Apparently the reports have hit the desk of Transportation Minister Polak! I will be meeting with the Minister and Blair Lekstrom on two of BCCOMs proposals, Transferrable Plates and Lane Filtering at the end of February in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comffice:smarttags" /><st1:State w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Victoria</st1lace></st1:State>.
We did a letter/email writing campaign when the proposal's were first submitted. I would like to see another campaign once we find out the outcome of the reports. Either thanking them or asking for them to be looked at again. Here's hoping for the thanking!
lane filtering as in driving between cars/trucks/buses/rvs? good luck with the efforts with politiks.
Yeah like that's a big issue for you rednecks out in the boonies. However here in the lower mainland -- which is all that really matters when investigating & alleviating roadway congestion issues -- it becomes a seriously worthwhile item to consider. It works, and works well everywhere else in the world where it has been implemented, and there is no reason NOT to at least consider the application here. There are volumes of historical data from the State of California alone, that support this, and other changes to vehicle legislation, which would be a positive step in addressing roadway congestion AND in reducing vehicle-motorcycle collisions. There has been a two-part editorial commentary in the LATIMES.com website of late, regarding the lane-sharing experiences of motorcyclists in the Los Angeles basin -- it's a worthwhile read if you're looking for a little self-education on the subject. ICBC accident and registration stats were posted earlier in this subforum, and without question the lowermainland and the Okanagan Valley are the two main regions of motorcycle ownership and contibutors to motorcycle-vehicle collisions and fatalities. So if it's going to be considered, it should be considered & applied in those regions first. ICBC has been ass-raping motocyclists for years with high-risk insurance classifications, and then trying to apply the same roadway & operating standards for motorcycles that they apply to motor vehicles. It doesn't work, and some of the results are deadly. And it becomes a vicious feedback cycle -- higher insurance rates because of increased fatalities because of increased roadway congestion, resulting in more fatalities and higher insurance rates,.... and on and on it goes. In my opinion -- it's about fucking time lane-sharing got a valid review here in British Columbia. Oh, and for those of you who don't approve of it,...try public transit.
It's not that I don't approve...I'd be too worried about what brain dead cage drivers would do if they saw me creeping up through the cars. Some of those folks are downright vicious
Oh, I approve of it. I've done it dozens of times in California, England, IOM, Italy, Germany, New Zealand. It is simply brilliant,,,,WHEN,,,,,the car drivers are on the 'same page'. I'm afraid we're talking about a different breed of driver here in southwest British Columbia. Land of the ["me fucking first"] , the ["get out of my way so I can butt into the front of the line"], and finally, the ["blinkers, stop signs, street lights, WTF are those"]. I've done some lane filtering, out on highway 1 when the highway is virtually stopped because of big car crashes. Even when traffic is stopped, and I lope through at less than 10mph, I get spit at, cigarettes flicked at me, doors swung out to block me, and attempted blocking from car and semi truck drivers. The hatred is thick in the air. I know what we will be up against if this is approved. My concern is the noob, the squid, the old fart on the cruiser, oblivious to this mentality inherent in car drivers, who will be quickly munched and be statistics at an alarming rate. You worried about excessive insurance rates now. Holy fuck, you ain't seen nothin' yet!!!
Definitions might help. Correct me if I am wrong, but filtering is done through stopped traffic, as opposed to lane splitting, which is through moving traffic. In parts of Europe, there is designated space at stop lights ahead of the "stop" line for 4+ wheeled vehicles, into which 2 wheeled vehicles filter, so they are first away when the light turns green. Barcelona: Filtering through stopped vehicles shouldn't be a safety hazard, as 4 wheel vehicle drives really don't have to do anything different, other than not open a door in front of a filtering bike to dump their coffee dregs.
fwiw, it is my understanding that, in BC, filtering IS the law with regards to a a flag-person type stop. For the very same reasons stated - safety of the motorcyclist. Not much of a leap here, safety-wise. Exact same principal. This does not mean that i would entrust my life to ANY driver in the lower mainland. The fuck-you-me-first mentally is out of control in this town.
When the old bridge traffic in Kelowna used to back way up and I was filtering to make it to the turn off (way before crossing the bridge) to my house, I got the same measure of abuse, mostly cars angling to cut me off, lots of affirmation of my #1 status and a good measure of verbal abuse. The last two are easy to laugh off but physically blocking my path, often when it was almost too late to brake are another matter. What always puzzled me was that the most frequent and most vitriolic offenders seemed to be women from (what looked like) their 20's to their 40's. Still haven't figured that one out.
Now that's an interesting one. You are saying that there's a law, or allowance to let a bike ride the front of a worksite stoppage to the front? Of course, in the USA, this is not an issue, but in BC, I've gotten verbal abuse from the flag person here in Canada when I've done this.
Not sure about that, last time I tried and that was years ago there was a cop coming the other way. YOU follow me back to the end of the line he said. But in general I'll stay out of the places where you have to filter to get anywhere,not my kind of riding if I can avoid it.No problem doing it when I have to within considerations for the other road users. When driving the cage and if some want to filter, I don't have a problem with that, I'll let you by no problems if you show some consideration, otherwise I'll do my best to block you. That was all we did back east in the seventies tearing around Montreal and Quebec City.Lots of filtering. Some A....hole however was doing that in Langley just last fall. I never saw him coming but he couldn't get passed me I was too close from the other car. He sure scared the crap out of me when he blipped the throttle impatiently on his straight pipes road warrior bike POS. Then he proceeded to ride even more like an ass for the few blocks where I could see him AND hear him.:eek1 Still....not against filtering but if it opens the door for more of them warriors to act even more like assholes, I'd have to draw the line. The public won't like it. Transferable plates, now that would be good. If just for some of us that may be a long way from the agencies with more than a vehicle in the yard. Bummer when the plated one won't run and you want to go ride the Kootenays.
Perhaps i am mistaken. Dunno. This is what the flag person told me, while stopped between Nelson and Ainsworth, last summer.
Ride or drive like an ass and good chance you'll be staying behind me for a while and maybe cool off. Sure I'll let you by eventually, better things to do than play street games or road rage. Someone I should have blocked better almost killed me and others last year. I just wasn't fast enough that early in the morning.More than one car involved in that and none of us should have let him by. Yes also blocked a whole bunch of traffic a couple years back to play buffer to a drunk or drugged up driver. Good thing I did she hit the curb and just about flipped that Jeep.By the time I could safely pass her and really block her as in stopped there she turned left into oncoming traffic and.....disappeared. Calculated risks to take sometimes.
Man...you're playing a dangerous game there my friend. Block off the wrong person...even here in tame ol Canada and you'll be eating the grill of some jacked up Dodge.... Intentionally keeping someone BEHIND you won't 'Cool them off'....
