Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
hope I see this in Colorado soon. too many times ive been close to a rear end sitting on a county road and all the people from California and Texas are bringing their "rushed" life style to Colorado going 20+ over the speed limit.
For all the Utah "law people" you have a rude awakening coming.....if you're stuck in a cage the bikers will be whizzing by at any speed that feels right.....lol......but its great to see another state semi wake up
Betcha. It never quite makes it through in WA State. I will literally pray (it being Utah and all!) ...that WA takes it up again, and it makes it to law this time.
Though I do like rehashing the past...must be getting old...I'll only say I lane-split in CA seven years on various bikes, often and sometimes daily, c. 1992-1997. Notably, the commute from Walnut Creek area east of the Caldecott Tunnel to Bay Bridge, over that, and into the City ultimately to Marina District. Maybe 1/3 to 1/2 lane sharing through massive traffic during peak commute. I'm still here. I was cautious, vast bulk of the time. A few biker idiots are not, and I suspect their luck ran out sooner or later (a reasonable guess).
There will be some public backlash, angry drivers, as they puzzle out that riding a bike is about 10x smarter than SOV driving in (some) circumstances, and the biker is now "getting something they don't." People and entitlement issues, my my. The left lane campers will probably go ape spit (no, I'm not starting that topic again).
When I caged it, and saw lane sharers coming (sometimes I did, most not) I just stayed still and never had a problem, they know what they are doing. None ever caused me the slightest problem, motoring by. Then as now, I was cautious about lane changes for that reason, though by-definition any such would likely be in slow-motion during heavy traffic. That's the thing: if I'm stopped, or nearly, the bike is maybe going 15-25 mph delta. Any more, as the biker I'm BACK in my lane and watching again for slow downs, lather-rinse-repeat. It's not...that...difficult a concept for all to get along.
I'm a bike guy. Our first visit to CA we went to wine country from SF. The first bike that went by me scared the crap out of me as I wasn't ready for it. After that I found it kind of scary for both rider and driver. instead of checking your 6 normally, you have to be constantly on watch as the speed differential makes them come up quick. As a tourist, trying to figure out where I was going while constantly monitoring 360 was pretty stressful.
I can see it in stopped or really slow traffic but they zoomed by at a pretty high rate of speed and differential. I'm not in that big a hurry to die. For those that do and survive, please tell me the secret. Vermont doesn't have that much traffic to ever warrant that.
I'm a bike guy. Our first visit to CA we went to wine country from SF. The first bike that went by me scared the crap out of me as I wasn't ready for it. After that I found it kind of scary for both rider and driver. instead of checking your 6 normally, you have to be constantly on watch as the speed differential makes them come up quick. As a tourist, trying to figure out where I was going while constantly monitoring 360 was pretty stressful.
I can see it in stopped or really slow traffic but they zoomed by at a pretty high rate of speed and differential. I'm not in that big a hurry to die. For those that do and survive, please tell me the secret. Vermont doesn't have that much traffic to ever warrant that.
No secret. You have to understand that California drivers are use to the bikes splitting, and you will normally see the cars in the #1 lane on the left side of the lane, and #2 on the right side. This gives the bike room. If you have not experienced any of this, of course it is an eye opener. Biggest thing is the biker. He needs to know what is happening in front of him, and ride appropriately. Understand that not all are going to give the room, or even be paying attention. I commuted in SoCal on my bike for a number of years, you just need to be heads up all the time, and understand that you may not get by some people. Look at how well is works in Europe.
The squids on the crotch rockets, are a whole other matter.
Having spent time in LA, SF and San Diego I definitely could see how split laning could be so advantageous.
First time I witnessed a bike coming up alongside me when I was at a crawl it scared the heck out of me but also put a smile on my face.
You never know how long it is going to take to go 40 miles in any of those cities. Could be 45 minutes or two hours.
Like my buddy says when the traffic is bad and everyone is tightly boxed in it works well. He has a sport bike and dresses with all his gear, pants, boots, gloves and jacket. He hasn't had any problems but he a very experienced rider.
You were allowed in the HOV lanes in CA also. Just as there are terrible drivers in traffic so there will be equally crazy people on bikes.
I probably would have tried when I was younger but only at about 35MPH or lower.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
...that WA takes it up again, and it makes it to law this time.
