Overtaking a line of stationary vehicles

[Katman]

What can we do about it?

Open our eyes and engage our brains.

[Voltaire]

I ride everyday and overtake stationary traffic, you do have to be vigilant. The ones I hate are the cars that really don't want to stop at side road give ways or stop signs....and oncoming turning traffic who slow down a bit and start turning as you are passing.....

I was riding home the other day and there was a cop car one car length in front of me....suddenly without warning he braked hard as did the car behind him and me and did a power u turn.....I didn't see that coming.....

Still even a 4 degrees this morning I'd rather ride the bike than sit in the car in traffic..

[Scream]

Open our eyes and engage our brains.

This.

Probably the most active my brain ever gets when riding is when filtering down the side of traffic, double, even triple checking what EVERY vehicle around me is up to, I don't intend on finding out the hard way.

[sil3nt]

I don't leave the house. Just post shit on KB. Seems to be the safest way.

[bluninja]

I don't leave the house. Just post shit on KB. Seems to be the safest way.

You'd probably crash filtering water in your house

[chasio]

This.

Probably the most active my brain ever gets when riding is when filtering down the side of traffic, double, even triple checking what EVERY vehicle around me is up to, I don't intend on finding out the hard way.

100% agree. We have to be 'driving' everything around us (engage empathy mode) in order to predict what may happen next, too.

There is no need for this to be any kind of a "sneaky bike" scenario, either. All the transit and bus lanes I can think of (and am allowed to use) are the left hand lane, for example, and most peak times they will have a row of very slow or stationary traffic in the adjacent lane. As already well stated, mind the gap, especially.

I stand up on the pegs (as required) and move position in my lane (e.g. use left track at times) to get maximum visibility depending on the hazard. If my view is not clear, or I can see that a driver's view is obscured, and especially near a gap, I slow right down and ride so I could stop in the clear distance I can see. About once every few months, doing that has saved me from adorning someone's bonnet. (Touch wood.)

[Scream]

I stand up on the pegs (as required) and move position in my lane (e.g. use left track at times) to get maximum visibility depending on the hazard. If my view is not clear, or I can see that a driver's view is obscured, and especially near a gap, I slow right down and ride so I could stop in the clear distance I can see. About once every few months, doing that has saved me from adorning someone's bonnet. (Touch wood.)

This is exactly what I do too, this commonly happens to me when an SUV/people mover/van is in front of me and turns left into a sidestreet, that has someone waiting to turn out in front of me off the sidestreet, it's saved my ass plenty of times, I've ended up coming to a complete stop a few times. Another biggy is when I can see an SUV or the likes waiting to turn right across my path, with someone on the other side of them waiting to turn left (I pay attention to see if there's an extra set of wheels that shouldn't be there under the SUV as I approach), I get as far right and slow right the fuck down.

I have a bit of a hatred for SUV's, it's fine if they actually get used offroad or out in the country.. but the huge ass things people buy just to drive around town..

[gatch]

I was part of an incident a while back involving stationary traffic. I was going passed them on the left of the lane, a car in the oncoming lane stops to let a car out of a driveway. It powers through the oncoming lane, cuts through a gap in the cars in my lane and occupies the space I was before it hit me.

I should have seen it coming. I should have been looking for it as I know it is a very busy piece of road. And the backed up traffic is a tense time for all concerned. When I look back on it, given the circumstance I probably shouldn't have even been passing the cars, I could have taken a different route or waited in the queue with everyone else.

Another lesson..

[Reckless]

It's not just the splitting or filtering. It's riding up the left hand side of a line of cars. Which you are allowed to do if the cars are stationary.

I do it too, when it's legal, Donuts.

I never do it! Its undertaking and its fuckin dangerous legal or not?
The closest I might come to passing a car on the left is when filtering/Lane splitting between two rows of cars. At least then the car in the right lane can never make a sudden turn to the left its more like a lane change. And the body language of the car and driver is usually obvious. Your much better off on the right crossing the center line when required, shit you could even get nailed by a passenger making a quick exit when the car is stopped. Stuff that! the left is full of road debris, Dirt dust gravel and generally much less grip, people waiting to cross, people exiting parked cars, people putting there nose out of driveways to get into the line and all the other shit that goes on in the last place most drivers expect anyone to be passing.
If there is a row of cars at the lights I go between the the rows or up the outside. No cage driver is ever expecting to be passed on the left stationary or not. Its simply ingrained un written law of the road. Because cage drivers (even us Bikers) generally never expect to be undertaken by anything if we are in the left lane?

I have a riding buddy that does it, gives me the shits when she does and it usually never gives any advantage for long anyway, not worth it IMHO.

My 2c

[Brian d marge]

In Europe we take a different view






Stephen

[Gremlin]

Education for both sides.

I believe most motorcyclists learn about it (either through someone else, a close shave, or an accident) and are subsequently cautious.

Therefore, needs to be incorporated in the learning process. I would have thought more involved tests, or an education component? Perhaps a BHS 2 to be done on restricted or something? More work on skills, control, education on common scenarios.

For cagers, slightly different. Still have to be educated, how I'm not sure, but if that scenario was in their mind when they pulled out, one would think they would be more cautious? Does the UK have signs at known problem intersections?

[rastuscat]

From a legal/Police point of view, given the diagram above if you replace the cyclist with a motorbike, and there is an accident, would the turning car be at fault?

Yes, actually.

If the cars are stationary, the bike is allowed to overtake on the left.
Given that the bike is traveling straight through, and the car is turning, the car is required to give way, technically.

Having said that, any Popos who turns up will have sympathy for the car driver, as they probably commenced the turn without expectiing a bike to come flying down the outside of the cars.

It's oh so common in Chur Chur.

[rastuscat]

Doesn't mater who is at fault if your dead!

Amen to that. I wuv u coz u is roit

[rastuscat]

Open our eyes and engage our brains.

What ever happened to "Run off at the mouth and blame everyone else"

[Voltaire]

Yes, actually.

If the cars are stationary, the bike is allowed to overtake on the left.
Given that the bike is traveling straight through, and the car is turning, the car is required to give way, technically.

Having said that, any Popos who turns up will have sympathy for the car driver, as they probably commenced the turn without expectiing a bike to come flying down the outside of the cars.

It's oh so common in Chur Chur.

Many years ago I found that to be true when I was in my work car turning thru a gap and a cyclist came flying down the inside ( it was on an incline) saw me as I braked, veered off and fell off.
I stopped to see if she was ok...and she was....then an ACC cop turned up....played Mr Nice and that was that.....until I got a summons to court for dangerous driving and got a large fine.
Lesson learned that day.....don't be helpful to Auckland City Council cops.