Utah legalizes lane Filtering

Status
Not open for further replies.
Originally Posted by EdwardC
In addition, it reduces the depth of the backup. instead of a motorcycle taking up an entire lane width, they squeeze forwards so that more cars can line up. Think of how many more vehicles we could fit behind a stop light if every car with just one person it it was on a motorcycle instead!


There are never enough motorcycles in a traffic line for this to make any appreciable difference...and your 2nd point is amazingly creative sideways justification for riding a motorcycle.

Cyclists advocating lane splitting as a good thing know instinctively why it's disliked whether they admit it or not. It must be a human trait to become upset when someone cuts in line. Everyone has had it happen and 99.9% of people don't like it. Sure a pregnant woman or elderly people or disabled can go to the front at a movie but a tatted Harley guy or a Power Ranger (my kid's words years ago) racer guy or anyone else going to the front of traffic just gets an automatic negative reaction.

I rode until I we had our first child and I made the decision my kids would not be without a dad because my selfish decision to street ride got me killed.
 
I rode for about six months - the first half of 2008. Back then this was illegal in California, I even got a ticket for lane straddling. While lane splitting is OK when vehicles are stopped, it is very bad when it's done while vehicles are moving. I don't know what the wording of the law is in Cali, but riders here think it is their right to do it with moving vehicles, and do some stupid stuff, and are aggressive about their "rights".
 
Originally Posted by LoneRanger
The self-righteous I-own-the-road attitude of most American truck and automobile drivers is not compatible with the intelligent, efficient, concept of lane splitting. Likely to result in road rage or vehicular aggression against the Motorcyclist in one form or another in most instances: "Hey he can't cut in line like that, I'm gonna show him !!!..."

I hardly ever see the aggression starting from the car drivers.
 
Always so much hate between motorcyclists and car drivers. I've had boneheads in cars try to purposely run me off the road for no reason. Some people in cars get all nuts at just the sight of a motorcycle on the road. Those people obviously need some mental therapy and anger management help.
 
Originally Posted by AZjeff
Originally Posted by EdwardC
In addition, it reduces the depth of the backup. instead of a motorcycle taking up an entire lane width, they squeeze forwards so that more cars can line up. Think of how many more vehicles we could fit behind a stop light if every car with just one person it it was on a motorcycle instead!


There are never enough motorcycles in a traffic line for this to make any appreciable difference...and your 2nd point is amazingly creative sideways justification for riding a motorcycle.

Cyclists advocating lane splitting as a good thing know instinctively why it's disliked whether they admit it or not. It must be a human trait to become upset when someone cuts in line. Everyone has had it happen and 99.9% of people don't like it. Sure a pregnant woman or elderly people or disabled can go to the front at a movie but a tatted Harley guy or a Power Ranger (my kid's words years ago) racer guy or anyone else going to the front of traffic just gets an automatic negative reaction.

I rode until I we had our first child and I made the decision my kids would not be without a dad because my selfish decision to street ride got me killed.




Now tell us how you really feel...
 
Originally Posted by ZeeOSix
Always so much hate between motorcyclists and car drivers. I've had boneheads in cars try to purposely run me off the road for no reason. Some people in cars get all nuts at just the sight of a motorcycle on the road. Those people obviously need some mental therapy and anger management help.


Yep, I've had it happen too many times to count over the years. It's my theory that they lack the ability to ride. That upsets their delicate psyche, and when they see someone else enjoying life doing what they can't, that sends them over the edge, and NOW they want revenge on the Motorcyclist minding their own business.
 
As has already been said there are few restriction to motorcycles filtering in the UK.. If I find myself in a long queue of stationary or very slow moving traffic then I'll do it and gain a significant amount of time. Adverse reactions from car drivers are not all that common and if there are any motorcyclists driving a car they'll even move over and give you more space. I think irritation can occur when some motorcyclists will habitually filter to the front of the queue in every instance, even past one or two cars or by riding on the wrong side of the road and beyond stop lines to get in front. I won't take unnecessary risks for very little gain but neither will I sit in a long que of traffic which probably wouldn't exist if they were all motorcycles.
 
Originally Posted by zorobabel
I rode for about six months - the first half of 2008.


Umm... never mind.
 
Originally Posted by 02SE
Originally Posted by ZeeOSix
Always so much hate between motorcyclists and car drivers. I've had boneheads in cars try to purposely run me off the road for no reason. Some people in cars get all nuts at just the sight of a motorcycle on the road. Those people obviously need some mental therapy and anger management help.


Yep, I've had it happen too many times to count over the years. It's my theory that they lack the ability to ride. That upsets their delicate psyche, and when they see someone else enjoying life doing what they can't, that sends them over the edge, and NOW they want revenge on the Motorcyclist minding their own business.


I agree with this assessment.
 
Each road-legal vehicle in AZ is entitled to the entire lane it is traveling in. IOW, no lane-sharing or -splitting. When I was working in Oregon a few years ago, a lane-splitting legalization that did _not_ include filtering forward at a light or sign, failed to be passed. There was discussion there at the time that maybe people disliked splitting more than filtering, and that next time they might try filtering first, then splitting later. Apparently Utah thought filtering was a more palatable first step.

I commute across metro Phoenix most of the time on my motorcycle, and while I have seen a very few motorcycles blatantly splitting, most stay in their lane. Some are fairly assertive about moving into spaces that are big enough for the bikes, but too small for a car. Interestingly, the motor officers (motorcycle police) are the most assertive about this as a group.

I know no one (including me or other motorcycle riders I associate with) who likes the dipsticks who go flying forward at 80 when traffic is already moving well, or when they're just going forward at a large speed differential. I don't have a particular problem with it, even when I'm in a car or pickup, if they move forward through heavy traffic at a modest speed differential (apart from wishing I could do so, too). I have lane-split for relatively long distances in California before. In such monstrously unreasonable traffic as is found in parts of that state, it was an extremely welcome ability, though it required concentration and care. Filtering is not something I've particularly seen, nor done. I dislike being on surface streets in heavy traffic on a bike, so I try to avoid it.

I'll be interested to see how this goes in UT over the coming years.
 
Originally Posted by 02SE
Originally Posted by AZjeff
Originally Posted by EdwardC
In addition, it reduces the depth of the backup. instead of a motorcycle taking up an entire lane width, they squeeze forwards so that more cars can line up. Think of how many more vehicles we could fit behind a stop light if every car with just one person it it was on a motorcycle instead!


There are never enough motorcycles in a traffic line for this to make any appreciable difference...and your 2nd point is amazingly creative sideways justification for riding a motorcycle.

Cyclists advocating lane splitting as a good thing know instinctively why it's disliked whether they admit it or not. It must be a human trait to become upset when someone cuts in line. Everyone has had it happen and 99.9% of people don't like it. Sure a pregnant woman or elderly people or disabled can go to the front at a movie but a tatted Harley guy or a Power Ranger (my kid's words years ago) racer guy or anyone else going to the front of traffic just gets an automatic negative reaction.

I rode until I we had our first child and I made the decision my kids would not be without a dad because my selfish decision to street ride got me killed.




Now tell us how you really feel...


Tell me what part I got wrong?

Are there honestly ever enough bikes in a line to make an appreciable difference in the backup? Makes a difference to the bikes going to the front, for everyone else not so much.

If everyone commuting rode a bike instead of driving there would still be the same number of people on the road, just taking up less linear space. In the rain? In winter? Still novel thinking.

You never got annoyed at someone cutting in line in front of you somewhere? The difference when a bike does it in traffic is? Nothing to the people sitting in line. It just goes against the concept of fair play and waiting your turn. I don't think it's the car vs bike thing you want it to be, it's instinctual .

I'm not saying how I feel, trying to reason some of this out. Believe it or not I like motocycles, raced MX bitd, rode street for a few years. Wouldn't mind riding again but just not happening, the risk/reward on today's roads just isn't worth it to me. I rode and raced bicycles big time for quite a few years so I get the animosity you feel.

The 2 important points in the Utah law that will be ignored are:

1.The vehicle(s) being passed during lane-filtering must be stopped

2.The motorcyclist may not filter the lanes faster than 15 mph

BTW, look up "lane splitting California". California law does not allow or prohibit motorcycles from passing other vehicles proceeding in the same direction within the same lane, a practice often called "lane splitting," "lane sharing" or "filtering." It's legal because it's not illegal, so it's really anything goes there.
 
If you've ever been to a large city in Asia, you'd see where traffic would be absolute gridlock without motorcycles. And yes, rain or shine.

It's real and it does help with traffic. There are places where there's an officially marked box at the front of a traffic light exclusively for motorcycles to filter to the front of the queue.
 
I agree the arguments that are used for filtering are weak.
Some I have seen include rider fatigue due to sitting in traffic (if you can't hack it, don't do it), engine overheating (get a real bike designed for commuting and you can idle in 100°F+ weather all day long), reduced traffic (not enough bikes on the roadway to make any significant difference), reduces carbon footprint (compared to single driver using a car/truck, yes, but motorcycle filtering vs motorcycle not filtering, minimal if any), safer (from rear end collision, yes, from being hit while splitting (accidental or intentional), no).
Another thing is I hate being the first vehicle into an intersection when the light changes when on my bike. So if I filtered up to the front, then light turns green, then I wait for the cars to go first, it would give even more of a bad impression.

It sure does cut down on the commute time for the motorcyclist, yet does nothing for the 4 wheeled commuter, except make them angry for people "cutting" in line.
I have heard a few people gripe about how motorcycles legally get to ride in HOV lanes with a single rider, saying it is not fair, I can't imagine how they would feel with bikes moving by them while they are stuck in traffic at a near standstill.

I have never filtered, I have no plans to filter, I have no desire to filter, legal or not. Just does not seem safe to me.

If it is made legal here, great for those that want to do it, but again, not for me. I am not really against it, but not fighting for it either.


I would be happy though if the toll roads tolls were lower for my 500 lb motorcycle with 2 wheels vs a 6000 lb dually truck.
 
It was made legal in my state within the last 12 months or so.

When I lived in Perth, Western Australia in the late '90's, everyone lane filtered, it cut down commute times massively. Same thing when I moved to Melbourne, Victoria. Car drivers actually used to move over a bit to make a gap for a bike to fit through. Done sensibly, I think lane filtering is great, although I can definitely see how it's not for everybody.
 
Originally Posted by AZjeff
Originally Posted by 02SE
You wouldn't happen to be Lee Schismenos would you?

Arizona driver assaults Motorcyclist and small woman passenger


That's all you've got? No good response to the points I raised so you want to paint me as violent? Weak.

Enjoy your lane splitting and filtering. Sincerely hope you don't get hurt doing it.


You didn't raise any valid points. People will either obey the law, or they won't. No different than any other law.

Your annoyance at the possibility of Motorcyclists legally lane filtering, lane splitting, or lane sharing, makes you sound a lot like Schismenos. I just wondered if it was you.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by blupupher
I agree the arguments that are used for filtering are weak.
Some I have seen include rider fatigue due to sitting in traffic (if you can't hack it, don't do it), engine overheating (get a real bike designed for commuting and you can idle in 100°F+ weather all day long), reduced traffic (not enough bikes on the roadway to make any significant difference), reduces carbon footprint (compared to single driver using a car/truck, yes, but motorcycle filtering vs motorcycle not filtering, minimal if any), safer (from rear end collision, yes, from being hit while splitting (accidental or intentional), no).
Another thing is I hate being the first vehicle into an intersection when the light changes when on my bike. So if I filtered up to the front, then light turns green, then I wait for the cars to go first, it would give even more of a bad impression.

It sure does cut down on the commute time for the motorcyclist, yet does nothing for the 4 wheeled commuter, except make them angry for people "cutting" in line.
I have heard a few people gripe about how motorcycles legally get to ride in HOV lanes with a single rider, saying it is not fair, I can't imagine how they would feel with bikes moving by them while they are stuck in traffic at a near standstill.

I have never filtered, I have no plans to filter, I have no desire to filter, legal or not. Just does not seem safe to me.

If it is made legal here, great for those that want to do it, but again, not for me. I am not really against it, but not fighting for it either.


I would be happy though if the toll roads tolls were lower for my 500 lb motorcycle with 2 wheels vs a 6000 lb dually truck.


If they have any brains, they will realize that for every motorcycle not stopped in traffic, it is one less vehicle extending the length of the line of vehicles. Ie: less congestion for everyone.
 
Last time in CA
We saw numerous lane spliiters we were going 5over the speed limit of 55 in the right two lanes
Left two lanes were going 10-20 over
And the bikes were going near 90 between what ever 2 lanes suited them or sometimes on the shoulder. The cars too would band together and drive 3-6 of them on the right shoulder and pass you going 20mph faster when traffic would slow. Not always going to the next exit either 1/4 mile down the way.
It was a interesting experience.
My sister inlaw from CA says Oregonians dont know how to drive.
That may be true.
But Californians drive like crap.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

AZjeff
Arizona passes motorcycle lane filtering law
2 3 4
Replies
78
Views
5K
mk378
OVERKILL
  • Locked
The real cost of wind and solar: Why rates don't match the claims
4 5 6
Replies
116
Views
13K
oil pan 4
OVERKILL
  • Locked
What is a VPN? A BITOG Guide
2
Replies
21
Views
4K
OVERKILL
CarbonSteel
  • Locked
2018 Mercedes GLC43 AMG Coupe - 1st 5,000 Miles
2
Replies
23
Views
8K
silverrat
dnewton3
  • Locked
dash cam saves careers
2 3 4
Replies
72
Views
15K
Ratchetgrinder
Back
Top Bottom