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Lane Splitting

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LowRyter

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I was just reading the new issue of "Sport Rider".* The subject of Kent Kunitsugu column was a California research study (Cal Berkeley and CHP) regarding motorcycle lane splitting.* Two things noted:* 1) Riders that lane split are less likely to be injured because they were less likely to be rear ended.* 2) If 10% of traffic was on motorcycles, commute time would be reduced 50% for all traffic.

I used to lane split 30 years ago until I found out it was illegal.
 
LowRyter said:
2) If 10% of traffic was on motorcycles, commute time would be reduced 50% for all traffic.
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That's interesting, perhaps large US city congestion could be reduced using this alternative mode of transportation. In Europe scooters and motorcycle are a way of life - rain or shine.

RB
 
RB- the study was for California, I assume that meant congested California cities.
 
LowRyter said:
RB- the study was for California, I assume that meant congested California cities.
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The study was for California, meaning a place where they've been doing it for years and, from what I've seen while driving and riding there and have been told, personally, by riders who live there, what's "safe" and effective there may not be anything of the sort elsewhere.

I've also read, on other fora, that Cali folk who lane-split there daily wouldn't even think of trying it in Dallas after having ridden "here." (Note that I do not live in Dallas and to me Dallas is a walk-in-the-park compared to Houston, nor do I recall any of the Cali riders specifically mentioning TX cities other than Dallas.)

I have ridden in California, most recently in December '11 when I had the unanticipated (due to un-planning) pleasure of evening traffic leaving Anaheim, headed to Phoenix. Traffic was bumper-to-bumper, stop-and-go, well past Riverside and I just gave up and stopped for about an hour at a gas station/burger joint exit (maybe around Beaumont or Banning - maybe Cabazon?); my clutch hand was fried!

Full disclosure: I was running with a friend in a P/U, hauling a bike, and so filtering through was out of the question anyway. That notwithstanding, the Connie 14 I was riding, with bags, was too wide to think about doing it anyway except for the "filtering lane" between the fast/innermost-lane and the HOV lane, where it existed.

Observation from that trip and from another one in February '11 (that one in the p/u, picking up bikes). The pros who lane-split everyday do not run willy-nilly through whatever traffic is in front of them. Most of them run along the line between the innermost-lane and the HOV lane and most of them are not blasting through, just carefully working the least densely populated part of the traffic. Most of them get as far away from the outermost lane (the exit-entrance lane, if you will - I've never understood their lane "numbering" scheme, never bothered to since it was of no concern to me) as quickly as they can. And the cars/trucks do not try to cut them off or squeeze them. I found the whole experience most enlightening but I sure as heck wouldn't try it in Dallas evening traffic! (I'm not picking on Dallas here; I just have a lot more experience with driving/riding in or through Dallas than I do in Houston {which scares the beejebus outta me - too fast!!!}, San Antonio, or Austin (in which I've not yet had the pleasure(?) of riding.)

One thing I remember clearly is that on the P/U run (ETX to Colfax, CA, {non-stop to ~Fresno where I M-6'd it for a few hours} then to Colfax, then a flip back down "The 5" [catching all the LA evening traffic] to Long Beach], I saw exactly one accident, an almost-not-worth-mentioning-rear-ender-fender-bender with the two cars pulled over on the shoulder, owners calmly exchanging information, no police cruiser in sight. Summary: nowhere near as bad as I'd imagined, not having driven there since 1963.

Didn't mean to be so wordy and hope I didn't miss too many typos. :rider:
 
Eh, I've lane split the Tollway north of George Bush headed south. Traffic was stopped from Legacy to Bush, and I mean 0-20 mph flow. It was the first and only time I've lane split over a substantial distance, and I have to say it was a glorious experience.

The in-between lane spaces go from feeling like super cramped two foot wide paths to your own street after a short period of building up confidence. I kept speed differential below 15-20 mph, and the whole experience plain made sense.

Maybe some people get irritated, but I was cut off only once or twice, and even then I don't think it was malicious. After experiencing the sheer joy of it, I am tempted to split to the front of every intersection around town. Knowing it's illegal and would likely result in a ticket is the only thing stopping me.
 
I am all for Lane-splitting aka filtering. All the worrisome speculation of cagers not being prepared for it is probably unfounded. Of course someone will harbor resentment over being stuck in traffic, but drivers and attitudes will adapt. It's a viable option, not a requirement if endorsed by the state. Those that want to partake will do so, and those that do not will refrain. I would hope that any approval would coincide with billboards or road signs announcing it. Will someone "road rage" over this and potenitally harm or kill someone; I suspect that they will. Discourteous drivers and those that would want to fight over nothing already exist, I don't see this changing anything.
 
I am all for it. I have commuted to work in north Dallas for years. A few years ago I got sick of sitting in stopped traffic when, as someone on a small highly maneuverable vehicle (aka motorcycle), I had options.

It's not a daily occurrence, but if traffic is stopped, and my exit/turn is a few hundred yards up the road, I'm gone. No more riding like I have the limits of a car.
 
There would be an adjustment period for sure.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk cuz that's how I roll
 
sgifford said:
I am all for it. I have commuted to work in north Dallas for years. A few years ago I got sick of sitting in stopped traffic when, as someone on a small highly maneuverable vehicle (aka motorcycle), I had options.

It's not a daily occurrence, but if traffic is stopped, and my exit/turn is a few hundred yards up the road, I'm gone. No more riding like I have the limits of a car.
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I do the same exact thing on highways.

In fact, there was a bad wreck on 35 southbound coming into Dallas last Friday after work. I'm loathe to split unless I have a good reason, but traffic wasn't moving at all. So, I split in a cautious manner between the 2 left lanes, as is custom, and everything was fine.

If I hadnt, I may still be in traffic. :)
 
It's simple economics that has me seldom splitting lanes as oppsed to when I was younger. Back then I wore a backpack, these days I can afford a motorcycle with saddle bags.
 
I lived in LA in the late 80s early 90s and lane split every day. I had several close calls but never had an accident. Drivers there know about it. The #1 lane keeps a bit to the left and the #2 keeps a bit to the right. You'd be amazed at how much room there is between those two lanes.

Now back in Texas......I just lost my court case from 6 years ago where I went around the back of a simi that had all traffic blocked while it crossed the road. By the traffic code I did everything perfectly legal. Yet another driver coming in the opposite direction decided to make a left behind the simi, we hit head on. In court the drivers attorney pled to the jury about how unfair it was that motorcycles can pass where cars can't and how her defendant had no way of knowing that a motorcycle would be coming around a simi that had all traffic blocked. To my amazement the jury found for the defendant, 75/25!

So, there is a myth out there that lane splitting is California is legal, NO IT IS NOT! It is just tolerated because it helps ease traffic. CHP looks at lane splitting as part of the traffic solution and just does nothing about it. I've also been pulled over while lane splitting, not ticketed, but warned about going to fast while doing it.

In Texas, they refer to it as "lane sharing" and it is absolutely illegal. With that said, most LEOs will allow it if done safely and courteously. Such as squeezing by on the right to make a right on red or trying to get by one or two cars to get to a left turn lane. But driving a 1/4 mile plus to get to the front of the line, uh, just don't get caught.
 
If it makes sense, I lane split. TX drivers seem to get genuinely furious when a bike is lane splitting.

About a year ago 360 North was backed up and it was a solid 110 degrees out. I was in full gear and I was lane splitting, and passed a TX state trooper. He promptly pulled me over.

He did not care one bit that I was lane splitting, but he said if he didn't pull me over every one of those cars would call the police department and file a complaint because he didn't do any thing.

It was one of the best road side speaches I have ever been given by an officer of the law.
 
I split in CA for 6 years, 2001-2007 with never a problem. When I first moved to Texas I quit commuting on the bike for a bit after I had to stop on the Highway. That was really annoying never having to deal with a traffic jam in my entire riding career.

I've only split TX a few times. Most recently on 75 when it was clear that an accident had shut down the highway. Most everyone was cool except one DB that tried to block me. Thanks for being a punk sitting in your nice air conditioned car. I've been thinking about commuting with my AR-15 strapped to my back, probably wouldn't get much road rage?
The Big Spank Daddy said:
So, there is a myth out there that lane splitting is California is legal, NO IT IS NOT! It is just tolerated because it helps ease traffic.
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It's not illegal or legal, here is a quote straight from the CHP website - 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." CHP used to have a bunch of info, but looks like the Lawyers made them take it down.

http://www.chp.ca.gov/programs/lanesplitguide.html
 
I love being able to split every day...Here on the FJR with bags and 2-up

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qF_rv9e_crs"]Lane Splitting At Night Due To Accident 2 - YouTube[/ame]
 
Johnf3 said:
A 24 minute video driving through a traffic jam. Truly captivating. :lol2: Did anything happen after the first five seconds? Maybe a good long wheelie through the traffic or you kicking some poor cagers's mirror off just to show him who was the boss?
Click to expand...


The video shows how splitting can be beneficial. Not like some where guys go shooting by at 100mph.
 
I haven't lane split, but a few weeks ago I rode the left shoulder at 15 mph for 10 miles.

I'm traveling I-10 from Bastrop to Lake Charles every weekend. Rush hour traffic in Beaumont is worse than Houston. Traffic was alternating between stopped and crawling and after about an hour of holding the clutch I was losing strength in the left forearm. I did what I had too, you know?
 
kojack06 said:
Obama doesnt enforce border laws....you can lane-split.
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no need to pollute my thread with ignorant political crap.

I suppose out of topic politics could be tolerated if it was based on some understanding of logic and facts but in your case, you've failed on all counts.

go away.

:doh:


(I realize the moderator is a right winger that doesn't swear and probably agrees with his screed but I'd hate for anyone to take advantage and cause this to escalate.)
 
Ghost Rider said:
It's simple economics that has me seldom splitting lanes as oppsed to when I was younger. Back then I wore a backpack, these days I can afford a motorcycle with saddle bags.
Click to expand...

I've done 180 in the opposite, away from saddle bags to tailbags & tankbags, with a topcase for extra storage. Many of the bikes I saw in Europe (and a LOT of them were scooters) were set up like this to easier enable filtering/lane splitting.

Belgium (the country) performed a study in 2012 about motorcycles and commuting http://www.gizmag.com/motorcycles-reduce-congestion/21420/

This is an excerpt from their findings:

"If 10 percent of all private cars were replaced by motorcycles in the traffic flow of the test area, total time losses for all vehicles decreased by 40 percent and total emissions reduced by 6 percent (1 percent from the different traffic composition of more emission-reduced motorcycles and 5 percent from avoided traffic congestion). A 25 percent modal shift from cars to motorcycles was found to eliminate congestion entirely."

That's some powerful statistics. I've used lane splitting legally in Europe when I rode there, and a few times here in Texas when I felt it was needed. But I've lost hope of lane splitting ever being legalized in Texas. It came close a few years back, but the bill was tabled and sent back to the purgatory of committee. And I'm getting to that age where risk is no longer as attractive as it was at 20 years of age.
 
It would take a major cultural shift for US commuters to embrace small displacement motorcycles and scooters for the urban environment. Not only would traffic woes be lessened, but parking could be much less of a hassle as well. Unfortunately, it would have to be excruciatingly painful at the pump to encourage the shift, which would bring about a whole other set of problems.

Rather than pump millions of dollars into a light rail system it may be more beneficial to provide incentives for two wheeled commuting. ie; lane sharing, rebates/tax credits, designated parking, etc.
 
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