Is it legal for..

[OzJavelin]

Obviously riding a motorbike bestows more patience on me than when I'm in my car, 'cos I never lane split on the bike .. and am never in that much of a hurry to get to the front of the traffic. Probably more to do with self preservation and lack of traffic jams ..

[flappist]

Originally Posted by mik

wizzing down between a line of stationery vehicles is ok until a kid steps out into your line, and i`m sure depending on the speed of the rider, some could certainly go for driving in a manner dangerous.

Just wondering what a kid would be doing on a 6 lane freeway in the middle of the bush or on the top of a bridge or whatever?

As with most things the antis ALWAYS pick on one tiny esoteric situation and try to compare everything with it.

How about this idea.

The rider of the motorcycle is responsible for his riding and will face exactly the same consequences when running over a child while lane splitting as a car drive doing the same while driving down a narrow urban street with cars parked all along the gutter.

And of course as the OP is talking about traffic lights I am sure the bikes are doing at least 200km/h as then move up to a red traffic light......

[JC]

Originally Posted by flappist

Yes and no, it is a bit of a grey area and is different in every state.

In the big picture the motorcycle WILL be going faster than you from the lights and will never hold you up so blocking them out of spite or jealously is just acting like a petulant child.

First rule of motorcycling, if you are not moving through the traffic it will move through you.......

Spot on - I usually move over to let them through. If I'm at the head of the queue, I weill also try to beat them across the intersection by taking off briskly (though not spinning wheels) - usually smartens the slower ones up a bit.

[EgoFG]

I do not drive fast (OK well maybe I do).
I would say that about 20% of the time that a bike passes me when I am at the front of the queue at the lights it does NOT accelerate faster than me initially.

Mine is only a 6pot BFII with a 6speed, I really don't know about you guys with engines, but I find that these bikes often underestimate my acceleration.

By all means do it ... but keep out of my way when you do !

[flappist]

Originally Posted by EgoFG

I do not drive fast (OK well maybe I do).
I would say that about 20% of the time that a bike passes me when I am at the front of the queue at the lights it does NOT accelerate faster than me initially.

Mine is only a 6pot BFII with a 6speed, I really don't know about you guys with engines, but I find that these bikes often underestimate my acceleration.

By all means do it ... but keep out of my way when you do !

And this is about as real as it gets.

If you are in a car and block bikes you are a rude bastard.
If you are on a bike and block cars you are a rude bastard.

Get along with everyone, be safe and don't cause anyone else undue grief either accidentally or on purpose should be the first rule of the road.

[Silver Ghia]

Originally Posted by flappist

Just wondering how a car can change lanes when there is another car right next to it?

If there is not another car next to it then the motorcycle is not lane splitting and the car is in the wrong.

The second rule of motorcycling is "Treat all car drivers as morons who have no spatial awareness, understanding of road rules or common courtesy to other road users."
Unfortunately often the car driver actually deserves this treatment and the life you save WILL be your own......

There can easily be a situation as mentioned by TE220. Have had it myself driving along a freeway and had just completed a lane change in my car. And I am most wary of the unexpected coming from no-where when changing lanes, always doing a head check as well as the mirrors. But as usual, I am probably classified as a moron by this motorcyclist because I got in his way....

Picture this scenario: I'm driving along at the speed limit and the next lane on the right is clear, with a truck further back in that lane going slightly slower. Its all clear so I indicated and then moved across. There is no sign of a motorcyclist (or anyone except for the truck) in my mirrors, nor visible when doing a head check in that lane, before and while moving across into that space. Just when I'm now in that space, a motorcyclist at that moment suddenly appears from the other side of the truck, lane splitting and going much faster, then moves into the space right where I am. I then get a toot from this motorcyclist because I got in his way, just as I move back into the next lane to give him space. I was watching the whole time, he was hidden behind the truck, and was obviously going much faster than the speed limit. And there was heaps of space between me and the truck behind.

Then I watched him in front of me weaving from one lane to the next and in between traffic passing other vehicles....

[Itsme]

Weaving between lanes of traffic is completely illegal, dangerous and you do it at your own peril....I had a few bikes knock my cars over the years misjudging on their stupid actions.... in my opinion they just impatient twits eager to become cripples when they come off second best to a car.

[flappist]

Originally Posted by trublu

Weaving between lanes of traffic is completely illegal, dangerous and you do it at your own peril....I had a few bikes knock my cars over the years misjudging on their stupid actions.... in my opinion they just impatient twits eager to become cripples when they come off second best to a car.

Yes there are stupid people on bikes as well as in cars but not all bike riders are stupic in the same way that not all car drivers as stupid.

It is a bit ironic that so many are stereotyping motorcyclists as maniacs and road hazards on a forum where the popular concept that all performance car owners are maniacs and road hazards is constantly being rebuked.

[mik]

Originally Posted by flappist

Just wondering what a kid would be doing on a 6 lane freeway in the middle of the bush or on the top of a bridge or whatever?

As with most things the antis ALWAYS pick on one tiny esoteric situation and try to compare everything with it.

How about this idea.

The rider of the motorcycle is responsible for his riding and will face exactly the same consequences when running over a child while lane splitting as a car drive doing the same while driving down a narrow urban street with cars parked all along the gutter.

And of course as the OP is talking about traffic lights I am sure the bikes are doing at least 200km/h as then move up to a red traffic light......

i must have missed the bit where the op mentioned......... " on a 6 lane freeway in the middle of the bush or on the top of a bridge".
Around melbourne , there are plenty of double lane roads throughout suburbia and quite often they are banked back for quite a distance with our large traffic snarls, hundreds of metres in some cases, so there are often bikers wizzing down between cars at a fair clip.

[Itsme]

Originally Posted by flappist

Yes there are stupid people on bikes as well as in cars but not all bike riders are stupic in the same way that not all car drivers as stupid.

It is a bit ironic that so many are stereotyping motorcyclists as maniacs and road hazards on a forum where the popular concept that all performance car owners are maniacs and road hazards is constantly being rebuked.

I did not say all bike riders are stupid, just the ones who do the wrong just the same as the car drivers who do wrong.....

[supershifty]

QLD: I got pulled over by a motorcycle copper in 2001 after using the "Honda highway" up the guts in stationary traffic to get to the front line of the lights (as you do!). I thought I was toast as I know it's illegal. Turns out he just wanted to look at my bike and ask questions about what I thought of it (Kwaka ZZR1100 - brand new). I asked him about the law on using the "Honda highway" and he said it was illegal. This copper was a fair sort of bloke and said that he wouldn't tolerate motorcyclists going up the guts in moving traffic, but turned a blind eye when traffic was at a standstill.

Cheers!

I'm glad he didn't strike me a few minutes earlier -

[svo supporter]

Originally Posted by flappist

Just wondering what a kid would be doing on a 6 lane freeway in the middle of the bush or on the top of a bridge or whatever?

As with most things the antis ALWAYS pick on one tiny esoteric situation and try to compare everything with it.

How about this idea.

The rider of the motorcycle is responsible for his riding and will face exactly the same consequences when running over a child while lane splitting as a car drive doing the same while driving down a narrow urban street with cars parked all along the gutter.

And of course as the OP is talking about traffic lights I am sure the bikes are doing at least 200km/h as then move up to a red traffic light......

Didn't realise they had traffic lights on a 6 lane freeway, or in the middle of the bush....Learn something new everyday on here.

Personally I don't have an issue if a motor bike comes beside me, when stationary...When I'm moving, that's a different story....That's shows me they're T.A's

[flappist]

Originally Posted by svo supporter

Didn't realise they had traffic lights on a 6 lane freeway, or in the middle of the bush....Learn something new everyday on here.

Well glad to be of help.

If you would like to see them in real life drive from Tweed Heads to Caboolture.....

[MITCHAY]

It is annoying when you're banked up in traffic and someone goes up the middle to the front but I get to laugh at them when it rains. Pros and cons of everything :

There are plenty of bikes that take off slower than my car but so do most cars so not really a point.

[my_gxl]

Originally Posted by TE 220

I meant when cars are moving,didnt know there were two different terms used.
Most bikes do both already,no offence to those riders who dont but that would be part of the reason why bike riders are called temporary citizens.

Only temporary because tin can occupants (so called car 'drivers') are blind.

[GT]

Was an interesting thread and I have often wondered that myself - bikes sometimes give me a fright when they scream past my car closely, at alarming speed unexpectedly!
Been answered and starting to wander, with too many opinions on other aspects by some.