Sweet Justice

[dr_bar]

I don't like to filter but have done it on the margin. I will ride the margin on a hot day in stopped traffic. Not just to keep going but to keep the air flowing over those cooling fins. I also go just fast enough to move the air.

[Mintbread]

Yeah, I hate it when people split lanes too... I dont do it on my bike. It it like the people who go in the shoulder on the highway when there is traffic (and I laugh when they get tickets). That sucks that he hit you with the broomstick, and funny that he got hauled off to jail... but it is like cutting in line, it just makes people mad.

No it isn't. There are pros and cons when riding in traffic, this just happens to be one of the benefits. People are constantly trying to run me over, can't I at least get a head-start and make hitting me with their cars a real challenge?

[Lawk]

I think it is all about judging the conditions. I'd say now I "safely" lane split.

If you spend a lot of time close to cars, you will be more likely to come into contact with one.

[bennettoid]

I don't see too many comments about the oring with the broom stick. He should have been charged with attempted murder.

[Lawk]

I would only assume he and the driver were both charged with some sort of felony. They were pretty shifty lookin dudes too. Its just a good thing my visor was down.

[Grendel_Sprite]

Wow, Lawk, that sucks that someone would do that to you. I'm glad they got popped for it.

Here where I live in Nothern Califronia, lane splitting is widespread and the cagers (me among them) are pretty used to it. We even go so far as to move further off toward the shoulder to let a biker who is splitting pass safely. Partly this is just to be courteous and part to save our mirrors. I almost always get a wave.

[PhilD9er]

Lane splitting is perfectly safe. I would invite all you old women who say otherwise to look at the statistics.

How many drivers are ready with a frigging broomhandle? And, "I saw a side mirror kncocked off!"? Oh me, oh, my, oh, me, oh my. Tragedy.


It should be legal in every state. I save about 5-20 minutes on every trip, and it's bliss on the freeway when traffic is stopped or at a crawl.

[DivideOverflow]

I dont even know if it is legal here or not, but the crazy cagers around here REALLY dont like it. They try to hit other cars that attempt to get around traffic, let alone bikes. Most bikes I see around here dont try it unless they are in a group with others... and they are normally Harley guys. Tampa is even worse! It seems like the Tampa pasttime is just running each other off the road.

[Lawk]

Lane splitting is perfectly safe. I would invite all you old women who say otherwise to look at the statistics.

Nothing on a bike is "perfectly" safe. The safest thing you can do with a bike is keep it in your garage and throw the keys in a pond.

How many drivers are ready with a frigging broomhandle?

I can think of atleast one.

It should be legal in every state. I save about 5-20 minutes on every trip, and it's bliss on the freeway when traffic is stopped or at a crawl

I totally agree. Maybe we should just outlaw vehicles with more than two wheels.

[PhilD9er]

Wait, Lawk, your bike is NOT perfectly safe in your garage. If you don't have a centrestand and are propping it up to check the oil window, it could fall on you!

I'll tell you this about lane-splitting: it keeps me from getting rear-ended by some cage. I've never seen, nor heard of, a single rider tell me he's gotten hurt by lane splitting. But I have seen many rear end accidents in LA, (and not just fat chicks). They literally happen all the time. So, sure, I'll take this huge broom-handle risk whenever I come up to a red light. It sure beats having my spine become a hood ornament on some friggin Suburban.