Jump to content

Recommended Posts

  • Member
  • Member For: 22y 1m

Its pretty clear you havent ridden much if at all in traffic. Someone with more than 10 minutes experience on a motorbike in traffic will clearly understand it is MUCH safer to be away from traffic than in the middle of it.

Whether it be at the very back of a pack of traffic or in front, it doesnt matter. Its a HELL of a lot safer than being surrounded by drivers.

When you are stuck in a pack, you invariably have people who arent looking, who cant cope with whats going on around them, who quickly change lanes without looking and indicating etc etc. On a bike it happens even more than when you are in a car...and we all know it happens frequenlty when you are driving a car.

You have to be ready to evade the idiots at all times - and the safest way to be able to do that is to NOT be surrounded by cars.

There is very good reason bikes lane split. Note that I am NOT referring to those idiots who do it at high speed, who try to get through tight spots and whack mirrors etc. Those same dickheads would be doing equally dumb things in a fast car if they had the money for a car that does 0-100 in under 3 seconds. But they dont. And the idiots buy a bike instead.

Im talking about the traffic is basically stopped, and a rider slowly (not much faster than walking pace) filters his way to the front of the traffic, and then takes off at a reasonable pace so as not to slow down anyone other than Geaa doing a drag race start off from the lights. You dont have to take off fast on a bike to beat 99% of cars.

Did you know when you stop in traffic on a bike, you need to spend about 80% of your time watching the rear view mirror? Its because there are so many idiots who drive with their eyes shut and are likely to squash you between their car and the car in front of you. You stop with at least a few metres between you and the car in front. You aim your bike slightly to one side as you have pre-calculated your escape route when the idiot comes. You put the bike in 1st gear, and you watch your rear view mirror, not whats happenning ahead. You have to do that EVERY time you stop in traffic, because of the idiots out there in cars who simply do not pay attention. (And we all see lots like them every day). The difference is if you are in a car, they do a small rear end bingle. If you are on a bike, you can die.

Filter to the front of traffic, and you take off at a reasonable clip (with both wheels on the ground...), maintain a nice safety buffer, and can stay clear of them. Alternatively you stay at the rear of the pack, but that's harder as you cant control cars coming up behind you. No-one can hit you if they arent close to you...can they?!

Dont get me wrong guys, I see as many idiots on bikes as idiots in cars doing the wrong things at the wrong times, but I can tell you this much: it would cut the road toll drastically if everyone was trained to ride a bike before driving a car. You end up with much better skills. You end up beng 200% more aware of whats around you, and you end up constantly calculating Plan B's for when the idiot wakes up and swerves into you, pulls out in front of you, doesnt stop in time etc etc.

Ask anyone who rides (who isnt a 20 year old d1ckhead riding a GSXR-1000). On average riders make for much more aware drivers.

  ms700 said:
I have lost a close mate recently who was a motorcyclist.

I also currently have another good friend who has one shattered shoulder, and two broken arms whilst also riding his bike.

Both these accidents were not the motorcyclists fault.

Both of these accidents occured at intersections.

Here's a thought for lane splitters.

If you stuck with the main pack, wouldnt it be safer? If you are waaay out in front, all by your lonesome, you will have to agree with me, there is more chance of you getting cleaned up. If you obey the rules, and stick within the peakhour bunch of cars, there is a lot less chance of somebody cutting you off or cleaning you up.

The average motorist/public servant has a lot more chance of seeing a pack of 20 cars, with a motorcyclist buried deep in there somewhere, and giving way, then seeing one solitary motorbike with a pack of cars not that far behind him...... that average public servant/motorist will want to pull out in front and cross the intersection/get ahead of the pack, and clean the lane splitter motorcyclist up in the process.

Think about it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

  • Replies 54
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

Posted Images

  • Member
  • Member For: 22y 1m

I agree.

A lot of drivers get VERY jealous if you lane split even in stationary traffic. The same people who would agressively and purposefully block an intersection, regardless of the fact the lights change and now noone can move as they are in the middle of an intersection.

I have lot count of the number of losers who actually move their car right to try to block you if you lane split legally. Its illegal for them to do that. Its dangerous for them to do that, but they do it anyway.

Then again, you can pick the decent drivers or ones who also ride. They realise whats happening, know whats going on around them, and may even nudge forward and away from the car next to them, to give you more room. They always get a nod and the thumbs up for that.

Then there is the other 95%. They are asleep and surprised to see a bike go past. It wakes them up from their daydream.

  youngy said:
if your in a pack of cars on a bike your always in somebodys blind spot and when there is a 1 car gap acar driver will always take it to save them selves a whole ten metres. I've been run off the road twice by cars doing that and personally find it a lot safer to be riding out front away from traffic you just have to have your common sense about you and ride on the otherside of the lane(s) that the traffic will be coming in from. There is more accidents at lights by cars hitting the car in front or bike then bikes splitting and hitting mirrors it seriously doesnt affect car drivers ppl just get jealous that bikes can get to their destination twice as quick. If its that much of a big deal get a bike yourself. Its just like going off at all car drivers because a select few cant drive or dont follow the rules.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

  • No boost, no bottle, just my foot on the throttle!
  • Lifetime Members
  • Member For: 21y 3m 8d
  • Gender: Male
  • Location: Sydney

Mick,

I agree that if all drivers did the 2 day bike training we would all be better drivers. This is the problem, most drivers are not trained to drive only to pass a simple test, or come from overseas and bribe the tester to get their license.

With lane splitters, I must say that most hipo bike riders I have seen drive like d!cks, they think they own the road and ride agressivly. While they may be a minority on the road they are noticed and this is why they have made the law.

I have also seen many L and P plated bikers lane splitting and having no idea the danger they are in. It seems the fuel prices have brought a new level of stupidity on the road when it comes to bike riders.

As for Jelousy of lane splitters, I can say that after riding a bike for 2 years, I am not jelous of bike riders as I was nearly killed 4x and taken down twice by stupid drivers. I feel sorry for bike riders as their number will be up sooner or later, there are many brain damaged/parra/quadraplegic bike riders out there that have a "was not my fault" story, but at the end of the day they are the ones injured and the car driver has a dent and insurance.

They should seriously consider banning any bike capable of 0-100 in under 5 seconds, or introduce a intensive training for these type of bike riders, as anyone who has a full bike license can fork over $20k for a bike that does sub 10sec 1/4's.

I can say that I would NEVER ride a bike on public roads as there are just too many stupid people on our roads.

  • Member
  • Member For: 20y 2m 21d
  • Location: The North Cooma End of Canberra...

Whilst I dislike seen bikes lane split because I have seen way to many do damage to a car I have also seen way to many close encounters between bikes and cars, and it's only because the biker has done something drastic so that they don't end up as a statistic, so I can also understand why a biker would want to get away from the cars, and getting right in front seems to be the safest way for them...

Maybe as an idea, (this would work well in Canberra, but I don't know about other cities) make lane splitting illegal, but open up the push bike lanes to motor bikes as long as the bike doesn't do more than 20km/h in the push bike lanes... This would give the biker a way to get up front safely, it won't put the cyclist into any more danger (the biker must not go over 20km/h otherwise it's considered speeding which = loss of points \ fined...) and the biker must give way to cyclists already in the cycle lanes...

Just a thought...

  • THE Member
  • Donating Members
  • Member For: 19y 10m 17d
  • Gender: Male
  • Location: Melbourne

This is just another way to get the bikes of the road, (What did we get for the extra $100 on rego?) :shutit:

I do see the points of some of you guys about damage to cars etc. I lane split at lights but only if I have enough time and room to get to the front (yes I do take off fast to not hold people up) I have had drivers move across and block me when there was at least room for three bikes to get through just cause he didn't want someone in front of him. I personally can not see the harm in lane splitting and if I ever did knock a mirror I would stop :shutit:

Chooka

  • Member
  • Member For: 20y 9m 3d
  • Location: leonay

unfortunately, most anti-bike people on this site have resorted to the examples of high speed lane splitting, so maybe I wasnt clear enough.

lane splitting - going between two cars at speed.

lane filtering - going between two cars while stoped at an intersection.

its the lane filtering that the government is trying to make illegal. lane splitting can stay illegal to the end of time, its dangerous and stupid. lane filtering on the other hand can be beneficial to the safety of bike riders, and if everyone was curteous on our roads, would occur without problem to anyone.

yes, there are d*ckheads who ride bikes. they miscalculate speed and the clearance between cars and have been responsible for alot of damaged mirrors, but theres d*ckheads who drive cars aswell and I dont hear anyone on this site wanting to ban cars.

in fact, hearing some of your responces and displaying the attitude that you and your car shouldnt have to share the road with anything else, tells me you are the ones who shouldnt have a licence, car licence included.

I havent had a bike hit my mirror, funny that, mainly because I see the bike rider coming up throught the traffic behind me (cause I actually look at the 'environment' around me) and move to the side of my allocated lane, giving the rider lane filtering plenty of space. and dont tell me you dont have room. a traffic lane is more than 2.5 metres wide, and your cars about 1.5. a bike is about 2 feet. do the math. if you moved over one foot, and the guy next to you moved one foot the opposite way, a bike could get through no problems.

  • Moderating Team
  • Member For: 22y 3m 21d
  • Gender: Male
  • Location: Sydney
  drcook said:
and dont tell me you dont have room. a traffic lane is more than 2.5 metres wide, and your cars about 1.5. a bike is about 2 feet. do the math.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Actually, all of my cars are approx 2.2 metres wide.

We could go on all day about this, but it aint going to solve anything.

Bikers, if you dont like the law changing, do something about it! Instead of carrying on in here, because carrying on in here will get you nowhere. Carrying on in the ears of politicians will achieve something.

Simple really.

  • Formerly Turbo6
  • Donating Members
  • Member For: 22y 4m 14d
  • Location: North Brisbane

I do ride bikes and believe in appropriate time and place rules. I didn't lane filter (stopped traffic at lights) all the time, just when appropriate. Trust me, I never held anyone up - ever. :whistle:

What :whistle: me is the morons that do it on little 250cc bikes, you know, the ones that couldn't pull skin off my coffee. I tend to beat them to any speed - morons. I even had an absolute wa*ker lane filter last week on a bloody moped/scooter thing, IN THE RAIN!! And then proceeded to accelerate like the Titanic on the green light.............

Otherwise, I don't see the issue. The guys that do it while moving traffic, book 'em all. Stupid, stupid habit. Slow crawling traffic and they do it! Now that is stupid and gives bike riders a bad name.

Don't forget, the majority of idiots that do the silly things are generally commuters during the week and not the real riders that have some brains (except when windy roads are involved :laughing: ) and do it for sport on weekends.

  • Member
  • Member For: 20y 9d
  • Location: Canberra

I've got to say that I don't have much sympathy for bikers when lane filtering becomes illegal. I cringe every time a bike wobbles and weaves it's way between cars paranoid that I will get my mirror knocked off or a scratched door / fender.

There is no reason why they can't be patient like all other road users. If they feel unsafe and vulnerable stuck back in the middle of the pack then perhaps riding a bike is not for them. Honestly, what a load of :whistle: that they need to get out in front to be safe. Bike riders are temporary Australians on the road regardless of where they are in traffic.

I'm not anti-bikes, I just think it's sour grapes that all the loopholes that allow bikes to be a law unto themselves are slowly being closed.

Next in line should be number plates on the front and then obnoxiously loud exhausts.

Muz

  • Sucker
  • Moderating Team
  • Member For: 21y 27d
  • Gender: Male
  • Location: Brisbane
  F6 RAPID said:
I do ride bikes and believe in appropriate time and place rules. I didn't lane filter (stopped traffic at lights) all the time, just when appropriate. Trust me, I never held anyone up - ever. :laughing:

What  :msm:  me is the morons that do it on little 250cc  bikes, you know, the ones that couldn't pull skin off my coffee. I tend to beat them to any speed - morons. I even had an absolute wa*ker lane filter last week on a bloody moped/scooter thing, IN THE RAIN!! And then proceeded to accelerate like the Titanic on the green light.............

Otherwise, I don't see the issue. The guys that do it while moving traffic, book 'em all. Stupid, stupid habit. Slow crawling traffic and they do it! Now that is stupid and gives bike riders a bad name.

Don't forget, the majority of idiots that do the silly things are generally commuters during the week and not the real riders that have some brains (except when windy roads are involved :spoton: ) and do it for sport on weekends.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

:spoton:

And there is only one thing worse, pushbikes lane filtering :spoton:

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.



×
  • Create New...
'