Should Lane Splitting be legal in all 50 States

[Lil Henry]

My 2 cents... I have ridden in CA for years and really came to appreciate the ability to split lanes. But after moving to a place like KY (people on 2 wheels here are appaling to me in their skills and sensibilities) I think that people who havent been able to do it at all suddenly becoming able to would cause one heck of a mess. The people here dont wear helmets and pull wheelies in rush hour around town and act the fool, cant imagine if you gave them a reason to act even cooler by passing cars.

The main benefit I saw to splitting was on multi lane roads with tons of lights, you get ahead of 10 or 20 cars per light and dont have to wait 45 seconds to accelerate to 45mph. Even more helpful in smaller cities that dont have 743253245 freeways with all 8 lanes clogged like around LA and San Diego.

[qwiksilver]

It's not so much of a problem now with water cooled bikes, but an old CHP officer said that after they instituted the "not illegal" policy they had fewer bikes dying in the middle of the freeways in the summer in Southern California. A dead bike in the freeway can be more of a menace than a dead car.

I still prefer splitting in town when the cars are all trapped by a light. And I still prefer it on the scooter.

BTW... a lot of two wheel oriented countries like Japan, France, England, etc. all filter. In England the traffic is so bad no one goes over 20mph in London anyway, but filtering is so efficient that motorcycle limos are used by Virgin Airlines. France? They'll use the sidewalk if the street is one way and they need the street one block back. I played dodge 'em in Paris.

In America cage owners get huffy if you don't wait your turn. I tell them they are warm/cool, have a nice stereo and can sip a latte while the wait. I get to freeze/broil, listen to everyone else's stereo all at once and breathe fumes. Trade off I guess.

[DAKEZ]

Basso, Bern, BLZ2DWL, Crack Monkey, dirt missile, drewhbend, Drifter, dugmar, endurorazor, JRP, kawalaser, klrobins, krellheat, Le Barge, mb90535im, Motor31, motorfiveo, PapaSuave, peckerwood, sandmar, Shatrat, Texspeleo, the_gr8t_waldo, Toto, WSikorski

Could we get some feedback from you as to why not? If you don't want to post it here send me a PM.

I am iterested to hear what why you think no.

[larryboy]

You couldn't just say it's okay for all 50 states without mass confusion and bikes getting run down by angry motorists. You would need to implement slowly in states surrounding California. Places where cage drivers would have had the opportunity to experience Lane Sharing on a road trip to Disney Land. Nevada first, then Arizona followed by Oregon. You would need to do a year long public awareness campaign to inform the public.


Never gonna happen.

[JustKip]

Originally Posted by AKStrom

Not sure about Cali-style high-speed splitting here. I really do think they ought to de-criminalize filtering though.

As it is right now if a local cop sees you filtering up through stopped traffic, you're likely to get a Rodney King.

"Cali-style high-speed splitting" is often considered "reckless" by the authorities here in CA. I can't say I never do it, but I don't do it often.

OTOH there's nothing unsafe about filtering through a traffic jam where the cages are doing less than 20 and I'm doing 25-30. And it takes one vehicle out of the line-up so everybody gets there faster. The same is true of filtering at traffic lights. I'm not using space that a car could occupy, whereas I would be if NOT filtering.

[sixer]

Yes it should be legal in all 50.

[TheBigSteve]

Saying that a motorcycle must be treated as a car in a lineup (in traffic or at a stoplight) makes about as much sense as illegalising parking two (or more) motorcycles in one parking space.
It's just fuckin stupid.

[AKStrom]

Originally Posted by TheBigSteve

Saying that a motorcycle must be treated as a car in a lineup (in traffic or at a stoplight) makes about as much sense as illegalising parking two (or more) motorcycles in one parking space.
It's just fuckin stupid.

Duh. Seattle tried that already. They comprised on charging both motorcycles for parking.

[cyrilgrey]

When I started riding I had the "no lane split ever" mentality. What are you nuts? That's dangerous.

After nearly being rear ended time and time again, and after taking up lane splitting and comparing the two, I would lane split now all the time except NYPD will crucify you these days.

Thanks. I feel so much happier waiting to get crushed by morons.

Although I did get pulled over for it and once I explained to the officers my position one said he'd never thought of it that way before, it made sense and he'll just give me a fix it ticket.

Before I explained he told me it was dangerous being between multiton vehicles and he didn't want to see me get crushed. He was thinking of it in the wrong dimension as most people, formerly myself included, tend to do.

[Alton]

I don't filter or split here, but I do pull to the far right/left of the vehicle ahead of me and pull up next to them so I have some protection from being rear-ended. I figure that way I get the safety aspect of filtering without pissing off the cagers.

Of course, the cagers who would be pissed at me for filtering are the same ones who let in the jackass in the jacked-up truck who runs up the right-turn-only lane and shoves his way over.

[smokinpig]

PLEASE

[Wrong]

Yes please, Lane splitting is legal where I come from and in my 35 years of riding I have never seen an accident because of it. Why is it that car drivers think we are not aware of the danger of riding a bike??? An even bigger question is why do they think they have to make laws to protect us... Forget worrying about lane splitting lets attach a device to every electric pole and traffic light that will automatically disconnect all cell phone's within 100 yards.

[jackburton]

Originally Posted by qwiksilver

France? They'll use the sidewalk if the street is one way and they need the street one block back. I played dodge 'em in Paris.
.

I love riding in France. Splitting/filtering, pulling up to the front at a red light, parking on the sidewalk (don't ever take a car parking place). I don't know how I will "re-adjust" to the US with the wide interstates and having to sit in traffic. But at least from my perspective, it's mentality and part of the culture. It's always been done, so everybody expects it. The majority of Americans I know here won't get on the back of a bike, OTOH - just hand a French person a helmet...

[Kommando]

Drivers here would kill a lanesplitting rider. They almost never check or signal before changing lanes.

[eatpasta]

Originally Posted by Le Barge

It should be illegal...It's dangerous and stupid and shouldn't be approved of by the government officially

That's true, it shouldn't! It should be left up the citizens to decide for themselves - like true, Americans that we are. It shouldn't be illegal in the first place, just another law.

Originally Posted by crazymactech

That is a idiotic assumption. Why would someone on an air cooled engine want to sit in traffic? I ride a Harley and lane split illegally so my engine doesn't over heat.

Lawbreaker!!



I would too.

Its not an assumption - I come across Hardley's sitting in traffic ALL THE TIME. They are either too afriad to lane split or they enjoy sitting in traffic.