NOT LEGAL!!! *hooooonk* HEY! THATS NOT LEGAL!! NOT LE......

[Major Redneck]

first off is this lanespliting done only when all auto's are STOPPED or are they moving???

in the state of NC it is not legal for two vehicles to occupy the same lane space,,, (center to edge of road) or as cali peeps do lanesplitting... you can ride side by side on a motocycle if both partys agree to this,,, i dont even ride side by side... yea i know weird laws in NC,,, it would be the bike drivers fault in case of a misshap... iv even had people lanesplit with me in my auto and not that i would but i could with the law on my side open the door on them and teach them "ITS AGAINST THE LAW" maybe thats why i never see lanesplitting in and around the Charlotte area...

i dont think iv ever road a motocycle in a state that allows this lanesplitting... and if i did i was unaware of it... i personaly have lanesplit only hand full of times (in my youth and got away with it) in my many years of riding motocycles... if i even think about lanesplitting when im on the road my "DANGER WILL ROBINSON" meter goes off... its just not worth it...

i can see where it would save a few min. at times if route was planed "right"... but i also see where it could be deadly... its like your cutting your chances down less than half of something not going wrong... like riding in a pipe... walking your bike with things only inches away from your handlebars takes caution and if bumped can cause a misshap... going faster (more than walking speed) would take skill,,, doing this with others trust of them not doing something wrong is crazy... they are blind to your actions,,, all it takes is that kid trying to sling the gum off his finger out the window,,, or that dipper spitting juice out the window or opening the door to spit,,, or the teacher opening the door to pour out her now cold coffee... even if its out the window your normal reaction is just that reaction which given the space you have even cuts your chances down more...

i feel that one would be foolish to lanesplit in a state or where laws dont allow it... in this state if you do and do have a misshap its your fault,,, its like passing on the right... if i road where lainsplitting is allow i feel i would not change my riding habits from what they are know i still would not lanesplit... it's taken years to have learned how to keep them cars from hurting me...

its not that i dont have the skills and talent to ride with things inches away from my bike,,, i just dont like them misshaps... if you got the big bucket of nuts lanesplit till you have that misshap...

again this is just my view and my be overlooked...

[ericalm]

Lane splitting is allowed when the cars are moving as well. Most people do it mainly when they're either stopped (this is often referred to as "filtering" to get up to a light) or backed up and moving very slowly. Some folks do it on the freeway at high speeds. I've done it on the freeway when cars have been backed up.

Thing is, whether lane splitting is illegal or not, reckless riding is just reckless riding. It will get you in trouble—either in a crash or pulled over by a LEO. Those who weave in between cars and lanes with abandon, ride on the shoulder, split at 80mph through moving traffic, etc. are definitely not within the bounds of the law.

Many people outside Cali are bothered by lane splitting and don't understand how it can be done safely. Fact is, it's as common and widely practiced here as right on red and most drivers are very accommodating. In fact, the aged Hurt Report suggests that lane splitting helps reduce accidents in CA. Most drivers appreciate that by splitting, you're reducing congestion.

However, one of the things I keep an eye out for when doing it is out of state plates.

In heavy urban traffic, the reduction in travel time can be significant, not just a couple minutes. There are times when it can take a half hour to travel a couple miles on surface streets or when freeways are at a near-standstill for many miles.

[Cheshire]

It takes a lot of restraint when stuck in construction traffic not to ride down the side of the lane. LOTS of restraint. My personal opinion (read: not trying to start an argument off-topic. ) is that "right on red" should be done away with and lane splitting should be for all states. One causes more congestion and problems than it's worth IMHO and the other helps resolve it.
Ah, well. As the saying goes, "it's what you do with what you got".

[TVB]

"right on red" should be done away with and lane splitting should be for all states. One causes more congestion and problems than it's worth IMHO and the other helps resolve it.

I don't understand how "right on red" would cause congestion. It does effectively the same thing as lane-splitting: allowing vehicles to move ahead, rather than sit.

[Lostmycage]

"right on red" should be done away with and lane splitting should be for all states. One causes more congestion and problems than it's worth IMHO and the other helps resolve it.

I don't understand how "right on red" would cause congestion. It does effectively the same thing as lane-splitting: allowing vehicles to move ahead, rather than sit.

Yeah, I'm not getting that either.

[jijifer]

I didn't realize "right on red" isn't allowed everywhere. How about left on red from one way to one way? I've been doing that my whole life and was in Michigan when I was 16 and got my license. interesting.

I wouldn't lane split where it's not allowed because I can see cagers getting pissy. But here, in California, it's ok and cars - for the most part - let you through.

The only thing about right on red that could cause congestion is an accident. One thing that gets me pissy is people who don't actually stop prior to turning right on red but then I had a friend who was nearly killed by a car doing so. She was crossing the street with the right of way, in the pedestrian crosswalk and dude came peeling around the corner. She literally broke her face, lost her jaw (thus all her teeth) and was in the hospital for months. Lots and lots of surgery later you'd never know. Sure, his insurance covered everything and she survived but I bet she'd give every penny back not have been hit walking across the street.

Anyways. Right on red and left on red from a oneway to a oneway is how I learned to drive and since I've only scooted in Cali, I'm comfortable splitting the lane to the front of the line in a safe and slow fashion. I'm sure it's hard for folks who don't live in places that allow it to imagine how it can be done safely but it can

[TVB]

I didn't realize "right on red" isn't allowed everywhere. How about left on red from one way to one way? I've been doing that my whole life and was in Michigan when I was 16 and got my license. interesting.

My driver's-ed teacher said it was legal, and I've been doing it ever since. It's really just a mirror-image of right-on-red, so it makes sense, but

One thing that gets me pissy is people who don't actually stop prior to turning right on red...

My father - who ordinarily set an very good example as a driver - used to roll through blinking-red left-turns. Until I took driver's ed and learned that it was illegal, and lectured him with the boundless joy that can only be felt by a 15-year-old boy who has found something he can prove his father wrong about

[beeporama]

One thing that gets me pissy is people who don't actually stop prior to turning right on red

The only traffic ticket I ever got in my life (36 now, I was 16 with a learner's permit) was for turning right on red without coming to a full stop.

I probably deserved speeding and reckless driving, so the ticket was a gift. Every sixteen-year-old boy should get a moving violation and fine they have to pay out-of-pocket. It made me a MUCH more careful driver at a time I was young and very, very stupid.

My personal pet peeve is people who don't treat disabled stoplights as four-way stops (a frequent problem after heavy storms). That's the law in PA at least, but I'd expect it was universal.

[TVB]

I probably deserved speeding and reckless driving, so the ticket was a gift. Every sixteen-year-old boy should get a moving violation and fine they have to pay out-of-pocket. It made me a MUCH more careful driver at a time I was young and very, very stupid.

I got more than a ticket: I got a wrecked car and a friend with a concussion for my 16-year-old recklessness. And yes, it made me a much better driver.

My personal pet peeve is people who don't treat disabled stoplights as four-way stops (a frequent problem after heavy storms). That's the law in PA at least, but I'd expect it was universal.

I can't speak for PA, but despite popular belief that it is, it's not the law in Michigan. You're supposed to treat it as if there were no traffic light, and yield to whichever road would otherwise get the right of way. But four-way-stop is safer, and that's what everyone does, so they really ought to change the law.

[KCScooterDude]

Of course they won't ticket cars for lane splitting. When I turn left into my neighborhood at a particular location the road is just wide enough to allow cars to pass me on the right while still in my lane. 99.9 percent of cars do this. I could take up more of the lane, but there is a manhole (two actually) in the street at exactly that location and I don't like to ride/stop on them for the obvious reason. I would get passed on the left if I went to the right of the manhole. (peoplehole, access point, whatever).

I have come up with a partial solution to this. I have ordered a Stebel horn from Scooterworks, so the next person who does it is going to wet themselves, for sure.

[KCScooterDude]

I didn't realize "right on red" isn't allowed everywhere. How about left on red from one way to one way? I've been doing that my whole life and was in Michigan when I was 16 and got my license. interesting.

I wouldn't lane split where it's not allowed because I can see cagers getting pissy. But here, in California, it's ok and cars - for the most part - let you through.

The only thing about right on red that could cause congestion is an accident. One thing that gets me pissy is people who don't actually stop prior to turning right on red but then I had a friend who was nearly killed by a car doing so. She was crossing the street with the right of way, in the pedestrian crosswalk and dude came peeling around the corner. She literally broke her face, lost her jaw (thus all her teeth) and was in the hospital for months. Lots and lots of surgery later you'd never know. Sure, his insurance covered everything and she survived but I bet she'd give every penny back not have been hit walking across the street.

Anyways. Right on red and left on red from a oneway to a oneway is how I learned to drive and since I've only scooted in Cali, I'm comfortable splitting the lane to the front of the line in a safe and slow fashion. I'm sure it's hard for folks who don't live in places that allow it to imagine how it can be done safely but it can

I believe Minnesota was the last state that did not allow right on red and they changed over in the 1980s. There are some cities that don't allow this, I believe New York City being one. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong about this.

[Vic]

My personal pet peeve is people who don't treat disabled stoplights as four-way stops (a frequent problem after heavy storms). That's the law in PA at least, but I'd expect it was universal.

I can't speak for PA, but despite popular belief that it is, it's not the law in Michigan. You're supposed to treat it as if there were no traffic light, and yield to whichever road would otherwise get the right of way. But four-way-stop is safer, and that's what everyone does, so they really ought to change the law.

So, who decides "whichever road would otherwise get the right of way"? Wow!

-v

[Syd]

...My father - who ordinarily set an very good example as a driver - used to roll through blinking-red left-turns. Until I took driver's ed and learned that it was illegal, and lectured him with the boundless joy that can only be felt by a 15-year-old boy who has found something he can prove his father wrong about

My father, who hired off-duty cops to baby sit construction sites quite some distance from home, and who never broke 25mph in our hometown, would perform some crazy wild moves where he worked - things like jumping green lights, rolling up on the sidewalk in order to pass someone on the right in an intersection, things like that. He used to scare the living crap out of me. Of course that was in Worcester, MA, home of the worst drivers in the US at the time.

[Cheshire]

The right on red comment:
Most of the congestion I see is gridlock caused by right on red turns. Pedestrians never get a break to cross, trying to get out of a parking lot or driveway just down the road from a red light becomes impossible at certain times of day, road rage for the person who doesn't immediately turn right is high, etc.
One of my personal favorites is what happens to the protected left turn light. I've got several that would be wonderful if I actually got a protected left turn. Instead, I constantly have to fight for right-of-way with the cars from the lanes opposite the intersection who seem to think right-on-red means they have right of way.

/threadjack

[Syd]

Cheshire,
You don't have right-on-red problems, you've got illegal turn problems. Sucks that the local police won't enforce that.

[TVB]

Pedestrians never get a break to cross,

I realize that this is a rule that's commonly ignored by bad drivers (i.e. most of them), but pedestrians have the right of way when a car is stopped at red light, even if it's about to turn right-on-red.

[paige]

I didn't realize "right on red" isn't allowed everywhere. How about left on red from one way to one way? I've been doing that my whole life and was in Michigan when I was 16 and got my license. interesting.

I wouldn't lane split where it's not allowed because I can see cagers getting pissy. But here, in California, it's ok and cars - for the most part - let you through.

The only thing about right on red that could cause congestion is an accident. One thing that gets me pissy is people who don't actually stop prior to turning right on red but then I had a friend who was nearly killed by a car doing so. She was crossing the street with the right of way, in the pedestrian crosswalk and dude came peeling around the corner. She literally broke her face, lost her jaw (thus all her teeth) and was in the hospital for months. Lots and lots of surgery later you'd never know. Sure, his insurance covered everything and she survived but I bet she'd give every penny back not have been hit walking across the street.

Anyways. Right on red and left on red from a oneway to a oneway is how I learned to drive and since I've only scooted in Cali, I'm comfortable splitting the lane to the front of the line in a safe and slow fashion. I'm sure it's hard for folks who don't live in places that allow it to imagine how it can be done safely but it can

I believe Minnesota was the last state that did not allow right on red and they changed over in the 1980s. There are some cities that don't allow this, I believe New York City being one. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong about this.

I got pulled over in a rental car in Lincoln, Nebraska for a right on red. Turned from an access road into a dead end street where the hotel sat. Let off with a warning after a discussion about my CA license.

[Quo Vadimus]

So many of the intersections in Ann Arbor have "no turn on red" signs that I forget there are some that don't.

[DonkeyScoot]

It's totally legal where I live in the city of San Francisco and I do it every single time I'm on my scooter. Here it is legal to lane split up the middle but not on the right side since those are bike lanes and it's illegal to ride in the bike lane unless you are going to turn.

[KCScooterDude]

I didn't realize "right on red" isn't allowed everywhere. How about left on red from one way to one way? I've been doing that my whole life and was in Michigan when I was 16 and got my license. interesting.

I wouldn't lane split where it's not allowed because I can see cagers getting pissy. But here, in California, it's ok and cars - for the most part - let you through.

The only thing about right on red that could cause congestion is an accident. One thing that gets me pissy is people who don't actually stop prior to turning right on red but then I had a friend who was nearly killed by a car doing so. She was crossing the street with the right of way, in the pedestrian crosswalk and dude came peeling around the corner. She literally broke her face, lost her jaw (thus all her teeth) and was in the hospital for months. Lots and lots of surgery later you'd never know. Sure, his insurance covered everything and she survived but I bet she'd give every penny back not have been hit walking across the street.

Anyways. Right on red and left on red from a oneway to a oneway is how I learned to drive and since I've only scooted in Cali, I'm comfortable splitting the lane to the front of the line in a safe and slow fashion. I'm sure it's hard for folks who don't live in places that allow it to imagine how it can be done safely but it can

I believe Minnesota was the last state that did not allow right on red and they changed over in the 1980s. There are some cities that don't allow this, I believe New York City being one. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong about this.

I got pulled over in a rental car in Lincoln, Nebraska for a right on red. Turned from an access road into a dead end street where the hotel sat. Let off with a warning after a discussion about my CA license.

I don't doubt your experience, but I've made literally thousands of right turns on red in Nebraska (mostly Lincoln and Omaha), I'm sure many times in front of John Law and never gotten a ticket.