Lane Splitting / filtering

[mreric]

amazing to live in CA and own a bike. Traffic during rush hour in CA takes me about 1 hr to get home, vs 25 min on my NC or my scooter. being able splitting lane is the reason I ride and will continue as long as my commute continues to be the same distance. I have only ridden briefly in other states where splitting in not legal. i felt very frustrated sitting in the sun for hr. i really rather sit in car with AC if i had to sit in traffic.


found a nice video about lane splitting

How and Why Motorcycle Lane Splitting is Safe and Good - /RideApart - YouTube


California is the state with the highest amount of motorcycle, Honda HQ is here too. seen it. is nice
http://www.statista.com/statistics/191002/number-of-registered-motorcycles-in-the-us-by-state/


i know all other state cannot split lane , i think this hurt sale of motorcycle for sure,

how do you feel about splitting? would you split if you could? have you wanted your state to legalize splitting? if so have you done anything so your voice can be heard? you can write to you state Representative

Find Your Representative - Zip Code Lookup

 

[ste7ios]

I agree. There is no point to have a bike if you're moving like a car. It's painful.

Lane splitting is the rule in Greece. Of course you need to be extra careful...

It's good to have a relative top speed of 20kph (12.4mph) to have the time to react. (But it's not always easy to keep it...)
If there is a 'hole' in the traffic expect that someone will fill it without warning...
Also note that the stripes (at least in Greece. I don't know how is yours) are very slippery especially when they're wet.

 

[maxwellian]

 

[dduelin]

My idea of a good ride is to be in the country in a few minutes and not see traffic the rest of the day. If I had to sit in traffic every day I'd be living in the wrong place. Sharing the road with a few million fellow residents daily..... No thanks.

 

[670cc]

Having lived in a rural area and ridden motorcycles for 40 years, I can't really remember any time where I might have sat in traffic and needed/wanted to lane split. The fact that's it's illegal here is irrelevant.

I see your point, mreric, about the value of lane splitting where you ride, but I chose to ride where there is no need for it. Even when traveling, I avoid busy highways and dense population areas. Most motorcyclists don't live and ride in the environment that you do. I doubt lane splitting has any significant bearing on overall motorcycle sales.

Occasionally, my wife and I ride scooters on backroads to a restaurant at a nearby lake. From the time we leave our driveway until almost at the destination, we sometimes never encounter another vehicle at all during the 40 minute ride. That's the kind of riding I enjoy.

 

[itlives]

I would like lane splitting here (Louisiana). I would not use it while in motion. I would use it at lights. I think that's where it really helps with easing congestion.
Nothing makes me madder than to be four cars back and not make the light because some @-hole is texting or not paying attention.
I will say, most people not paying attention to the lights/traffic ARE texting. At least that's what I see -grrrr!

 

[anglachel]

saw a poll that said only 50% of drivers in CA even knew that lane splitting was legal... when have the public thinks that it's illegal I can't imagine how much impact it could have on motorcycle sales...

The more likely reason why CA has more motorcycles than any where else is because they have a climate that can support it, and a massive population to buy motorcycles (CA has some 38 thousand people, TX only has 26 (though don't tell that to Texans, they get mad when they aren't the biggest), NY and FL both have 19...) CA has almost twice as many people as FL, and one could reason, at least twice as many riders...
TX isn't a ride all year kind of place for many people, it gets too hot in the summer... NY is far from a ride all year kind of place.

Of course with fewer people and lower population densities in the rest of the country we also don't get traffic like many places in CA... Sure some cities are bad for traffic... but 4 out of the top 10 worst traffic cities are in CA. When traffic is bad really bad in MN it is usually caused by weather, sure there are backups during rush hour... but a complete stop for more than 30 seconds is rare, we creep along otherwise. I rarely put my feet down in the highway... and when I do it's only for a few seconds then I'm moving again.
And when weather is the cause of a backup, you wouldn't want to be on a bike.

 

[Deleted member 1183]

I no longer commute, but when I did, lane splitting was the norm for me and still is if I am in heavy traffic. For me it is part and parcel of motorcycle ownership. When I did commute, if I were to stay in traffic without lane splitting, I would have been as well off driving a car. Simple as that.

Here in Ireland there is no law that I am aware of regarding lane splitting specifically. I have never been, or do not know anyone, who has been pulled by the police for doing so. The secret of successfully doing so is to do it safely, but above all to be absolutely focussed on the task to hand. In short, there is no room for daydreaming when lane splitting. My commute in a car normally took me one hour and 15 minutes. The same commute on my FJS600 took me 35/40 minutes. That is the difference between lane splitting and not. Admittedly there would also have been some incursion into bus lanes involved also. Again the police here generally turn a blind eye as long as there is no difficulty being caused for other road users.

 

[ThumperX]

I have always lane split even where it is not legal. The thought of being between two cars front to back vs side by side makes me cringe.
Commuting in the San Francisco Bay Area I can't even imagine not splitting.
I used to be an insurance adjuster specializing in motorcycles. FWIW, California has a 15% lower fatality rate as a result of rear end collisions than other states based on motorcycle registrations.

 

[miss demeaner]

yes, this is a copy/paste from another forum that I'm on. I know there are Ga riders here. its interesting how varied forums "share" the same topics sometimes.
Here's where we can encourage Georgia to look into lane splitting!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

GDOT wants your feedback on traffic and transportation - CBS46 News


Quote:
ATLANTA (CBS46) -
The Georgia Department of Transportation is currently looking at future transportation needs and considering alternatives for funding those projects. To do this, GDOT wants to know what Georgians are looking for and any recommendations about how to pay for the work.

There is a section at the end of the survey that asks your ideas on reducing the congestion in Atlanta. Don't ask directly for lane splitting, it's a touchy subject and we'll need research on our side first. Here's what I wrote, feel free to copy/paste:


Quote:
I think research into things like filtering (lane splitting) should be done. It is the norm in almost every country besides the United States, would cost very little to taxpayers, and would reduce congestion in the Atlanta area.

Spread the word, the comments will be open until Sept. 30!

 

[Old Can Ride]

Sitting in traffic in the heat in the summer time is not fun. Contra flow is the answer here in Houston. Auto with two or more people or motorcycle only. This way you don't get in the stop and go traffic.

 

[Grey1one]

Lane splitting is what caused me to buy a smaller bike as my Wing's mirrors and car mirrors were too close ( ticked a couple ).
The smaller bike knocked 35 - 40 mins off of my 32 mile commute when traffic was heavy.
Thankfully I gave up working, so I can ride when/where I want, but the option is nice if there is a jam somewhere.

 

[MZ5]

AZ has tried to legalize lane splitting/sharing/filtering a couple of times in the recent past, but it's never gotten over the final hurdle. Would I do it? Yes. I'd filter forward when traffic is at a stop, whether at a light (I _rarely_ ride surface streets in the city) or on the freeway during rush hour.

 

[maxwellian]

I see your point, mreric, about the value of lane splitting where you ride, but I chose to ride where there is no need for it. Even when traveling, I avoid busy highways and dense population areas. Most motorcyclists don't live and ride in the environment that you do. I doubt lane splitting has any significant bearing on overall motorcycle sales

I don't know about that, 80% of Americans live in cities, and i doubt motorcycling is four times as popular in rural areas. Granted most americans don't have to deal with LA or SF traffic.

If you think about anyone, anywhere riding something with two wheels and a motor, "most motorcyclists" live in south asia.

 

[Cigar Mike]

I always had a company vehicle for work. Here in Colorado I seldom if ever have found myself in a situation that it would be of concern. But on California freeways when it takes an hour to go fifteen miles it makes a lot of sense. Isn't there some limitation in California as to the speed of traffic and how much faster you can be going on the bike?

 

[maxwellian]

There were recommendations from the California Highway Patrol, which caused a kerfuffle

Lane-splitting controversy: Safety guidelines from the CHP - Los Angeles Times

I think most lane-splitters in SoCal do it too fast. I am constantly letting other motorcyclists pass when splitting on the freeway.

 

[maxwellian]

But despite what I and most others would say, that people are splitting too fast, research seems to say, they are in less danger than those who don't split.

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/562838-lane-splitting-on-calif-fwys-2011-07-24.html

 

[Strick]

Technically I don't split in the traditional sense. I will take advantage of natural gaps between cars and filter kinda side to side from one lane to another on a two lane road. Occasionally, if traffic is not moving at all, I will filter.

In the city sometimes I will filter to the front of the pack at a red light.

In the DC area, when I commute, people get very upset when you seem to have an "unfair" advantage in rush hour traffic.

 

[maxwellian]

In the DC area, when I commute, people get very upset when you seem to have an "unfair" advantage in rush hour traffic.

It's funny, that attitude. Of course, if you're already in front of them, filtering lets them make more progress.

Here's what happened when the French transport ministry tried to ban filtering/splitting. 100,000 riders taking up as much road space as cars

[video=youtube;QTi5PyWeraA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTi5PyWeraA[/video]

 

[wozza]

Lane filtering is legal and common practice in the UK. Like one or two others have said - i can't see the point of having a motorcycle if you just sit in traffic like every other vehicle out there. The ability to slip through to the front of the queue in traffic is one of the major benefits of motorcycling in areas of high traffic volume.