Call to legalize lane splitting/filtering

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Born and raised in London. Lane splitting and filtering are the main reasons people ride the daily commute as oppose to the underground. The traffic (pre congestion charge) was always a joke, so this takes a ton of time out of the daily travel times.

Scooters and mopeds do tend to take up a lot of the London commuter rides. Two years ago when I was last over, if you purchased a scooter (125cc) they gave you one year free insurance with it!
 
Stevo said:
Born and raised in London. Lane splitting and filtering are the main reasons people ride the daily commute as oppose to the underground. The traffic (pre congestion charge) was always a joke, so this takes a ton of time out of the daily travel times.

Scooters and mopeds do tend to take up a lot of the London commuter rides. Two years ago when I was last over, if you purchased a scooter (125cc) they gave you one year free insurance with it!
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Isn't the graduated licensing a factor in that as well? I know it has something to do with the power of the bike, but i thought it also had to do with the way one drove also.
Is there some law also regarding ATGATT?
 
I've done a little bit of lane splitting on the highway when traffic was stop and go or below 30/40 km/h.... I never had any problems, and to top it off I felt much MUCH safer than sitting in the lineup just hoping the driver behind me is paying enough attention or braked soon enough to not run me over.

Its because Toronto/Ontario drivers are so crap I would like this to be legal for us. I believe your in a much riskier place in a lane with the traffic -especially as it grinds to a halt- than you are splitting where its your own reaction and attention that is keeping you out of trouble/trauma. An accident while splitting will most likely be a very minor one, probably a mirror. Getting rear ended by a few thousand pound car and pushed into the one ahead of you I'm thinking will seldom end well for the rider.

Filtering on the other hand I couldn't care less about; Yes we accelerate much more quickly but getting past traffic once its on the move is easy enough.

Oh, and its considerably more efficient than rolling along slipping your clutch.
 
Legalize it now, the time has come.
Gridlock is the worse ever and will get even more horrible in the next couple of years. I am downtown everyday and sometimes it looks like something straight from Dante's Inferno. Something has to be done. At least legalizing filtering won't cost 1,000 billion-bazillion dollars like the subways.
 
I'd only split when traffic has already stopped at a red light and you are relatively close to the front of the pack. There are already too many people out there who switch lanes without signal or warning and those asshats that ride on the line intentionally just to get a better view of the traffic farther ahead.

Build more lanes vs legalize lane splitting. Tough call considering how fiscally irresponsible each level of government is.
 
MattJ1983 said:
Isn't the graduated licensing a factor in that as well? I know it has something to do with the power of the bike, but i thought it also had to do with the way one drove also.
Is there some law also regarding ATGATT?
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IIRC correctly your standard driving license qualifies you for a 125cc bike so you do get a lot of inexperienced riders. When I passed in my 1.1 ford fiesta, I also qualified for an 11 ton truck as well! But I think that changed a few years ago too. Sorry, I don't know what ATGATT is?
 
Stevo said:
IIRC correctly your standard driving license qualifies you for a 125cc bike so you do get a lot of inexperienced riders. When I passed in my 1.1 ford fiesta, I also qualified for an 11 ton truck as well! But I think that changed a few years ago too. Sorry, I don't know what ATGATT is?
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All The Gear All The Time. I remember reading something on another forum about how riders would have to be pretty much in full leathers/CE rated gear all the time.
 
jc100 said:
How about we call to legalize proper driving tests and have graduated licensing for bikes first?
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THIS is what I agree with. Make it mandatory to be able to drive a Manual car to get a licence too ;-)
90% of drivers couldnt drive !
 
Being doing it for years (when cars are fully stopped) slowly and carefully but I would not suggest to any of you to do same unless you feel comfortable with it.

BB
 
油井緋色;2167591 said:
Even if they legalize it, I'll wait until there is a solid law to prevent door prizes before lane splitting. I'm sure the vast majority would start lane splitting though.
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Theres a law where the person opening the door would be at fault if they opened their door on a roadway causing an accident. If lane filtering/splitting were legal, then the charge would be solely on them (not careless or w/e for lane splitting).
I believe in some places in Asia (where lane splitting is legal/normal), door prizes = rider at fault.
 
jc100 said:
How about we call to legalize proper driving tests and have graduated licensing for bikes first?
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Now is not the time to ask for motorcycle license reform. Have you read what's being implemented in Saskatchewan? With our luck they'd be the model here, and the insurance industry in Ontario already claims that the majority of our high premiums is due to fraud, so this will be of no benefit to that http://www.sgi.sk.ca/about/articles/2014/trafficsafetychanges.html
 
espro said:
Now is not the time to ask for motorcycle license reform. Have you read what's being implemented in Saskatchewan? With our luck they'd be the model here, and the insurance industry in Ontario already claims that the majority of our high premiums is due to fraud, so this will be of no benefit to that http://www.sgi.sk.ca/about/articles/2014/trafficsafetychanges.html
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Unless I read it wrong, from your link this is nuts ...

[h=3]Motorcycle safety (planned for 2015 riding season)[/h]
  • The engine size a rider is permitted to operate during the MGDL period will be limited to the size used during their basic ability test or motorcycle road test (Endorsement M). The engine size restriction will be waived for those who have successfully completed an approved motorcycle training program. (Existing MGDL drivers are not affected unless they do not test out and re-enter the MGDL program).


It means every yahoo will take their test on the biggest displacement bike they can afford.
 
jc100 said:
Unless I read it wrong, from your link this is nuts ...

Motorcycle safety (planned for 2015 riding season)


  • The engine size a rider is permitted to operate during the MGDL period will be limited to the size used during their basic ability test or motorcycle road test (Endorsement M). The engine size restriction will be waived for those who have successfully completed an approved motorcycle training program. (Existing MGDL drivers are not affected unless they do not test out and re-enter the MGDL program).


It means every yahoo will take their test on the biggest displacement bike they can afford.
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I think it means, that basically, while you have M1, you can only ride 125cc or something, depending what they use at the examination centers here. Although, it looks like their rules are quite different there as well, so not sure
 
espro said:
Now is not the time to ask for motorcycle license reform. Have you read what's being implemented in Saskatchewan? With our luck they'd be the model here, and the insurance industry in Ontario already claims that the majority of our high premiums is due to fraud, so this will be of no benefit to that http://www.sgi.sk.ca/about/articles/2014/trafficsafetychanges.html
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Forget it, the insurance racket in Ontario is deep in the pockets of all three parties.
If fraud was the reason for high premiums, then explain why my motorcycle rates for liability only exceed my car by 20%, and I drive my car all year round on snow and ice.
 
PLau said:
Theres a law where the person opening the door would be at fault if they opened their door on a roadway causing an accident. If lane filtering/splitting were legal, then the charge would be solely on them (not careless or w/e for lane splitting).
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This is already the law in Ontario, ask any cyclist. If you open the door without looking first, you are at fault.
 
I agree with the way the licensing should be changed and i also agree with the fact that the speed of lane splitting/filtering should be the X and Y factors. I know when i go visit Turkey, Germany, France etc...everywhere ive been you see lane splitting and in big numbers sometimes. When i was in Paris my cousins who lived there were telling me how on the highway the very left lane and the lane next to it will both keep distance from the dotted line so that the bikers can pass by, i was pretty surprised and saw it for myself. I really liked it and wish that could be done here as well. Only saw 1 motorcycle accident on the highway when i was there and the biker wasnt splitting he was just in his lane and a driver behind him hit him. He was okay since it happened at low speeds but pretty beat up. Stopped traffic and took his bike to the shoulder and helped him out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWNerGzNnts A guy splitting in Paris and what it looks like for both lanes beside him
 
I rented a Bonneville in LA and did it a b it in traffic. I guess it works there because the drivers actually look out for you coming and give way. The drivers there are so much more aware of Motorcycles, it was really nice.
 
CafeRay said:
This is already the law in Ontario, ask any cyclist. If you open the door without looking first, you are at fault.
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Thats exactly what my post states...
But I'm saying, even if they open the door on you and they're at fault, the biker would still be charged with careless driving or some charge of that sort.
 
PLau said:
Thats exactly what my post states...
But I'm saying, even if they open the door on you and they're at fault, the biker would still be charged with careless driving or some charge of that sort.
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Right now, yes. But currently, cyclists who get prized from either side are not at fault.
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