anyone ever been to California--lane splitting

[MotoMarky]

California is just a crazy place. I don't split lane much anymore. I did quite often in college though. It's the only way in Los Angeles to actually know how long it will take to get somewhere because you don't have to guess about traffic.

It's not for the faint hearted or a novice that's for sure. You can save your own life by learning how to read cagers diving styles and back off from those turn signal freaks!

[stefano]

I don't know whether it's legal or not here in Italy, but everyone does it, and so do I

I agree with what others have said though - if you decide to lane-split, it is TOTALLY up to you to watch out for the cagers... coz most of them just don't look... or worse, just don't give a s.hit.

To tell you the truth, the ability to lane split is one of (not the most important, but one of) the reasons I bought a bike. A guaranteed 3 hour commute to my parent's house gets automatically chopped to 2 hours just because I can slice through the heavy traffic

[whatever whatev]

i think that because it is legal to split here in california that more people are of aware of it happening and it's probably safer to do it here than in states where it is illigal. but i agree with pretty much everything other posters have been saying about how no matter what, YOU still have to be fully aware of what is going on in front you.

[CTRider]

Originally Posted by whatever whatev

i think that because it is legal to split here in california that more people are of aware of it happening and it's probably safer to do it here than in states where it is illigal. but i agree with pretty much everything other posters have been saying about how no matter what, YOU still have to be fully aware of what is going on in front you.

Very true. People react differently when you do something they don't expect.

[WeBeToyz]

Originally Posted by whatever whatev

i think that because it is legal to split here in california that more people are of aware of it happening and it's probably safer to do it here than in states where it is illigal.

I'd have to agree with the awareness statement. Since I just recently moved to CA, I've seen bikers work their way right up to the front, splitting one car at a time for a couple of light cycles. The cagers simply look at them like it is nothing, almost like they expect them to do it. I split lanes on a regular basis, and when I did it in FL, if I had to cut in before I could make another attempt to pass, the cagers would do their best to close me out.

[Velox]

Actually, lane sharing is safer than sitting in traffic.

That's right: safer. It's FAR more likely that a car will rear-end another vehicle rather than side-swipe it. When you share between lanes, you are putting yourself in charge of your own saftey, rather than just waiting to get rear-ended. Of course, this assumes reasonable saftey practices, such as only sharing when traffic is moving at 35MPH or slower, and going no more than 10 - 15MPH faster than the rest of traffic.

Lane sharing also helps keep air-cooled motorcycles from overheating, and reduces traffic congestion by reducing the number of vehicles contributing to the backup.

That being said, I lane share nearly every day to/from work. I tend to get tunnel vision, and get really focused. You just have to watch out for gaps, and be ready to stop at a moment's notice. So far, no close calls.

References:
http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/str...litting_lanes/
http://www.laneshare.com/content/view/30/39/
http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/fo...hreadid=154980

[CheeseHeadNinja]

I've always wondered about lane splitting ever since my sister visited California and told me it was legal there! Are there any other states that its legal in? I wish it was legal here in Wisconsin, but at the same time I'd be nervous to do it...

Bikers everywhere probably think this... but I think Wisconsin drivers are some of the worst in the country. Constant lane changing without signaling, people driving in the passing (fast) lane while going 5 under the speed limit, people drifting into other lanes... etc etc

Thats probably just all cagers. Glad driving a motorcycle made me a better driver overall. I always expect people to do the stupidest thing possible (and often they do).

[UncleGusTurbo]

Back in the mid eighties I lived in Garden Grove and worked at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard. I split lanes on a daily basis. The 405 can be a big parking lot. I had a guy intensionally squeeze me off. I kinda did a bump and run off the passenger door and luckily stayed up.

Another time as I split lanes on Ocean Blvd. a guy in a 'vette spit on me, I watched for him for a couple of weeks while carrying a 10" crescent in my fairing that would have looked nice sticking out of his fender!

Uncle Gus

[101vet]

I ride from sant cruz to the oakland army base about 70 miles total and in my cage it takes almost 2 hours on the bike roughly 45 mins lane splitting is great but dangerous like everyone has said on here before me

But i ran into something not covered here yet roadrage issues had a guy in a bmw so pi!!ed i went between the lanes he followed me about 20 miles i was unaware of this since his was behind me but he was causeing quite the mess cutting peep off and what not well it all came to ahead when i was going down the last straitaway running about 80 when he passed me and cut me off all while slamming on his brakes luckly i keep it together and tried to duck and weave into the other lane but he had alot more power then me (ninja250 about 20 ponies bmw330i supercharged 450 ponies) and continued to cut me off and and brake check me while all this is going on i slowed to 30 miles a hour till the next exit he followed me again i got around him and made it to the shell station and was taking my helmet and gloves off to get my phone when he came flying in to the lot almost hitting me and my bike with a tire iron in hand needless to say my trainging came into play and he regrets ever doing that to me plus the chp officers were not happy so moral of the story be carefull and that goes for bikes and cagers you never know what your gonna get


sorry for such the long comment

[cmptrmn.1]

Originally Posted by Jsy

We have too many people that live in California, so lane splitting rules. I love doing it, but I get so scared doing it because some id10t decides to move right in front of you. A bad habit for most people in Bakersfield is people don't use their blinker and cut you off and honk at you lol. If you have a short fuse. Don't move to cali lol.

Is lane splitting legal in Washington?

No. Lane splitting in NOT legal in Washington.

[riverbound51]

I split traffic routinely and have been doing it for 20 years. The key to doing it safely is to watch your speed and placement of your bike when you do it.

I was taught that you don't split traffic going over 25-30 MPH and that you only split when cars are side by side. If you split when cars are staggered, you are just beating the odds each time you make it.

It is work to do this and you really need to watch what the drivers you are approaching from behind are doing.

Drivers on cell phones are brutal, people look right at you in their mirrors and don't comprehend what they see.

The difference? a 60 minute afternoon commute versus 90 to 120 minutes.

[Thmastr]

the worse case I had while lane sharing was two cars (seemed like friends) squeeze me in, had my handle bars not been infront of their mirrors (and had they not been on lowered sedans) they would have hit my handlebars causeing me to go down... they were litteraly 2 inches from my knees (tucked into the bike hugging the tank). I was really mad cause they did this over a few hundred feet... I started looking at them cause I knew atleast one driver could see me! and both could hear me!...

it is dangerous it cuts commute time tremendously! it is all about how much risk you want to take is getting home 10 minutes or 1 hours earlier worth it?

[RichLockyer]

Uhh.... 70 miles in 45 minutes as a regular commute and you still have your license?
I'm gonna' call BS... that's an AVERAGE of 93mph.

Sure, it'd be possible to do it every now and then and get away with it, but it's not terribly smart or safe.

[WeBeToyz]

Originally Posted by riverbound51

Drivers on cell phones are brutal, people look right at you in their mirrors and don't comprehend what they see.

Never have truer words been stated...

[MauiAl]

I loved splitting lanes in CA. Once in awhile a car would come over and I would just move over with him. After all if he's moving over the lane is usually open. Then you can tap on his drivers window and move ahead

[vulcan500rider]

when he came flying in to the lot almost hitting me and my bike with a tire iron in hand needless to say my trainging came into play and he regrets ever doing that to me plus the chp officers were not happy so moral of the story be carefull and that goes for bikes and cagers you never know what your gonna get

I'm not sure why he would care that you split lanes! but I'm glad that he got what he deserved.

Uhh.... 70 miles in 45 minutes as a regular commute and you still have your license?
I'm gonna' call BS... that's an AVERAGE of 93mph.

I though that he meant that he saved 45 minutes. 93mph on a 250 is possible but not likely.

[timesofgrace]

i think it's legal in NY also? traffic where i live in PA isn't so bad so i never really thought about it before.. it seems like a nice bonus for riding a bike and if you're observant it doesn't sound like it'd be too dangerous. does lane splitting include riding along the outside of the shoulder lanes, so cars are only on one side of you?

Originally Posted by Velox

Actually, lane sharing is safer than sitting in traffic.

That's right: safer. It's FAR more likely that a car will rear-end another vehicle rather than side-swipe it. When you share between lanes, you are putting yourself in charge of your own saftey, rather than just waiting to get rear-ended. Of course, this assumes reasonable saftey practices, such as only sharing when traffic is moving at 35MPH or slower, and going no more than 10 - 15MPH faster than the rest of traffic.

Lane sharing also helps keep air-cooled motorcycles from overheating, and reduces traffic congestion by reducing the number of vehicles contributing to the backup.

That being said, I lane share nearly every day to/from work. I tend to get tunnel vision, and get really focused. You just have to watch out for gaps, and be ready to stop at a moment's notice. So far, no close calls.

References:
Motorcycle Lane Sharing - Surviving the Streets - Motorcycle Cruiser
Laneshare.org - Misconceptions
BARF - Bay Area Riders Forum - *The definitive lanesharing thread*

just another reason for me to get to LA sooner. you make good points here. i feel more comfortable about this already.

[wireguy]

maybe its just me and my backwoods nebraska up bringing but i kinda figure each person has their own piece of road and im not gonna drive through or on somebody elses piece of road they are occupying

[longbeachgary1]

this thread is over a year old but:

YouTube - Splitting

[kc6wfs]

Glad I rarely hit traffic with my hours...