Texas riders see introduction of lane splitting bills in House and Senate

[DRMD421]

Most days I would be all for lane splitting, but since I rode 30 miles to work today with my saddlebag lid wide open sticking out beside the bike, I have to question whether I should be lane splitting or not....

 

[Chris Kelley]

Most days I would be all for lane splitting, but since I rode 30 miles to work today with my saddlebag lid wide open sticking out beside the bike, I have to question whether I should be lane splitting or not....

Done that, cager was kind enough to point it out. Further embarrassed myself by having my initial reaction be an attempt to fix it at 60mph...fortunately I realized that I what I was really doing was asking the powers that be to make me into a pancake so I pulled over.

 

[1olbull]

When I lived in Los Angeles actually Redondo Beach and worked in the valley with a one way trip of about 25miles if not for lane splitting I would still be in the traffic, as said lane splitting is not legal in CA it is just not illegal?????????? makes your head turn doesn't it.
Well Ca says that it is not illegal for two vehicles to pass each other in the same lane as long as it is done safely

Me thinks this "not illegal" status is a good reason why it works.
If not done safely (opinion of copper) you will get pinched.
Personally I prefer this set up as it is WAY simpler and requires NO addition of more BS legalese law.
If you choose to lane split, it should be done at low speed and as if a copper is watching.

 

[albertaduke]

Me thinks this "not illegal" status is a good reason why it works.
If not done safely (opinion of copper) you will get pinched.
Personally I prefer this set up as it is WAY simpler and requires NO addition of more BS legalese law.
If you choose to lane split, it should be done at low speed and as if a copper is watching.

most continental euro countries allow lane splitting and in some countries (I.E france and italy) car drivers see so much of it on city roads that it has become second nature to let scooters and bikes pass either left or right in near gridlock condition.
in fact some people have switched over two wheels from four simply to get going in the ever congested roads of big cities in france . an eye opener for those unfamiiar with the situation is to watch footage of paris ring road at any hours of the day.

 

[cardinal93]

It's technically not legal here in Germany, but as Duke said it is in many EU countries. Here in Germany the police won't bother you if it's only done in traffic congestion and slow speeds (25km/hr or less). I've become a huge fan. My wife on the other hand doesn't like it at all and won't follow me through. I have never seen a slow speed lane splitting accident in 3 1/2 years riding here. But I've probably seen a high thousands number of safe splitting.

 

[dawb]

Can someone please explain " Lane Splitting" I can guess but could be wrong.i think it's what over here we call filtering.

Same thing.

 

[WyldCFH]

Lane splitting = riding the dividing lines of same direction traffic to make your way through.

Some places put restrictions on speed, others do not.

 

[TriumPhil]

My take on this touchy subject is simply my opinion based on better than a half century as a licensed motorcyclist.

Lane-splitting is a great idea in theory, but rather problematic as to its practice. Why so, you might ask?

Simply stated and an oft-repeated caveat throughout this thread is that it's all good "if done safely" and the reiteration of requirements that lane-splitting or filtering necessitate excellent and consistent applied discretionary skills and decision-making on the part of both types of vehicle operators involved - i.e., motorcyclists and the other motor vehicle operators sharing the same road must all be alert to conditions when it will likely occur, aware that the practice may occur at any time (and speed), that they should be equally considerate of one another's rights of way and that both parties must exercise good judgement, proper safety technique and appropriate courtesies throughout the mix of conditions and circumstances where and when lane-splitting may take place.

Those are a lot of conditions and expectations that should be both operative and prevalent should there ever be a possibility for lane-splitting to occur regularly and with minimum negative incidents on any public roadway.

Now, I have known, throughout the long span of time that I've been a licensed motorcyclist, that I will exercise all of those necessary caveats I delineated above whenever (well, at least 98% of the time) I even considered lane-splitting myself. That said, I can't count the number of times over the decades I've been driving or riding that I have been taken off-guard by someone splitting lanes unsafely, insanely, at ludicrous speeds or in totally inappropriate situations, such as at posted highway speeds or above and by idiots utilizing the practice on a roadway or highway's shoulder or when traffic is at or virtually at a standstill and the practitioners whiz by between lanes or on the shoulder of a roadway at terrifically unsafe speeds. More than once I've nearly stained my manties or suffered an elevated heartrate or a form of passive, unacted upon, road rage.

Even as a lifelong motorcyclist, I often wish that I could suddenly open a door or have a hood-mounted Barrett rifle to cull the dipchits risking their lives and the lives or property of others from the herd. On the other hand, given the general dereliction of responsibility, ignorance of the law or near total lack of basic driving skills or common courtesy of what I perceiveto be the majority of motorists on the roadways, cagers and other non-two-wheeled operators are not only no better a risk than the idiots I often see on motorcycles, they are very measurably the greater risk to we who enjoy two-wheeled transport when it comes down to making the decision whether to lane-split or not.

There is a lot of trust involved in this issue. Trust that the motorcyclist chooses his spots carefully and then exercises the maneuver safely and trust that all others on the road with us will also utilize vigilance and awareness of the practice as well as applying good judgement and courtesy with respect to we who are at infinitely greater risk of critical or mortal injury should a mistake be made.

Although I take the inherent position of the OP, Captain Smith, at the end of the day, the sort of trust involved for this practice to go well often amounts to blind faith on the part of the motorcyclist and, consequently, I exercise my legal right to lane-split very, very judiciously because trusting the others on the road with us is a long-term bad bet for folks on motorcycles. The more frequently and longer periods of time you bet on the other guy doing the right thing, the greater becomes the probability of their doing exactly the opposite of what we expect them to do or how we assume they will behave.

I'd much prefer to see a portion of wider roadway's shoulders (on Interstates and major highways) dedicated to two-wheeled traffic, but only when the roads are congested and average speeds on the main roadways are 25-30 mph or lower. That could be tricky, as well, but I think it could be safer for us overall.

 

[40mmrrsmith]

My take on this touchy subject is simply my opinion based on better than a half century as a licensed motorcyclist.

Lane-splitting is a great idea in theory, but rather problematic as to its practice. Why so, you might ask?

Simply stated and an oft-repeated caveat throughout this thread is that it's all good "if done safely" and the reiteration of requirements that lane-splitting or filtering necessitate excellent and consistent applied discretionary skills and decision-making on the part of both types of vehicle operators involved - i.e., motorcyclists and the other motor vehicle operators sharing the same road must all be alert to conditions when it will likely occur, aware that the practice may occur at any time (and speed), that they should be equally considerate of one another's rights of way and that both parties must exercise good judgement, proper safety technique and appropriate courtesies throughout the mix of conditions and circumstances where and when lane-splitting may take place.

Those are a lot of conditions and expectations that should be both operative and prevalent should there ever be a possibility for lane-splitting to occur regularly and with minimum negative incidents on any public roadway.

Now, I have known, throughout the long span of time that I've been a licensed motorcyclist, that I will exercise all of those necessary caveats I delineated above whenever (well, at least 98% of the time) I even considered lane-splitting myself. That said, I can't count the number of times over the decades I've been driving or riding that I have been taken off-guard by someone splitting lanes unsafely, insanely, at ludicrous speeds or in totally inappropriate situations, such as at posted highway speeds or above and by idiots utilizing the practice on a roadway or highway's shoulder or when traffic is at or virtually at a standstill and the practitioners whiz by between lanes or on the shoulder of a roadway at terrifically unsafe speeds. More than once I've nearly stained my manties or suffered an elevated heartrate or a form of passive, unacted upon, road rage.

Even as a lifelong motorcyclist, I often wish that I could suddenly open a door or have a hood-mounted Barrett rifle to cull the dipchits risking their lives and the lives or property of others from the herd. On the other hand, given the general dereliction of responsibility, ignorance of the law or near total lack of basic driving skills or common courtesy of what I perceiveto be the majority of motorists on the roadways, cagers and other non-two-wheeled operators are not only no better a risk than the idiots I often see on motorcycles, they are very measurably the greater risk to we who enjoy two-wheeled transport when it comes down to making the decision whether to lane-split or not.

There is a lot of trust involved in this issue. Trust that the motorcyclist chooses his spots carefully and then exercises the maneuver safely and trust that all others on the road with us will also utilize vigilance and awareness of the practice as well as applying good judgement and courtesy with respect to we who are at infinitely greater risk of critical or mortal injury should a mistake be made.

Although I take the inherent position of the OP, Captain Smith, at the end of the day, the sort of trust involved for this practice to go well often amounts to blind faith on the part of the motorcyclist and, consequently, I exercise my legal right to lane-split very, very judiciously because trusting the others on the road with us is a long-term bad bet for folks on motorcycles. The more frequently and longer periods of time you bet on the other guy doing the right thing, the greater becomes the probability of their doing exactly the opposite of what we expect them to do or how we assume they will behave.

I'd much prefer to see a portion of wider roadway's shoulders (on Interstates and major highways) dedicated to two-wheeled traffic, but only when the roads are congested and average speeds on the main roadways are 25-30 mph or lower. That could be tricky, as well, but I think it could be safer for us overall.

Both sides use an lot of statistics to support their side. As a lifelong motorcyclist myself statistics/studies about lane sharing are meaningless. I ride everyday there's at least one spot where I lanesplit everyday. A two lane road with a righthand turnoff before the intersection. When traffic builds, cagers going straight prevent reaching the turnoff and you will sit through 2-3 red yellow green cycles. More than once someone starts angrily honking. It's not because I am endangering them, it's immaturely. They are not and cannot move. I can, what's the problem? I'm turning he's going straight so I'm not actually skipping him in line. You can choose not to lanesplit but please don't hate on those of us that want to do it legally. If it comes up, vote for it you don't have to participate. Plus most of your concernes will be diminished, some even eliminated when lanesharing is legal. One example is it will eliminate most of the self-righteous notions about trying to kill or injure a lanesplitter because he's breaking the law. People will become aware of legal lanesharing and reduce the risk greatly. As for putting your trust in other drivers. I put absolutely no trust in other drivers lane-splitting or not. They don't need to see me I just need to see them. All the risk/excuses against lane sharing have been said about riding in general.

 

[TriumPhil]

Well, as I said in my post, 40, I support your view and I do support its being sanctioned or made legal wherever with one small exception. I believe that it is very important that other drivers see the lanespliiter or at the very least be aware that a rider could use the technique in congested conditions. Legalization and effective education of the driving public should absolutely lead to a heightened awareness on the part of those other users sharing the road with us.

As for the rest of it, it is then up to the discretion of every and any rider as to whether, when and where to use the practice.