Lane Filtering Comes To Arizona. I Have Mixed Feelings. How About You?

Two weeks ago here in Arizona a state law was passed that legalized lane filtering under certain conditions. Lane splitting has been legal in our neighbor to the west, California, for quite some time. And lane filtering is legal in the nearby state of Utah. Motorcycle groups in Arizona have been lobbying for years to get this legislation or some similar form of it passed. But I have mixed feelings.




https://www.rideapart.com/news/575884/arizona-lane-filtering-law-passes/

As I said, I'm not so sure how I feel about lane filtering now being legal in my home state. Generally I don't trust most car drivers to look out for motorcycles under normal circumstances. Along with that, traffic accidents and fatalities have increased tremendously here over the past two years. Yesterday I saw my first "in person" example of lane filtering. I was riding my Street Glide to the local H-D dealership and was sitting at a stop light in the left lane of a two lane road about three cars back. A guy on a sport bike came up from behind and "filtered" to the front of the right hand line. He was polite about it and even gave me a little wave when he went by. And granted, no one honked at him or opened their car door when they saw him coming. But I think I'll be waiting for other motorcyclists who choose to lane filter to "train" the motorists that (1) it's legal and (2) they need to be on the lookout for the practice when they're out talking on their phones. Er, I mean driving their cars.

So, I'm curious to hear what others here on the forum think about lane splitting and lane filtering. Is some version of either practice legal where you live and ride? If not, do you wish it was? Why? Why not? Inquiring minds want to know.........

 

Here in Austria, lane splitting is common among cyclists. At intersections, 2-3 bikers meet in one lane at the stop line. When driving itself, the police sometimes electronically measures the distance between vehicles depending on the classification of the road, e.g. highway, inner-city, etc. This can be expensive if you get a ticket. In addition, the bodies of our traffic police are also authorized to "estimate" speeds and distances. In principle, they do not need any technical devices such as radar guns, measuring systems or stopwatches! However, they must then immediately stop the "bad guy/girl" and call him to account.
Lane filtering" is permitted in our country in intersection areas. As a biker, you are allowed to pass lines of cars up to the stop line. When driving itself, it is actually not allowed, but is practiced by many bikers ( ). Of course it is dangerous, especially on highways, but the biker advantage counts! ()
In the big cities of Italy or France the biker on scooters rule the whole traffic with their own rules.

 

It is the norm here. I do it everyday. Sometimes when going to work I am filtering for around 6-8 miles of the 10 mile journey. If I had to sit in traffic I might as well take the pickup.to me at least is one of the main advantages of riding a motorcycle.
It’s always been the norm here so drivers grow up knowing bikes can and will just go past them in traffic. I’ve never understood why bikes in some countries haven’t been allowed to do it.
Being allowed to filter has on many occasions cut my travel time to work by 50%.

 

Again totally normal for me although I live pretty rural these days so the only filtering I get to do is if I go into a town or city. I seem to remember getting some shitty reactions from car drivers in Denver and Salt lake when riding in the US, I'm sure it was legal there at that time?! Some people in the UK react a little, they just resent you getting to the front of the queue at the lights.

 

As already said, it’s absolutely normal here in the U.K. and actually one of the great advantages of owning a bike is the ability to filter through the jams.

Obviously you have to apply common sense to it and there are circumstances where I won’t filter, and I will only filter at low speed as you need to time to react as necessary. I also think that because it’s normal practice here, car drivers are more likely to be expecting it. Some will deliberately try and block you - out of jealousy I assume.

 

As has already been said @Sandi T it is the norm over here but because of that the car drivers are generally more aware of the possibility (although sometimes you might not think it). For you guys I think the main hazard will be that lack of awareness initially, but if it's done right, carefully and with that in the back of your mind it is a very useful part of bike riding

 

It’s crazy not being allowed to filter. Especially with the width of your roads over there.

Say hello to freedom Sandi! (And the traffic light MotoGP)

 

I don't either, and here in the UK filtering has always been legal (to my knowledge). I only filter in very slow/stationary traffic waiting at lights or stuck in congestion and keep an eye on the front wheel of each car as I approach in case they start to change lanes.

In my younger days I T-boned a car coming out of a side street into a gap the stationary traffic had left for him. Which taught me to look out for such hazards and only filter past gaps in traffic at walking pace whilst being very observant.

Basically, filtering is like all riding, keep a look out for other road users, anticipate what they might want to do, and assume they haven't seen you.

 

It's all been said above. Take it easy, and in time you'll be a dab hand at it.

 

Luckily the only time i have to do it in Scotland is if i'm heading into Edinburgh or Glasgow during rush hour which isn't very often, saying that when i was on my Harley with the loud exhaust i felt like Moses parting the red sea! on other bikes you do have to be extra careful

 

I agree with everything that's been said about the benefits of filtering. I used to commute in to London and there wera usually long queues up to the Blackwall Tunnel. All the bikers filtered between the slow-moving, often stationary, lines of cars, vans and lorries, saving huge amounts of time, beating the congestion and making the journey time predictable. It's the reason I bought my Street Triple. Occasionally someone would change lane without looking but I coverend the brakes and watched for the signs. prepared to hit the anchors if needed. Sometimes it was. If I hadn't been able to filter it would have doubled my journey time some days. If I'm going to sit in traffic I might as well take the car.

 

I spent some time working in Edinburgh. I thought the Scots were pretty good as seeing bikes and giving them a bit of room to get by. Not everyone, but quite commonly.

 

As others have said it's normal here in the UK. I just couldn't see the point of a motorcycle here in the busy south if we couldn't filter. Otherwise I might as well be stuck in a car, especially during commuting. I've never understood countries and laws that ban it.

 

I don't know if there is a difference between lane splitting, lane filtering and just filtering? By saying 'lane' it sort of implies it isn't limited to slow moving traffic?

In the UK filtering is where you pass slow moving traffic and it is neither prohibited (except passing the last car before a crossing) nor an entitlement. It's all pretty vague, but at free flowing highway speeds it would become overtaking and in most cases overtaking on the kerb side is not allowed.

 

if your'e heading from the North and on the Edinburgh bypass during rushhour that must be the busiest road in Scotland,way busier than even Glasgow

 

When I was coming from home (Yorkshire) that's exactly where I was and you're dead right. Fortunately I only did that journey once a week. I bought a Multistrada to ride up in the summer but before I could take advantage, Covid sent us all home. I've chenged jobs since then.

 

Yep perfectly normal to filter here in the UK, I do it all the time.

 

Ha Ha i call Yorkshire south! but yeah i imagine it would be busy from that direction too

 

Also @Sandi I put my headlights on main beam, and put the 4 way hazards on too.

 

I just apply the same rules to filtering that I apply to all other motorcycle use - assume all car drivers are out to kill you and are likely to do the unexpected.