Arizona passes motorcycle lane filtering law

[AZjeff]

So, IMO, lane FILTERING in stopped traffic makes sense to me if both cars and bikes can follow some simple rules and not abuse the law.

Just sharing my perspective on this as a motorcyclist AND a car driver.

Thanks for your thoughts. Doubtful that car drivers are going to abuse this new law, how could they? It feels like some kind of win for riders and just more things to be aware of and be ready for for everyone else.

Still trying to imagine how this filtering lessens traffic. If I'm sitting in my truck 4 rows back at a light and some bikes line up between lanes then have to move into gaps between cars when the light turns green then I end up further behind as the cars and bikes up ahead sort it all out, correct? And EVERONE gets at least a little bit annoyed when someone cuts in line ahead of them, anywhere. Interesting times.

 

[blupupher]

...

Lane SPLITTING, like in California, where bikes just speed in between cars on the freeway at will is just insane (for both the bikes and the cars).
...

The lane splitting law in California is very ambiguous with no set speeds for either cars or motorcycles.
CHP has set some guidelines and has been known to ticket for reckless driving if done at "excess" speeds, but as you said, some people do it and don't get caught.
Lane splitting at legal speeds (and higher) is not what lane splitting was intended for, but when you make vague laws, that is what you get.

Thanks for your thoughts. Doubtful that car drivers are going to abuse this new law, how could they? It feels like some kind of win for riders and just more things to be aware of and be ready for for everyone else.

Still trying to imagine how this filtering lessens traffic. If I'm sitting in my truck 4 rows back at a light and some bikes line up between lanes then have to move into gaps between cars when the light turns green then I end up further behind as the cars and bikes up ahead sort it all out, correct? And EVERONE gets at least a little bit annoyed when someone cuts in line ahead of them, anywhere. Interesting times.

It is about your perspective. In your example at that one light, you have the attitude that they are cutting in front of you and not helping you at all. "It's not fair" you say.
But what if you are in a vehicle behind a motorcyclist and then they decide to filter. Guess what, you get to move up a few feet.
And guess what happens at the next light, that motorcyclist is no longer in the equation of length of traffic at that next light, and the one after, and so on. So one light you see a negative, and the rest you see nothing, so they cheated in your mind, but if you are the car that gains space (and all vehicles gain this space, just not at the exact same time and same location), you are happy.
So after a few weeks of seeing these "cheaters", you think, well, I have a motorcycle at home, and am tired of sitting in traffic, and decide, maybe I could try this myself. You try it and find you get to work 10 minutes sooner than in a car. Well now you win because your commute time is shorter, and others benefit because your 18 foot long car is not on the road taking up space, your 6 foot long bike is now taking up "empty" space.
You tell one of your co-workers how your ride to work is shorter now because of the bike, and guess what, he has a bike that he does not ride much, and then he decides to do it as well. Well looky there, another long vehicle off the road and more space for others.
Even without filtering, more bikes would take up less space on the roadway.

All these are how filtering can help lessen traffic.
But all many see is somebody cutting in line without seeing the actual benefit they receive for it.

And just for reference, do you not see how lane filtering helps here:

Yes this is an extreme example from another country, but illustrates the increased volume a standard road can handle with bikes filtering.
Each one of those bikes filtering is decreasing the distance to the light for all the cars in the back.
Do you want 30 vehicles to get through a light per signal cycle, or 90 in the same time?

 

[aquariuscsm]

This only works if the motorcycle(s) are willing to blast off the line as soon as the light turns green to get back in lane in front of the first car.

This is another citable offense in Texas, "Exhibition of acceleration".

 

[ZeeOSix]

This is another citable offense in Texas, "Exhibition of acceleration".

There are no laws that limit the acceleration rate from a stop to the speed limit in this context, as long as you don't smoke off the tire(s), go sideways out of control or do a wheelie (on a cycle) ... that would be reckless driving.

 

[aquariuscsm]

There are no laws that limit the acceleration rate from a stop to the speed limit in this context, as long as you don't smoke off the tire(s), go sideways out of control or do a wheelie (on a cycle) ... that would be reckless driving.

Is rapid acceleration illegal in Texas?


Yes. A. A person shall not drive a vehicle or participate in any manner in a race, speed competition or contest, drag race or acceleration contest, test of physical endurance or exhibition of speed or acceleration or for the purpose of making a speed record on a street or highway.

 

[AZjeff]

It is about your perspective. In your example at that one light, you have the attitude that they are cutting in front of you and not helping you at all. "It's not fair" you say.

I'm actually a pretty chill driver and stuff like that isn't worth getting riled up over but some people get pretty cranked up. I'm just imagining what the average driver is going to think. Hard to imagine anything close to that photo working out smoothly in the US. That's normal for those drivers and riders, they likely don't know anything different. There's been very little effort to really explain the advantages of filtering for all road users, maybe closer to the start date .azgov will put some stuff out. I just hope riders don't get hurt while this gets sorted out and becomes normal.

 

[ZeeOSix]

Is rapid acceleration illegal in Texas?


Yes. A. A person shall not drive a vehicle or participate in any manner in a race, speed competition or contest, drag race or acceleration contest, test of physical endurance or exhibition of speed or acceleration for the purpose of making a speed record on a street or highway.

That "law" reads in the context of street racing or exhibition or trying to set a record, etc. The context of laws matter.

So you're saying if someone accelerates from a stop to the speed limit faster (without driving recklessly) than the rest if the traffic around them, then they are breaking a "rapid acceleration" law. LoL, I don't think so.

You think police are going to care if a motorcycle takes off faster and gets to the speed limit faster than the cars so they can get back into a lane - the police would most likely say that the motorcycle should leave ahead to safely get into a lane on the other side of the intersection. If that means accelerating faster without doing it recklessly or breaking the speed limit, then it's not breaking any such "law".

If someone in a car accelerated from zero to the speed limit way faster than "normal" (whatever that is) without breaking the speed limit to get out of the way of someone running a red light that's heading for them, are they going to get a ticket? No way.

If the "law" is worried about people using acceleration within the speed limit, then they better program vehicles to only accelerate at some set maximum rate, regardless of their HP or true capability.

 

[ZeeOSix]

There are a lot of caveats in the AZ lane filtering laws, just like there are also caveats to the lane filtering laws in other states.

Arizona Passes Lane-Filtering Law

Arizona has passed a bill that will allow motorcyclists to ride between cars when traffic is stopped, a practice known as lane filtering.

www.motorcyclecruiser.com

 

[aquariuscsm]

That "law" reads in the context of street racing or exhibition or trying to set a record, etc. The context of laws matter.

So you're saying if someone accelerates from a stop to the speed limit faster (without driving recklessly) than the rest if the traffic around them, then they are breaking a "rapid acceleration" law. LoL, I don't think so.

You think police are going to care if a motorcycle takes off faster and gets to the speed limit faster than the cars so they can get back into a lane - the police would most likely say that the motorcycle should leave ahead to safely get into a lane on the other side of the intersection. If that means accelerating faster without doing it recklessly or breaking the speed limit, then it's not breaking any such "law".

If someone in a car accelerated from zero to the speed limit way faster than "normal" (whatever that is) without breaking the speed limit to get out of the way of someone running a red light that's heading for them, are they going to get a ticket? No way.

If the "law" is worried about people using acceleration within the speed limit, then they better program vehicles to only accelerate at some set maximum rate, regardless of their HP or true capability.

From having lots of police officers in my family and circle of friends, yes, they can and will issue a ticket. Officer's discretion. Have an issue with it? Take it up in court, not on the side of the road.

Hence why your citation will have the following offense, "Exhibition of acceleration".

 

[aquariuscsm]

Delete. Duplicate post.

 

[ZeeOSix]

From having lots of police officers in my family and circle of friends, yes, they can and will issue a ticket. Officer's discretion. Have an issue with it? Take it up in court, not on the side of the road.

Any officer that's not an ahole isn't going to give anyone a ticket for accelerating faster than the vehicles around them within the laws of the speed limit and reckless driving laws. I think there are way more important things for police to be concerned about, especially when it boils down to their own "interpretation" of the law. Seems like a lot of the comments in this thread are basically stemming from motorcycle hate ... it's easy to see. I've lived in both worlds for over 45 years, and see this all the time. People that don't ride motorcycles are very easily riled up about about the world of motorcycles.

 

[aquariuscsm]

Any officer that's not an ahole isn't going to give anyone a ticket for accelerating faster than the vehicles around them within the laws of the speed limit and reckless driving laws. I think there are way more important things for police to be concerned about, especially when it boils down to their own "interpretation" of the law.

Doesn't matter whether you feel he's an *expletive* or not, the side of the road isn't the time or place for that debate. That's what the courtroom is. How can an officer prove two drivers were street racing to the next light? He can't, that again, is what the courtroom is for.

 

[ZeeOSix]

Doesn't matter whether you feel he's an *expletive* or not, the side of the road isn't the time or place for that debate. That's what the courtroom is. How can an officer prove two drivers were street racing to the next light? He can't, that again, is what the courtroom is for.

Who said there were two vehicles "racing"? I'm talking about ONE vehicle accelerating from a stop faster than another ... no "racing contest" going on - you're tying to twist the discussion - keep it in context. Go back and read everything I've said. Fact is, if one vehicle accelerates from an intersection within the laws of the speed limit and reckless driving laws, then they aren't breaking the law as it is written that you posted above.

What the police should be more concerned about it the people in cars that will loose thier mind and start road rage because a motorcyclist legally lane filtered. There are a lot of people in cars that loose it and road rage if a motorcycle simply comes near them while riding legally.

 

[ZeeOSix]

Motorcycle Lane Splitting: Guide and State-by-state Laws (2024)

Can motorcycles split lanes in America? Learn everything about lane splitting. Get a clear view of the laws in each state, and on how to perform this safely.

www.motorcyclelegalfoundation.com

 

[gman2304]

Who said there were two vehicles "racing"? I'm talking about ONE vehicle accelerating from a stop faster than another ... no "racing contest" going on - you're tying to twist the discussion - keep it in context. Go back and read everything I've said. Fact is, if one vehicle accelerates from an intersection within the laws of the speed limit and reckless driving laws, then they aren't breaking the law as it is written that you posted above.

What the police should be more concerned about it the people in cars that will loose thier mind and start road rage because a motorcyclist legally lane filtered. There are a lot of people in cars that loose it and road rage if a motorcycle simply comes near them while riding legally.

I’ve seen a lot of passive aggressive “body language” from people in cars directed at me in my almost 50 years of riding. Tailgating, cutting me off, speeding up when I’m passing them, etc. I ride conservatively and rarely speed, my exhaust is baffled, not obnoxiously loud etc. 2 friends have sold their bikes in the last 12 months in part because of drivers who have no respect or tolerance for motorcyclists or any idea or don’t care how vulnerable a person is on a motorcycle. I’m strongly considering selling mine, just not worth the risk.

 

[ZeeOSix]

I’ve seen a lot of passive aggressive “body language” from people in cars directed at me in my almost 50 years of riding. Tailgating, cutting me off, speeding up when I’m passing them, etc. I ride conservatively and rarely speed, my exhaust is baffled, not obnoxiously loud etc. 2 friends have sold their bikes in the last 12 months in part because of drivers who have no respect or tolerance for motorcyclists or any idea or don’t care how vulnerable a person is on a motorcycle. I’m strongly considering selling mine, just not worth the risk.

I've seen the same thing over my riding years too. People (the motorcycle haters) are so triggered by motorcycles for no real valid reason that they will actually try to use their car as a weapon on the road - even when the motorcyclist is riding legally. I got a license number one time from a lunatic like that, tracked down his phone number and called him to talk about it, telling him I was going to go the police about his actions. You should have heard his apologies - it was a whole different game for him at that point, and maybe it made him think twice about his actions. People like that will get triggered someday and loose their mind over trivial nonsense, end up killing someone and spend the rest of their life in jail. Society is going more nuts all the time on the roads (in all vehicles), and there are way too many "social justice warriors". People need to learn how to let stupid stuff go on the roads, or they will eventually get wrapped up in some type of road rage legal trouble that they will regret later.

 

[AZjeff]

@Zee0Six, appreciate your input in this thread. Balanced perspective about bikes and cars. I saw that motorcyclecruiser.com article too and it explains the allowable conditions pretty well. Our little town has a few intersections where 2 left turn lanes bleed off of the travel lanes at stop lights. These are older intersections and are pretty tight, going to have to watch out there. Can't say I'm looking forward to filtering being added into the mix on the roads.

 

[ZeeOSix]

@Zee0Six, appreciate your input in this thread. Balanced perspective about bikes and cars. I saw that motorcyclecruiser.com article too and it explains the allowable conditions pretty well. Our little town has a few intersections where 2 left turn lanes bleed off of the travel lanes at stop lights. These are older intersections and are pretty tight, going to have to watch out there. Can't say I'm looking forward to filtering being added into the mix on the roads.

If you find yourself at the front end of an intersection and a bike or two decides to filter by or next to you, just let them take off first. Motorcyclists don't sit at intersections and play with a phone or are distracted most 4-wheeled drivers do (at least around here). The motorcycles will be ready to take off and get out of there pronto when the time is right.

 

[mk378]

In many countries, lane markings are completely pointless, especially on one-way streets in big cities. All traffic of cars, two wheelers, and pedestrians will cram into any available space.