The important factor isn’t absolute speed, it’s relative speed and buffer space.
I tend not to lanesplit moving traffic on Sydney roads, but that’s because the gaps I’m dealing with are usually tight enough that you have to wiggle your handlebars to squeeze past the mirrors.
OTOH, when the motorway traffic is crawling along at 20km/h, I’ll cheerfully cruise up the breakdown lane at 60km/h.
American roads tend to be hugely spacious; I can easily imagine situations there when riding at 60mph between cars doing 50mph would be a reasonable thing to do.
It was a gray area because drivers are required to follow all signs and markings. There are lines painted down the road dividing it up into lanes. Driving down the divider between two other vehicles was at best a gray area without a law making it specifically legal or illegal, and is obviously illegal for any other vehicle, regardless of whether there is a law specifically saying so.
Not that I am upset, I think this is probably a good thing.
Lane splitting at speed is a mixed bag–cars are a lot less likely to change lanes suddenly—you’re a lot less likely to have an accident. But if you do have one it’s a lot more likely to be fatal.
I’ll lane split to within ~35 mph or > of other traffic speeds - tho it largely varies on traffic density, blacktop quality, lane size, visibility, mood, etc.
I disagree completely with this premise–10-20mph traffic is when cars are the MOST likely to make sudden stupid lane change decisions. There are good arguments against splitting at speed–you make a mistake you become a speed bump–but this isn’t one of them.
I’ve lost so many friends in motorcycle accidents - one very recently. In exactly zero cases were their deaths the result of their own mistake - always someone who didn’t see them making an error.
I’d love to ride a bike on an enclosed track, but won’t ever ride one in traffic.
I did, and I wouldn’t have. 50mph is too high; at that speed a car driver can close the gap faster than you can react.
The one time I had a problem lane splitting, though, was when a car driver decided to try to change lanes. From stationary. I was doing about 5mph at the time, but he still knocked me off - fortunately into the gap.
The best advice I ever got was “ride like all other road users are morons.” Weaving in and out of traffic is difficult for morons to comprehend, therefore don’t do it.
The other good bit of advice I got was “ride so you are always where the traffic isn’t.” It sounds a bit Zen, but when traffic is bunching, good anticipation can make sure you are where the bunches aren’t.
The best advice I got was to learn to brake very well and to wear appropriate boots and clothes (pants + leather jacket).
The major problem with lane splitting is that you’re in a confined space that is not a lane. A driver is malicious, or has a big mirror, or looks over his/her shoulder and sees an opening in the next lane, and whack. Officer, he/she was speeding and I was just changing lanes. Meanwhile, you’re dead or injured.
I don’t understand how you can anticipate where traffic is “bunching”, other than avoiding rush hour or densely populated cities and states. As for riding where the traffic isn’t, splitting lanes is the antithesis of that.
Well, heck – then I demand it be legal for cars to lane-split, too. Why should 2-wheelers have all the fun^H^H^H stupidity? How about 3-wheelers (Can-Am)? Sidecars?
“alleviate traffic congestion” is a pretty lame reason for allowing a dangerous maneuver. It’s like Rt128 (MA) where travel in the breakdown lane is allowed during rush hour. OK, so wht happens if there’s an actual breakdown? (ugh you don’t wanna know).
If you ride your motorcycle where people don’t expect to see a vehicle (i.e. between lanes), you should expect to get whacked. Ride where vehicles are supposed to be, i.e. in the middle of a lane, and you’ll not only have a much larger “free space” zone protecting you but you’ll be more visible by far.
Around here, the ATV riders complained when the government proposed setting a minimum age requirement for ATV riders. To this day, I don’t understand why the reporters covering this didn’t call their bluff by asking the people objecting to this by asking for their proposed age limit. “OK, how about two years old? How about ten months old? How about…”
Would the motorcycle riders object to an upper speed limit that is above the posted speed limit?
This does nothing to help the cause of safe motorcycle riding and
educating the public on what lane splitting is and how it works in favor
of a riders safety.
That video would be dull. It isn’t @jlw’s job to educate you.
It’s never done much to “alleviate congestion.” If there were enough motorcycles on the road for it to make a difference, the spaces in between cars would be congested too. Lane splitting was originally decriminalized in CA on the justification that air-cooled cycles were overheating in traffic jams (to say nothing of riders stuck roasting out in the direct sun, now that I think about it).
Back when I got my CA license, many years ago, the published rule of thumb was 35mph or +10mph max, but riders, many of whom I am convinced won’t be satisfied until they.re told its explicitly legal to slalom around baby carriages on the sidewalk at 120mph, petitioned to have the guidelines removed since they were not ever formally made a law. I am glad if they are finally putting some hard rules in place for real.
I don’t mind lane splitting at all when done sanely, but there are a lot of people who honestly think they can be in control while shooting through stop-and-go traffic at full freeway speeds, and I am generally opposed to unintentionally participating in someone else’s suicide.
