damn we need lane splitting

[Baggsy]

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I think the general domestic driving skills are pretty crappy actually.

The general skill level of motorcyclists seems to be sub par compared to other road users. People need to learn to ride. If people can't deal with stop-and-go traffic then they need to get to a parking lot and practice slow speed stuff until they can, before going on the road.

This constant complaining about needing advantages over other road users just makes us look like a bunch of ungrateful whiners.

 

[viper84737]

The general skill level of motorcyclists seems to be sub par compared to other road users. People need to learn to ride. If people can't deal with stop-and-go traffic then they need to get to a parking lot and practice slow speed stuff until they can, before going on the road.

This constant complaining about needing advantages over other road users just makes us look like a bunch of ungrateful whiners.

So it's a good idea to fall in line and be a good little sheeple even when we can safely and adequately squeeze through vehicles? Does this mean you always wait behind another car in the right lane when it wants to turn right and your car can squeeze around to the left? I suspect you don't. Whether or not you actually do, most people don't. Now apply this principle to squeezing in between parked cars at a stoplight, etc. It just makes sense to allow motorcycles to filter forward, for so many reasons.

 

[Baggsy]

So it's a good idea to fall in line and be a good little sheeple even when we can safely and adequately squeeze through vehicles? Does this mean you always wait behind another car in the right lane when it wants to turn right and your car can squeeze around to the left? I suspect you don't. Whether or not you actually do, most people don't. Now apply this principle to squeezing in between parked cars at a stoplight, etc. It just makes sense to allow motorcycles to filter forward, for so many reasons.

Since when did using common courtesy and following the traffic laws turn into becoming a sheeple? I've ridden home, west along the Lakeshore from downtown when the Exhibition was on. I've also made a right turn and almost had a head on with two pickup trucks coming down the wrong side of the road, because they didn't want to be sheeple and wait in line. If you can do it so can everyone else.

p.s. yes for the most part I wait now, there are too many impatient people trying to squeeze into the same space and the 7 seconds I save won't make a difference in when I get home.

 

[Nofear]

Everyone should just ride to work like this

[video=youtube;gNA2HATZ6pg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNA2HATZ6pg[/video]

Just kidding

 

[viper84737]

Since when did using common courtesy and following the traffic laws turn into becoming a sheeple? I've ridden home, west along the Lakeshore from downtown when the Exhibition was on. I've also made a right turn and almost had a head on with two pickup trucks coming down the wrong side of the road, because they didn't want to be sheeple and wait in line. If you can do it so can everyone else.

p.s. yes for the most part I wait now, there are too many impatient people trying to squeeze into the same space and the 7 seconds I save won't make a difference in when I get home.

No, obeying rules for the sake of following them when better alternatives exist is what makes a sheeple a sheeple. Filtering has been demonstrated to be viable and safe, and therefore any place that doesn't have it is implementing inefficiency I oppose. Saving 7 seconds a few times can add up to minutes or more. First you pass that car instead of waiting, then you don't hit that red light, then you don't hit the next one, etc, all of a sudden you've saved much more time than the 21 "actual" seconds saved by filtering. Plus imagine the saved road rage and time/rush-anxiety saved. I can't believe anyone would oppose this brilliant idea.

 

[bobjohnson]

extremely dangerous to start lane filtering or lane splitting here in Toronto. Toronto drivers just don't have that mindset about letting motorcycles pass. They'll most likely move in to block you.

Filtering is way less dangerous than sitting in bumper to bumper traffic... how many times have you see guys in bumper to bumper accidentally tap the car infront? Rather that not be me on my bike...

I filter all the time downtown... the trick is to do it in 1st gear, going very slowly incase a car door opens up or someone pulls a dick move and cuts you off... You can always tell whos going to do it too, the guys who jump into the right lane to get ahead 1 car, the minivans who think they own the road, the soccermoms with cellphones glued to their heads weaving in their lanes and jamming their brakes... the trick is when you see someone you know is dangerous, just slow down and match their speed, stay back from them... Then when they stop, gun it past them and continue on your way.

Most people in the city proper are actually really considerate, and will make room for you. You get the odd ******* who just blasts his horn or cuts you off or starts shouting at you... Ignore them. If theyre so upset, why dont they get on a bike so they can cut traffic too? If everyone rode motorcycles or bicycles or walked in the summer the traffic wouldnt be near as bad. Out in the burbs though? Yeah people get piiiiisssssseeeddd when you filter.

The cops also dont seem to care. I filter past cops all the time. I guess its because im riding safely, never above 20km/h when filtering, and im not being erratic (darting in and out of the lanes, abrupt starting and stopping, no close calls, no cutting beside turning vehicles, etc) they dont see anything wrong with that. Now if i was on the 401 lane splitting during rush hour doing 100km/h, im sure theyd want to have a few words with me.

 

[bobjohnson]

Isn't the gta considered the worst in north America now beating new York and la for longest avg commutes?

The GTA now has the officially worst commute times in north america, finally beating out LA... This city is screwed until we finally decide that we definitely need to build some more expressways or we actually get a half decent public transportation system. Having more than half the population live outside of the downtown core but only have 2 expressways and one major train station is absolutely ridiculous. They either need to build a proper set of expressways to feed the downtown core or build out the subway system to actually support a city of this size... Adding more streetcars which further stop up traffic isnt helping at all, and neither is limiting traffic lanes to make way for bicycles.

 

[Baggsy]

I filter all the time downtown... the trick is to do it in 1st gear, going very slowly incase a car door opens up or someone pulls a dick move and cuts you off... You can always tell whos going to do it too, the guys who jump into the right lane to get ahead 1 car, the minivans who think they own the road, the soccermoms with cellphones glued to their heads weaving in their lanes and jamming their brakes... the trick is when you see someone you know is dangerous, just slow down and match their speed, stay back from them... Then when they stop, gun it past them and continue on your way.
.

I wish people didn't do that. I've had cars try to take their anger at you out on me, since I don't filter. Take the car if you are worried about being stuck in traffic on a bike. If that is a big worry you should not be riding at all.

 

[jc100]

So it's a good idea to fall in line and be a good little sheeple even when we can safely and adequately squeeze through vehicles? Does this mean you always wait behind another car in the right lane when it wants to turn right and your car can squeeze around to the left? I suspect you don't. Whether or not you actually do, most people don't. Now apply this principle to squeezing in between parked cars at a stoplight, etc. It just makes sense to allow motorcycles to filter forward, for so many reasons.

It may make sense to you as a motorcyclist but a car driver couldn't give a crap and that's really the problem.....car drivers not giving a crap about other vehicles on the road. That's why I don't filter...way to dangerous when drivers have this attitude. Filtering etc is only safe when people around you expect it and know what to do about it and even then there can be problems. My brother's last motorcycle accident was when he was filtering in the UK and some idiot drove into him.

 

[chiller]

What do the locals call out of state bikers that don't know how to split? Any of them catch up to you and let you know?

Actually at the time ? I was not on a Ontario plated bike when I was doing 60mph "lane sharing" ... I was on a borrowed bike off a friend of mine with local plates ... the gixxers I was following were also locals with Cali plates...

this video is when I was there on my own bike... my pillion passenger shot it with her cam... traffic is crawling at like 20-40kph ...and u just slide thru not going fast ... just doing like 40-60kph ... so just maintaining a comfortable 20kph over whatever traffic is going ... this is how it should be:

 

[Baggsy]

It may make sense to you as a motorcyclist but a car driver couldn't give a crap and that's really the problem.....car drivers not giving a crap about other vehicles on the road. That's why I don't filter...way to dangerous when drivers have this attitude. Filtering etc is only safe when people around you expect it and know what to do about it and even then there can be problems. My brother's last motorcycle accident was when he was filtering in the UK and some idiot drove into him.

Motorcyclists filtering in Toronto give a crap? If not why should any other drivers? I think that is the point, in that we all need to give a crap and be more courteous to each other, rather than playing chicken.

Actually at the time ? I was not on a Ontario plated bike when I was doing 60mph "lane sharing" ... I was on a borrowed bike off a friend of mine with local plates ... the gixxers I was following were also locals with Cali plates...

this video is when I was there on my own bike... my pillion passenger shot it with her cam... traffic is crawling at like 20-40kph ...and u just slide thru not going fast ... just doing like 40-60kph ... so just maintaining a comfortable 20kph over whatever traffic is going ... this is how it should be:

My point is that once traffic gets to a certain speed which I believe is 30 mph, you are supposed to pull back into a lane, and not continue weaving through doing 20 over what traffic is doing.

Everyone should just ride to work like this

[video=youtube;gNA2HATZ6pg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNA2HATZ6pg[/video]

Just kidding

Nah, like this:
[video=youtube;EtTGwIAuS8k]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtTGwIAuS8k&feature=player_embedded[/video]



Also kidding.

 

[revrandy]

My point is that once traffic gets to a certain speed which I believe is 30 mph, you are supposed to pull back into a lane, and not continue weaving through doing 20 over what traffic is doing.

Correct, once traffic is moving more than 30 mph, the police can fine you.

 

[revrandy]

What do the locals call out of state bikers that don't know how to split? Any of them catch up to you and let you know?

The locals I know who ride don't call out of state bikers anything. In fact most would say that the out of state bikers who don't lane split are far safer than those who do. It is amazing how many times people come to California and think "hey it's legal here" so they begin filtering/splitting/sharing regardless of speed and traffic conditions. Just because you can do it, doesn't always mean you should do it.

 

[bobjohnson]

I wish people didn't do that. I've had cars try to take their anger at you out on me, since I don't filter. Take the car if you are worried about being stuck in traffic on a bike. If that is a big worry you should not be riding at all.

So i should sit in traffic even though theres space for me to go? I should turn my commute from 15 minutes into 45 minutes because a very small percentage (like, 0.001%) of car drivers are morons? I should idle my air cooled bike in 35 degree weather? I should sweat my *** off and get tired just because some people are jealous I can cut through the traffic?

No thanks, ill continue on with what im doing. Like i said, if car drivers are so ****** off they have to sit in their giant air conditioned box, maybe they should get out on a bike?

 

[Rob MacLennan]

Filtering is debatable.

No, it isn't.

 

[JFD]

So i should sit in traffic even though theres space for me to go? I should turn my commute from 15 minutes into 45 minutes because a very small percentage (like, 0.001%) of car drivers are morons? I should idle my air cooled bike in 35 degree weather? I should sweat my *** off and get tired just because some people are jealous I can cut through the traffic?

I would say the answer to your question exists in the HTA.

Just say you don't give a crap what's legal or safe or what...that's essentially what you're saying with less garbage typed.

 

[Crashtest]

I would say the answer to your question exists in the HTA.

Just say you don't give a crap what's legal or safe or what...that's essentially what you're saying with less garbage typed.

It's safer to lanesplit than to sit behind a car and wait to get rear-ended by somebody who only sees the car in front of them and not the bike. Happens too often, and is reason enough.

A good rule of thumb is not to lanesplit when the traffic is moving at 50kph or faster; you might as well go back into your lane. Lanesplitting when the traffic is stopped should be a given. It's not about hahaha i'm ahead of you, it's about there being plenty of space to do it. a sportbike doesn't take up any more lanespace than a bicycle. That's how it operates in most of Europe.

 

[JFD]

It's safer to lanesplit than to sit behind a car and wait to get rear-ended by somebody who only sees the car in front of them and not the bike. Happens too often, and is reason enough.

A good rule of thumb is not to lanesplit when the traffic is moving at 50kph or faster; you might as well go back into your lane. Lanesplitting when the traffic is stopped should be a given. It's not about hahaha i'm ahead of you, it's about there being plenty of space to do it. a sportbike doesn't take up any more lanespace than a bicycle. That's how it operates in most of Europe.

I could say it's equally unsafe to split due to the stupidy blind and quick lanechanges that are made by drivers today. I commute every other day downtown and see it often.

Both are somewhat unsafe. I can't measure which is moreso, but my arguement is simply what is legal vs what is not.


Europe is some scary crap dude. I went to london and paris few years back with full intention on renting a bike and riding around for the day in each city.

When i hit london and saw how the streets were, it didn't look fun at all. Then when i hit paris, I was stunned at how close scooters/bikes and cars mingled in fast traffic. lol It was insanity. I said screw that. not a chance in hell.

 

[NP6000]

Spent a week in Japan where lane splitting and filtering is legal. The whole concept (at least in Japan) was to move the mass of commuters as efficiently as possible.

It was incredibly safe - by far way safer than commuting here in Toronto. It is a shame that it is not permitted by law here. If you spend enough time in the core of the city, filtering & splitting is more common place than the posters in this thread think.

Europe is some scary crap dude. I went to london and paris few years back with full intention on renting a bike and riding around for the day in each city.

When i hit london and saw how the streets were, it didn't look fun at all. Then when i hit paris, I was stunned at how close scooters/bikes and cars mingled in fast traffic. lol It was insanity. I said screw that. not a chance in hell.

If you think that the close proximity of scooters and bikes were too much for you in europe, then you should reconsider riding a motorcycle. The entire "third world" knows how to ride in close quarters.

 

[evang]

I filter in heavy traffic, even had cops see me do it, they've never bothered me over it.

I do it only when the right lane is parked cars. a little more room to get through.

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