And then there's this idiot...
japantoday.com/category/crime/motorcyclist-cut-in-half-after-being-flung-into-cable-wire-following-police-chase
I have seen motor cycle cops in WA do it at traffic lights so thought it must be legal. Maybe it is a do as I say not as I do rule.
When the politicians wrote the WA Road Code they gave the police an exemption from pretty much all the regulations if certain (fairly liberal) criteria are met, it's probably the same everywhere in Oz, similar exemptions are given to ambulances and the big red trucks too. It would only be their internal policies that put restrictions on what they can and can't do.
If I had a free pass I'm pretty fricken sure I would use it too.
Lane filtering is legal in NSW up to 30km/hr - It's a massive time saver if you are commuting around Sydney. It can knock a good half an hour of my commute when I am here. If you are going to do it though you need to stay aware once you get to the front - as there are normally a few disappointed drivers out there that have just watched you beat 6 sets of lights in their mirrors whilst they have barely moved. You need to have your full license and you can not do it on the inside lane next to the footpath - but most people still do. It defintely helps to be on a Vespa rather than a Harley though Cobra
It makes sense. But most don't appreciate the benefits, best one is when they pull right or left to block the filtering, niiiice work c..khead. Life expectancy of a motorcyclist in Australia is worse than the front line during WW1 I believe.
Old USA stats (Aus would be similar)
heres the USA stats
Motorcycle Crash Facts
Motorcyclist Fatalities Increase
Motorcycles are the most dangerous type of motor vehicle to drive. These vehicles are involved in fatal crashes at a rate of 35.0 per 100 million miles of travel, compared with a rate of 1.7 per 100 million miles of travel for passenger cars.
Motorcyclists were 35 times more likely than passenger car occupants to die in a crash in 2006, per vehicle mile traveled, and 8 times more likely to be injured.
Although motorcycles account for only 2% of vehicles on the road, they make up more than 10% of all crashes.
Motorcycles accounted for nearly 3% of all registered motor vehicles and 0.4% of vehicle miles traveled in 2006.
Motorcycle fatalities have more than doubled in 10 years to 4,810 in 2006. Helmets saved the lives of 1,658 motorcyclists in 2006
Still love riding my bike :)
It makes sense. But most don't appreciate the benefits, best one is when they pull right or left to block the filtering, niiiice work c..khead. Life expectancy of a motorcyclist in Australia is worse than the front line during WW1 I believe.
Old USA stats (Aus would be similar)
heres the USA stats
Motorcycle Crash Facts
Motorcyclist Fatalities Increase
Motorcycles are the most dangerous type of motor vehicle to drive. These vehicles are involved in fatal crashes at a rate of 35.0 per 100 million miles of travel, compared with a rate of 1.7 per 100 million miles of travel for passenger cars.
Motorcyclists were 35 times more likely than passenger car occupants to die in a crash in 2006motorcycles, per vehicle mile traveled, and 8 times more likely to be injured.
Although motorcycles account for only 2% of vehicles on the road, they make up more than 10% of all crashes.
Motorcycles accounted for nearly 3% of all registered motor vehicles and 0.4% of vehicle miles traveled in 2006.
Motorcycle fatalities have more than doubled in 10 years to 4,810 in 2006. Helmets saved the lives of 1,658 motorcyclists in 2006
Still love riding my bike :)
Motorcycles are 100% fun
Motorcycling and surfing/wind sports are very similar in their addictive feeling, leaning into a corner carve with speed requires skill and determination which will bring your day to life/enjoyment.
Be prepared at all times for whatever reason, whether taking off from a set of lights or dropping into a wave !
Life is full of consequences if you **** up ,be prepared at all times and enjoy your ride whatever suits your boot.
I did stop alongside a cop car while line filtering in WA once, I knocked on their windows and asked them if it was legal and they said that it is.
I suspect what people find annoying is that the motorcycle is not stuck in the traffic like they are. Motorists hate been overtaken and will go to great lengths to prevent others from doing so
Can I edit this a little?
I suspect what people find annoying is that the motorcycle is not stuck in the traffic like they are. Motorists Dickheads hate been overtaken and will go to great lengths to prevent others from doing so
I must admit I don't appreciate somebody forcing me to brake, when they overtake then slow down. This can happen in merging situations, when somebody overtakes just before it goes one lane.
But most motorists nowadays will let people get past if there's enough room.
There's always the odd moron, making it as hard for everybody else as he/she can, but being an optimist, I think there number is declining
I've ridden motorcycles on the road all my long life.
Just stopped doing it.
Its bloody dangerous and I'm glad I'm still alive. I've flown over the top of a car in slo,mo and crunched my knee.It would ache in winter for about ten years.
The slow lane splitting at the lights is the least of our worries.
Riding a bike is like windsurfing on jagged rocks with trees and moving unpredictable heavy objects , at three times the speed .
If you come off its going to hurt !
But it's soooo much fun.
Dont do it.
Thats what I'm trying to convince my kids now , the ones I tought to trail ride .
I suspect what people find annoying is that the motorcycle is not stuck in the traffic like they are. Motorists hate been overtaken and will go to great lengths to prevent others from doing so
Time for a Fred. "Whathchafugginlookinatcahn!?"
"Lane splitting/filtering is an unsafe practice which usually contravenes the road rules. While the Australian Road Rules and WA Road Traffic Code 2000 do not explicitly ban lane splitting/filtering, they do prohibit the practice by virtue of the fact that a number of other rules may be and are regularly contravened during the manoeuvres, such as not signalling before a lane change, riding with the wheels on the lane line, crossing continuous lane lines, safe overtaking and so on."
Source https://rsc.wa.gov.au/Topics/Motorcyclists-Scooter-Riders
Lane splitting is the best thing to happen in QLD. I get to work 15 minutes faster on the bike than I do in the car on a busy morning.
Just have to watch for the morons who don't like the fact you are getting through traffic. A quick blat with the Harley exhaust usually shuts them up.
The trade off on risk during lane splitting vs being out in clear road and away from a pack of inattentive car drivers jostling to reduce their commute time is a no brainer.
Why yes motor bikes are dangerous and filtering is just plain reckless. One day whilst txting in the traffic one came up along side me and his exhaust was so loud I dropped my subway foot long causing me to swerve and I nearly ran into the truck on the other side of me. So I could have crashed and the dam motorcyclist would have gone on his way between the traffic unaware of the dangerous situation he put me in. And I was picking up bacon and eggs and crap the whole way to work. This also caused me to swerve in my lane heaps and made it really hard to talk properly to the person on the other end of the phone.
By the way, I am able to type this out properly because I have a clear stretch of road with no stupid bikies around to make it dangerous!