Filtering etiquette

[sAsLEX]

There is normally about 5 lanes for lane splitting so if you see a road whale ahead jump across a lane and get round them...... not had many come up behind me.......

[FJRider]

I didn't say I was holding them up for no reason. I said I was already filtering at a safe and sensible speed ... and that if they wanted to go mental, then they could find a way around me. It's not my responsibility to allow them through to get crunched.

Its called, FREEDOM OF CHOICE. If they CHOOSE to get crunched... who are we to argue. I'm glad I only have to worry about more than one lane when I'm in a passing lane, or if I include the car parking spaces in town.
Next you'll be asking the etiquette for when two, or more get stopped by highway patrol (Who talks FIRST )

[rainman]

I'd never intentionally block another bike from getting past me, but I am generally not in a hurry (40-50 is plenty fast between cars), and I spend almost all of my attention watching the mad bastards in front of me who change lanes without thinking or looking, so tend not to watch my mirrors all the time. I've had a few impatient twats come flying past and nearly do me a damage, and seen plenty of ydfoc's splitting down at 80+. Pricks'll doubtless cause a big crack down by the police when they finally do come to harm (oh, and hurt themselves), but there's nothing I can do to stop them while I'm on the road, and blocking them off would be dumb, not to mention rude.

As Ixion might say, it's just the Gene-O-Kleen at work.

Anyway, if I'm in front of you and yer in a mad fooking hurry, be patient, find your peaceful place, don't sit on my arse, and I will let you past as soon as possible when I become aware of you. Polite and melodious tootling is allowed. Once.

You will still get to work before me.

[FJRider]

Where ? As far as I have found the roadcode doesn't mention 'splitting' @ all

If it doesn't mention it, that makes it OK or LEGAL. What ELSE doesn't get mentioned ??? Do wheelies get mentioned ??? And it is in there, or maybe the rules just dont apply to you.

[McJim]

The_Dover used to catch up with me on the Southern Motorway quite quickly. Sometimes I was concentring on the vehicles in front too much to notice him but when I did I would just pull into a gap on left or right and wave as he went past.

I used to catch up with a few riders regularly on the Southern too and on occasion they didn't get out of my way but I'd just move from lane 2a to lane 1a pass them and then get in front of them (giving them a friendly wave as I went past).

[jafar]

Read your rode code.The answers are in there.

If it doesn't mention it, that makes it OK or LEGAL. What ELSE doesn't get mentioned ??? Do wheelies get mentioned ??? And it is in there, or maybe the rules just dont apply to you.

Well which is it ?? The answers are in there OR they are not !!!!!
You can't have it both ways..... As I stated before lane splitting is NOT mentioned in the road code that I am aware of, if it is be so kind as to say which page of the current road code it is mentioned on so we can all have a read.

[fireliv]

I cant stand other motorbikes or scooters that pass me when traffic is moving esp if it is moving at 50km. I wont move out of the way. If they think they can fit between cars then they sure as hell can fit between me and anyone else. If traffic has stoped then thats different. I will usually let another bike go first if they are bigger than me and are looking to go. I'm not the quickest of the line, though usually do ok so I dont mind letting others go first. Seams fair to me.

[westie]

Yea I'm pissed off too. Sometimes I gotta get around someone on the stairs from my house to my work place

Filtering is fun. Its like a problem you gotta solve. Anticipating a gap in the traffic to cross to the next lane etc.

Any way you look at it, its a death defying stunt. Might as well have fun on your way out.

[xwhatsit]

I keep getting held up by large crusiers for some reason, heading north around Market Rd exits. These guys (I'm talking about the ones that hold me up, not crusiers in general, you touchy little bastards ) split -- but at only a 5kph speed differential -- why bother? And have to slam on their brakes all the time because they can't fit through the gaps. Quite unnerving and frustrating to be stuck behind. Changing lanes isn't so easy either when traffic is really slow; Aucklanders don't know about following distances.

I'm no demon splitter, so I often check my mirror, at least when it's in `reflecting' position, not folded down for extra narrowness.

[Nagash]

Interesting.. Never had anyone catch up with me when splitting before.. hmm.. And I got a cruiser

I reckon if someone is in more of a hurry to through then meself I'd pull over for them, but only at my conveniance, i'm not gonna try wedge into some little gap for 'em.

At the lights, if I see somebody coming up behind me i'll pull over and to the front of the cagers (I swear they leave a little gap at lights just for bikers) and let them cruise along side me. Usually a good oppourtunity to have a chat aswell.

But when following behind people, I usually just give them their space and let them go at their on pace and just follow behind. I don't factor in lane splitting when working out what time I need to get to places so the faster I do lane split, the more time I have for a coffee or a smoko at the end.

[Gremlin]

yeh... went through a period of coming across bikes that wouldn't budge for others... even a big gap in their lane, and no movement...

rev of bike... beeps of horn, he/she looks in mirror and does nought... you WANT me to squeeze past ya? I know my bike well... how well do you think you know yours?

Weirdest one of all was someone sitting right on the arse of the car in front (easily less than a metre), fast lane, left hand side, not even splitting...

[bull]

I filter at a safe and sensible speed, anyone who wants to go faster than that is going to have to find their own way around me. Actually, I'm doing them (and biking) a favour. They won't get hit by lane-changers and bikers won't get a bad rep which causes drivers to throw blocks in.

So you have made yourself an unofficial road sheriff, thank goodness, now bikers trying to get to work can be held up by the idiot cagers and the sheriff. Doesnt take much to drop back into a lane to let bike past then continue filtering, try it and youll be surprised.

[Swoop]

Interesting.. Never had anyone catch up with me when splitting before.. hmm.. And I got a cruiser

There is a chap on the western, on a narrow cruiser who is bloody brilliant! Oh yes, he can filter!


Looking at some of the replies, the "kiwi driving mentality" is coming through. "I'm alright, so fuck the rest"...
Use your mirrors. If there is another bike in them, pull over for a second and let them pass. Is it really going to cock up your day that much to do so?

[UberRhys]

Speaking of unofficial sheriff's, on the north-western last night I got cut up in the fast lane by some muppet with a pillion who then proceeded to hit the brakes hard a few times to tell me to slow down! Muppet made there pillion slide into their back a few times causing a mild catastrophy, not to mention pissing me off. Why do people do this? Did they miss out on getting into Police College as well as being denied application to be a security guard? Maybe they watched Street Hawk too much in the 80's and feel the need to become a vigilante crusader...?

[CookMySock]

So you have made yourself an unofficial road sheriff, thank goodness, now bikers trying to get to work can be held up by the idiot cagers and the sheriff. Doesnt take much to drop back into a lane to let bike past then continue filtering, try it and youll be surprised.

if you are that late for work its yer own fucken fault, not someone elses.

Lane-splitting is dangerous enough without hardasses angrily lane-splitting the lane-splitters. Fuck off.

DB