the law.
I would appreciate any info to help augment my own research on the rules about this subject. Thanks alot !!!!

[jrandom]

Search the forums for 'filtering' and 'lane splitting'. It's all been covered in depth.

Have fun!

[vifferman]

Firstly, do feel free to use the search function.
Secondly, lane-splitting is a bit of a grey area - depends if a cop's present, and if he/she is gnarsty or not, and depends how you lane-split. If you're sensible, slow, and the cars aren't moving, and you indicate, you should be fine.
Unless there's a snake around.

Lastly, if you overtook carefully, didn't cross the centre line, and used your indicators, you should be OK (according to the Road Code). However, that wouldn't stop a snake from pinging you for "sharing a lane" or even "careless use" if he/she was in a bad mood.

So, the answer is "yes".
Or "no".
Or "maybe".

[Gubb]

Be careful about it, the Grey-area is our friend.

[mattian]

haha yes! I realise what a pain in the arse another "filtering" thread is. I have only just worked out how to use the "search, keyword" function. cheers.

[CookMySock]

nah you're doing the right thing. If you would do it on your pushbike then you can do it on your motorbike.

Yeah some drivers get pissed off because you can nip around almost anything while they have to wait. - tough shit. Usually you are long long gone before they can do anything about it, so watch out you dont get some irate person next to you take direct action against you. Always have a way out - cars are bigger than you.

DB

[Swoop]

Do it safely. If you get strange looks from cagers, don't worry as they are infinately more jealous of you being able to filter.
Once you get onto a larger bike you will be able to menace them without mercy and find that cage drivers look away from you when you stare back at them (tinted visors are cool).

[90s]

If the traffic is doing 40 and 50 is the limit, there is not much benefit against the risks of splitting to be honnest - or do you think there is?
Best to split where there is a reasonable diff. between the cars and your speed, so a max of about 20kph for safety (as you can see, 20 yrs exp. splitting has taught me there's a safe "sweet spot" ... )

If the traffics doing 40 might as well sit there and then filter up to the lights when it stops. Net overall effect the same, but annoys cars a bit less and is much safer.

Welcome to KB

[NOMIS]

The "grey" area about lane spliting is the area where you practise wheelies and stoppies. :-)

No seriously I use rule of thumb about it aye, If I see a cop I don't just not do It i just filter on past and show him im not being a egg I havmt been pulled up for it. I notice a lot of othwer bikers seem to quickly pull in behind a car (pussies)

But rule of thumb , if your doing it safely then allgood in my book. unlike a certain person ona dzr400 Suzuki that hits the nor western hahahaha. but hey up to the rider

[Patch]

just split fast enuff so the cars don't see/complain about it

[Mikkel]

As with so many other grey areas - us the grey matter and you'll be right

[BANZAI]

You gonna get ticket if cops having bad day.

I just got it today for "not indicating properly to right and left".......

He was biker and he must have followed me till sometime coz when I got out of traffic and did 100 on offlamp then he stopped me there. Thats extra ticket for doing 100 in 80 zone...

[KingJackaL]

nah you're doing the right thing. If you would do it on your pushbike then you can do it on your motorbike.

Umm, not as far as I'm aware? Bicycles have a specific ability to undertake any vehicles that are either turning right or in the center lane - it's in black and white in the cycle code. I don't see that in the motorbike road code?