Can we legalize lane filtering yet? | Page 3 | GTAMotorcycle.com

Can we legalize lane filtering yet?

Fair enough, but you'd think (given a safe speed differential) moving along the shoulder is the safest place for a motorcycle to split/filter.. and a motorcycle can easily move out of the way of emergency vehicles - unlike larger motor vehicles. Again - for clarity - I only play out this scenario for traffic jams where traffic is stopped and/or very slow moving.

We would not get out of any emergency vehicles way. Our elbows block our silly little mirrors if we have any at all, and our loud pipes are too busy saving lives so we couldn't hear them either.
 
We would not get out of any emergency vehicles way. Our elbows block our silly little mirrors if we have any at all, and our loud pipes are too busy saving lives so we couldn't hear them either.

Actually its been studied to death that the frequency used by emergency vehicles will pass through the lower frequency sounds ANY vehicle can make. So you will hear it (even with earplugs).. unless you yourself personally have hearing problems. I agree with Bagman that it would have to be a governed education process to prevent "bad" education. Also the filtering in stopped traffic (lights) seems like a good introduction for drivers.
 
Actually its been studied to death that the frequency used by emergency vehicles will pass through the lower frequency sounds ANY vehicle can make. So you will hear it (even with earplugs).. unless you yourself personally have hearing problems. I agree with Bagman that it would have to be a governed education process to prevent "bad" education. Also the filtering in stopped traffic (lights) seems like a good introduction for drivers.

Are you familiar with the word "joke"? I truly thought that I made it obvious by the wording.
 
Who taught you to drive? I'll use you as a bad example. Your dad taught you to drive - and he sucks. Really bad. So beyond his teachings you shelled out $50 for Gung Ho's A1 Driving School (read: crappy education). So alas you've gotten ****** education and ****** driving habits that you'll be reinforcing for the rest of your driving life - G1 to G2 to G.

A governed driver's education & licensing system is (in my view) the only solution.

1- my dad split when i was about 1yr old and left the country when I was 10...

2- I took young drivers driving school when i was 16, and have been a better driver than most for it. their test to pass their course was 45min long and really hard to pass if you didnt learn how to be an over the top defensive driver. I think their course should be the standard one everyone must take and pass their test to get a licence.
 
Fair enough, but you'd think (given a safe speed differential) moving along the shoulder is the safest place for a motorcycle to split/filter.. and a motorcycle can easily move out of the way of emergency vehicles - unlike larger motor vehicles. Again - for clarity - I only play out this scenario for traffic jams where traffic is stopped and/or very slow moving.

Still not safe, since i see cops flying down those shoulders at over posted speed limits(guess from the wind blast) when traffic is stopped or near stopped, that means that they now have to slow down to pass you instead of getting to where they are needed quicker
 
I know.. lol

I was just barfing the info out..

We all really have to get out riding and conversing at the coffee stops. The internet is getting on my nerves. LOL

The info was good.
 
I lived and rode in Australia for 5 years.
It wasn't legal there, but it wasn't illegal either. Most bikers do it over there but mostly at red light traffic stops. I had no problems when doing it, in fact a lot of times cars would see you coming and would move over for you.
As for being fined for it. I had asked cops a few times and the general rule of thumb was, as long as you weren't being an idiot and taking huge risks doing it, then they don't mind it being done.

Is it illegal here?
Do many of you lane split here anyways?
 
Is it illegal here?
Do many of you lane split here anyways?

Everything is illegal in onterrible, but Ive always done it, saves time and keeps me from being rear-ended!
 
Here's the link to a study done in Brussels which shows that when 10% of drivers switch to riding motorcycles, traffic congestion is improved by 40%. This is largely from lane splitting when traffic blocks up.

Summary: http://www.tmleuven.com/project/motorcyclesandcommuting/home.htm

Full Study Report: http://www.tmleuven.com/project/motorcyclesandcommuting/20110921_Motorfietsen_eindrapport_Eng.pdf

I've done it in Europe, but even if it was legalized here today, I wouldn't start right away. There would need to be a huge awareness campaign first, because it's only safe when the driving culture is aware and supportive.
 
1- my dad split when i was about 1yr old and left the country when I was 10...

2- I took young drivers driving school when i was 16, and have been a better driver than most for it. their test to pass their course was 45min long and really hard to pass if you didnt learn how to be an over the top defensive driver. I think their course should be the standard one everyone must take and pass their test to get a licence.

I hope I did not offend you. I was not actually suggesting you or your dad are bad drivers. I was just using you guys as an example. There are plenty of bad driver parents that were never properly educated that teach their kids, and there are plenty of bogus driving schools.
 
Still not safe, since i see cops flying down those shoulders at over posted speed limits(guess from the wind blast) when traffic is stopped or near stopped, that means that they now have to slow down to pass you instead of getting to where they are needed quicker

That's a training issue for the police services as it is. First cop to smoke a motorbike, pedestrian or car doing such speeds right next to stopped traffic is begging to be held liable by their service and the public. Gotta get to where you're going, but gotta get there and do it safely for yourself and everyone else.
 
That's a training issue for the police services as it is. First cop to smoke a motorbike, pedestrian or car doing such speeds right next to stopped traffic is begging to be held liable by their service and the public. Gotta get to where you're going, but gotta get there and do it safely for yourself and everyone else.

By "held liable" you mean a headline on page 1, paid leave, then 3 months later an article on page 17 about the officer not being charged and being reinstated with full privileges. 6 months later if someone caught him/her on a dash cam video or cell phone, posted it publicly, and sent it to the press.
 
I hope I did not offend you. I was not actually suggesting you or your dad are bad drivers. I was just using you guys as an example. There are plenty of bad driver parents that were never properly educated that teach their kids, and there are plenty of bogus driving schools.

No, I dont care, I was just trolling you with facts from my life..

But I agree, there are some bogus driving schools and I see them driving badly all the time!
 
For some odd reason there are tonnes more videos of people getting splashed while lane splitting, then there are of people being hit from behind while stopped. I wonder why that is?

You can't compare California, a place where people have been lane splitting for decades, to Toronto, a place where lane splitting is illegal. Drivers in California are used to it and, even then, there are some people there who think that it's illegal.

Supporting documentation can be found here:

http://rideapart.com/articles/53-pe...-splitting-7-percent-try-to-block-motorcycles

One radio show, in the San Francisco area, famously advocated opening car doors on splitting motorcyclists. That made the excrement hit the rotary air movement device.

http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=149060&perpage=15&pagenumber=1
 
For some odd reason there are tonnes more videos of people getting splashed while lane splitting, then there are of people being hit from behind while stopped. I wonder why that is?

You can't compare California, a place where people have been lane splitting for decades, to Toronto, a place where lane splitting is illegal. Drivers in California are used to it and, even then, there are some people there who think that it's illegal.

Supporting documentation can be found here:

http://rideapart.com/articles/53-pe...-splitting-7-percent-try-to-block-motorcycles

One radio show, in the San Francisco area, famously advocated opening car doors on splitting motorcyclists. That made the excrement hit the rotary air movement device.

http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=149060&perpage=15&pagenumber=1


The reason for the distribution of the videos may be because %99 of the overall motorcycle population filters, while %1 doesn't. Which one of the cases should be producing more videos ?

And yes one can compare California, simply because they had to start somewhere. No one argues that filtering in Ontario can be implemented overnight, but I would argue that an average driver of Ontario has ALL necessary skills to accommodate filtering motorcyclists, specifically the skills to change lanes safely (signal, mirror check, shoulder check..).

Regarding the radio show, especially in U.S, they will say anything for the sake of ratings. It shouldn't be too hard to find a talk where they discuss banning of all motorcycles because of their danger.
 
I emailed the ministry about this a while back, I thought it was a fairly straightforward suggestion/recommendation:

I'd just like to advocate in favor of motorcycle lane splitting for safety and environmental reasons. This recent article makes some great points that I think could really benefit drivers and motorcyclists alike in this province. Please have a look: http://www.gizmag.com/motorcycle-lane-splitting-filtering-safety-research/34425/

A reduction in accidents, severity of accidents, improved travel times and decreased environmental impact all seem like fantastic reasons to legalize and promote this behaviour.

There are well documented and statistically significant points that mentioned in that article with references to actual studies. What was the ministry's response?

Dear Mr. AwesomePants,
Thank you for your e-mail regarding motorcycle lane splitting. The Honourable Steven Del Duca, Minister of Transportation, has asked me to respond on his behalf.

Lane splitting (riding between two lanes of slower traffic), along with lane filtering (moving to the front at a traffic light), and lane sharing (two motorcycles travelling abreast in the same lane) are all illegal in Ontario. Section 154(1)of the Ontario Highway Traffic Act (HTA) requires a vehicle to be driven entirely within a single lane and to move from the lane when it can be done so safely.

The ministry believes that there is insufficient safety research to support the introduction of these manoeuvres and is concerned that any potential safety benefit may be offset by an increased risk of side collision or inappropriate behaviours such as street racing or road rage. It is the ministry’s position that lane splitting and filtering are dangerous as they put motorcyclists extremely close to other vehicles. In these situations, a motorcyclist’s reaction time is reduced and small vehicular movements, such as a vehicle starting to change lanes or a door opening, have a greater chance of causing a collision. Risks associated with lane splitting/filtering would likely increase for inexperienced riders and for motorcyclists riding in groups.

Having no clear safety benefit and in keeping with Ontario’s one motor vehicle one lane safety laws, we are not considering allowing lane filtering at this time. However, we will continue to monitor related research and jurisdictional best practices.

For more information about safe motorcycle operating practices, please see The Official Motorcycle Handbook on theMinistry of Transportation website.

Thank you again for your inquiry.

Sincerely,



Erik Thomsen
Acting Team Leader
Road Safety Policy Office
Safety Policy and Education Branch



Emphasis mine. The ministry's opinion is quite frankly wrong, and there are incredibly clear safety benefits to both riders and drivers. What the **** Ontario.
 
I don't lane split but wish we could do it at red lights. I have twice avoided dying by being rear ended by paying attention to my mirrors at all times while stopped. Unfortunately the cars in front of me didn't get off the hook with me not being there anymore. I would appreciate it if I don't have to avoid again a third time. Lane splitting at red lights would solve this somewhat.
Nobody pays attention anymore.
 

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