Do you lane split? (ride, custom, motor, red light)
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So I was over in the automotive forum and asked the cagers how they felt about splitting... needless to say they got all pissy LOL (besides a select few who didn't mind it). So to other riders, do you do it? It's only legal here in CA but I know plenty others do it illegally. If you do, what's your max speed? only in gridlock? At red lights? Etcetera etcetera...
Personally, I always lane share up to around 50mph on the freeway. I always filter to the front at traffic lights as well.
When I rode in CA, I did split lanes. Generally, only about 5-10 mph faster than the prevailing taffic, and only at lower speeds or in stop'n go traffic that was mostly stopped.
However, I got a lot of flack from law enforcement about doing so, even though it was legal ...
several times, I got pulled over by CHP motorcycle patrol for "going too fast" amongst the cars and told that it was appropriate to split lanes only when traffic was stopped or less than 5 mph, and at that ... only 5 mph faster than the traffic speed.
and several times, I got pulled over by a CHP for not going fast enough when splitting the traffic. One officer was incensed with me at doing 20-ish faster than the stopped traffic because he was on his way to something important and I wasn't going fast enough for him ... if he'd hit his lights or flashed his headlight, I would gladly have yielded the lane to him, but he didn't. He finally barged past me in a gap between a couple of cars in one lane and yelled at me on his loudspeaker about not going fast enough for him.
Filtering to the front at traffic lights is where one can get a lot of ire from the cagers ... so I won't do that; I only split traffic in slow moving/stopped situations on the road.
When I rode in CA, I did split lanes. Generally, only about 5-10 mph faster than the prevailing taffic, and only at lower speeds or in stop'n go traffic that was mostly stopped.
However, I got a lot of flack from law enforcement about doing so, even though it was legal ...
several times, I got pulled over by CHP motorcycle patrol for "going too fast" amongst the cars and told that it was appropriate to split lanes only when traffic was stopped or less than 5 mph, and at that ... only 5 mph faster than the traffic speed.
and several times, I got pulled over by a CHP for not going fast enough when splitting the traffic. One officer was incensed with me at doing 20-ish faster than the stopped traffic because he was on his way to something important and I wasn't going fast enough for him ... if he'd hit his lights or flashed his headlight, I would gladly have yielded the lane to him, but he didn't. He finally barged past me in a gap between a couple of cars in one lane and yelled at me on his loudspeaker about not going fast enough for him.
Filtering to the front at traffic lights is where one can get a lot of ire from the cagers ... so I won't do that; I only split traffic in slow moving/stopped situations on the road.
Fair enough. From what I've seen, the CHP motor officers love to split at lightning speeds.
I've done it twice (illegally) in stopped traffic, no more than 10mph and no more than a mile. Not something I care much about, nor have had the need for. Doesn't bother me when someone does it with a little common sense, but that's a commodity in short supply. But that goes for pretty much everything in life.
I do it a few times a week at the red light leading to my turn so I can get into the turn lane. No big deal really. Total distance is about 50 feet but saves me 1-2 minutes. Frees up a little space for a car to occupy.
I've done it once or twice in all my riding years for a short time in parking-lot-like freeway situations.
Once in a while I'll use nearly stopped traffic to squeeze in between cars and make a quick lane change or two or get to an entrance to a shopping strip that probably isn't technically legal, but I'm not spending much time in between lanes when I do that.
I live in CA, so yeah, I do it all the time. In the rare instances I split on the freeway, I usually yank in the LH mirror for a little extra clearance and only split between the #1 and #2 lanes. I don't do a ton of highway riding and, thankfully, rarely get caught in bumper-to-bumper. I split to the head of the line at a light almost every chance I get, though. But, if I can't safely get to the front of the line before the light turns or if there's not enough room to make my way up, I don't bother.
But when I lived in NC, I didn't. Sucked, because I REALLY missed it, but as the open hostility and (willful desire for vehicular manslaughter) in the other thread showed, it's generally not a good idea in areas not accustomed to the practice.
Mike
Last edited by whiteboyslo; 01-07-2013 at 08:19 AM..
I do it when freeway traffic slows to 30 or less, and about half the time at traffic lights (most of my riding these days consists of city streets with lots of lights). I see lots of riders who always have to be first at the lights, no matter what, even if that means using the bicycle lane -- but that's a ticket waiting to happen.
A common theme in these threads is the mis-use of terms.
Filtering -where you creep up between slowed or stopped vehicles- like at a traffic light of blockage
is reasonable, usually prudent and in many places both quite legal and EXPECTED.
This gets the motorcycle in front of the cars rather than leaving them stuck between them
when traffic does start to move again. Not where you want to be.
Lane splitting otoh -driving at speed between other vehicles also driving at speed- is dangerous
and illegal just about everywhere and for good reason. Don't do it.
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