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

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

Post by thehypercube »

Once every few weeks I get an armchair lawyer screaming at me for slowly and safely going to the front of the line at a red light. My acceleration is much faster than most of the cars I encounter, so it's not like I am holding them up.

This morning the guy was in a Ford Expedition I'm pretty sure. Lots of honking, arm waving and yelling at me with the window down. "NOT LEGAL!" and laying on the horn. I didn't even turn around to look at or acknowledge that I heard him. He didn't stop though until he finally had to make a turn somewhere. My understanding is that lane sharing is legal when done in a safe manner in CA. If I am going 5mph and other traffic isn't moving I'd call that pretty safe.

If somebody tries to engage you in a yelling match, don't reward them by giving them what they're looking for, but do keep an eye on them to make sure they aren't trying to do something stupid and unsafe to "get back" at you.
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Post by Syd »

Is it actually legal? Or is it just not-illegal? I've read both here on MB.
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Post by Tazio »

Depends on the state. Definitely legal in California which is really unusual as almost everything else here is illegal.
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Post by LuvMyScoot »

Since people aren't required to retake any tests when they get their license renewed I'm not surprised that lots of cagers in your state don't know that lane sharing is legal there. There is no law in CT saying it's legal but there isn't one saying it's illegal either. For my part I just don't do it. I don't want to give the cagers any more reason to fuel their already unreasonable road rage.
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Post by laxer »

Syd wrote:Is it actually legal? Or is it just not-illegal? I've read both here on MB.
Things that are not-illegal are legal. Our laws outline what you aren't allowed to do, and if things need clarification, then they'll also specify what's ok.
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Post by Syd »

laxer wrote:
Syd wrote:Is it actually legal? Or is it just not-illegal? I've read both here on MB.
Things that are not-illegal are legal. Our laws outline what you aren't allowed to do, and if things need clarification, then they'll also specify what's ok.
Exactly my point. I remember reading here that lane sharing in CA was not explicitly illegal (Things that are not-illegal are legal). I also have read that lane sharing in CA is explicitly legal (then they'll also specify what's ok).

In Arizona, lane sharing is explicitly illegal. An attempt to make it explicitly legal was attempted this past year - because working on a multi-billion dollar budget hole was too difficult, I guess - but that attempt failed.
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Post by Skootz Kabootz »

In CA it is definitely not illegal and it is in fact considered a good safety maneuver to go to the front of the line of cars. That way the cars protect you from being rear ended.
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Post by justscooten »

lane splitting not legal in michigan
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Post by Quo Vadimus »

Maybe you should have the law printed up on magnets (like the yellow cards and toss them on the hoods of the cars...

Wait, is any part of a car made of metal anymore?
TVB

Post by TVB »

Quo Vadimus wrote:Wait, is any part of a car made of metal anymore?
Glass houses... :)
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Post by thehypercube »

Quo Vadimus wrote:Maybe you should have the law printed up on magnets (like the yellow cards and toss them on the hoods of the cars...

Wait, is any part of a car made of metal anymore?
The Bike Coalition here does have hoodies and t-shirts with the "bicycles allowed use of full lane" CVC reference printed on the back. Makes a lot more sense now.
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Post by jasondavis48108 »

TVB wrote:
Quo Vadimus wrote:Wait, is any part of a car made of metal anymore?
Glass houses... :)
:rofl: makes me wonder why more cars don't get stuck at stoplights like my poor little scooter! So unfair, and wouldn't it be plastic houses?
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Post by MrNatural »

Lane splitting is specifically ILLEGAL in Minnesota per Minnesota Statute 169.974 Subd 5, e.
No person shall operate a motorcycle between lanes of moving or stationary vehicles headed in the same direction, nor shall any person drive a motorcycle abreast of or overtake or pass another vehicle within the same traffic lane, except that motorcycles may, with the consent of both drivers, be operated not more than two abreast in a single traffic lane.

On the another frequently discussed hot topic MN was the first state to pass a “red light / green light" law allowing motos to proceed with caution through a red light after making a stop…See below. I pointedly do not refer to this as "the law allowing motos to run red lights", as some people like to do.
As of 2007 the other states w/similar law were Wisconsin, Idaho, Tennessee, & Arkansas.

[AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE RELATING TO UNCHANGING TRAFFIC CONTROL SIGNAL.]

Minnesota Red Light Law. Sec. 42. Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 169.06, Subd. 9.

(a) A person operating a motorcycle who violates subdivision 4 by entering or crossing an intersection controlled by a traffic-control signal against a red light has an affirmative defense to that charge if the person establishes all of the following conditions:
(1) the motorcycle has been brought to a complete stop;
(2) the traffic-control signal continues to show a red light for an unreasonable time;
(3) the traffic-control signal is apparently malfunctioning or, if programmed or engineered to change to a green light only after detecting the approach of a motor vehicle, the signal has apparently failed to detect the arrival of the motorcycle; and
(4) no motor vehicle or person is approaching on the street or highway to be crossed or entered or is so far away from the intersection that it does not constitute an immediate hazard.
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Post by BuddyLicious »

I guess CA is the only state where it is Legal to lane-split.At link is a state by state list that shows the various legal and non-legal motorcycle laws.Right under the list it states CA is the only state where lane splitting is allowed.Of course many states allow lane sharing.

http://tinyurl.com/6xvkhz
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Post by ellen »

LuvMyScoot wrote:There is no law in CT saying it's legal but there isn't one saying it's illegal either. For my part I just don't do it. I don't want to give the cagers any more reason to fuel their already unreasonable road rage.

It's illegal in Connecticut too
Sec. 14-289b. Operation of motorcycles (b) The operator of a motorcycle shall not (1) overtake and pass, in the same single traffic lane occupied by such motorcycle, any motor vehicle other than a motorcycle or (2) operate a motorcycle between lanes of traffic.
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Post by iMoses »

Not legal in KS or MO

... though I may have done it in a crowded parking lot trying to leave after a fireworks show last 4th of July ... :)
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Post by Quo Vadimus »

iMoses wrote: ... though I may have done it in a crowded parking lot trying to leave after a fireworks show last 4th of July ... :)
This has always confused me (speed limit and stop signs in parking lots). Can you be ticketed for moving violations on private property? Or is it considered a public roadway for the purpose of enforcement since it's 'open to the public?' I feel like I remember learning that you don't *have* to make a police report if you have an accident in a parking lot, and they can't ticket me for doing 120 if it's on my own (very large) property. Anyone know? It sure would be nice to skip a parking lot crowd every once in a senior citizen.
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Post by iMoses »

I don't think parking lots are technically private property. Since the public is using the space, regardless if the city or county owns the property or not. The police has certain legal authority to be there. (I wrote "certain" cause I am not a lawyer, just trying to think this through and am taking a WAG at it.)

These days I'd rather have a written police report for an accident no matter where it happens. Wouldn't want my insurance company screwing me over a technicality. And the whole my word against theirs and all of the complications that come with that.

I guess we take the risk of being ticketed upon ourselves when we do things that may be illegal.
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Post by squash1978 »

The following site will show the laws related to lane splitting in every state:

http://www.amadirectlink.com/legisltn/laws.asp

The law(s) for lane splitting are towards the bottom (2nd to last) for each state.
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Post by Lostmycage »

Everything that I've ever heard about lanesplitting is that it's legal in California and everywhere else in the world. The other 49 states are SOL.

Are we trying to figure out if it's legal or not specifically illegal?
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Re: NOT LEGAL!!! *hooooonk* HEY! THATS NOT LEGAL!! NOT LE...

Post by PhillyScott »

thehypercube wrote:Once every few weeks I get an armchair lawyer screaming at me for slowly and safely going to the front of the line at a red light. My acceleration is much faster than most of the cars I encounter, so it's not like I am holding them up.

This morning the guy was in a Ford Expedition I'm pretty sure. Lots of honking, arm waving and yelling at me with the window down. "NOT LEGAL!" and laying on the horn. I didn't even turn around to look at or acknowledge that I heard him. He didn't stop though until he finally had to make a turn somewhere. My understanding is that lane sharing is legal when done in a safe manner in CA. If I am going 5mph and other traffic isn't moving I'd call that pretty safe.

If somebody tries to engage you in a yelling match, don't reward them by giving them what they're looking for, but do keep an eye on them to make sure they aren't trying to do something stupid and unsafe to "get back" at you.
I get the same reaction nearly every time I do that. Cagers just don't want to see anyone get ahead of them. While I've never actually looked it up in the Pennsylvania motor vehicle violation codes, I believe lane-splitting (filtering) is illegal here. In fact, I think it's illegal everywhere, but California. It's legal in most European countries and it makes it a lot easier to get around if you're on two wheels. It also makes for less congestion and probably the main reason it's legal there.

Crossing my fingers that US legislators will open their eyes and make it legal here!

_Scott
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Re: NOT LEGAL!!! *hooooonk* HEY! THATS NOT LEGAL!! NOT LE...

Post by squash1978 »

PhillyScott wrote:
thehypercube wrote:Once every few weeks I get an armchair lawyer screaming at me for slowly and safely going to the front of the line at a red light. My acceleration is much faster than most of the cars I encounter, so it's not like I am holding them up.

This morning the guy was in a Ford Expedition I'm pretty sure. Lots of honking, arm waving and yelling at me with the window down. "NOT LEGAL!" and laying on the horn. I didn't even turn around to look at or acknowledge that I heard him. He didn't stop though until he finally had to make a turn somewhere. My understanding is that lane sharing is legal when done in a safe manner in CA. If I am going 5mph and other traffic isn't moving I'd call that pretty safe.

If somebody tries to engage you in a yelling match, don't reward them by giving them what they're looking for, but do keep an eye on them to make sure they aren't trying to do something stupid and unsafe to "get back" at you.
I get the same reaction nearly every time I do that. Cagers just don't want to see anyone get ahead of them. While I've never actually looked it up in the Pennsylvania motor vehicle violation codes, I believe lane-splitting (filtering) is illegal here. In fact, I think it's illegal everywhere, but California. It's legal in most European countries and it makes it a lot easier to get around if you're on two wheels. It also makes for less congestion and probably the main reason it's legal there.

Crossing my fingers that US legislators will open their eyes and make it legal here!

_Scott
Lane splitting is illegal in PA.

I can understand drivers' frustration with it, especially if it's not legal. When I'm on my scoot I expect to be treated like any other vehicle on the road. However, I also feel that if I expect this from others, then it is reasonable for others to expect me to act like any other vehicle on the road (i.e., operate according to the law).
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Re: NOT LEGAL!!! *hooooonk* HEY! THATS NOT LEGAL!! NOT LE...

Post by PhillyScott »

squash1978 wrote:
Lane splitting is illegal in PA.

I can understand drivers' frustration with it, especially if it's not legal. When I'm on my scoot I expect to be treated like any other vehicle on the road. However, I also feel that if I expect this from others, then it is reasonable for others to expect me to act like any other vehicle on the road (i.e., operate according to the law).
Yeah, I figured it was illegal in PA, thanks!

While I respect what you're saying and not condoning breaking the law, I believe these drivers get frustrated with motorcycles/scooters lane splitting, because they can't get out of traffic quick enough themselves. Most people in general don't know the state traffic laws, so probably don't know whether it's legal or illegal. I believe they get mad, because somebody is getting ahead of them. One case in point is that many cagers will drive the speed limit in the passing lane on the highway, even if the other 2 lanes are empty. That's against the law also, but most probably don't know that and feel if they're not breaking the speed limit, they're not breaking the law. So if they're unaware of that law, do you really think they know whether lane splitting is legal or not?

_Scott
Last edited by PhillyScott on Thu Mar 25, 2010 3:58 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by LuvMyScoot »

ellen wrote:
LuvMyScoot wrote:There is no law in CT saying it's legal but there isn't one saying it's illegal either. For my part I just don't do it. I don't want to give the cagers any more reason to fuel their already unreasonable road rage.

It's illegal in Connecticut too
Sec. 14-289b. Operation of motorcycles (b) The operator of a motorcycle shall not (1) overtake and pass, in the same single traffic lane occupied by such motorcycle, any motor vehicle other than a motorcycle or (2) operate a motorcycle between lanes of traffic.
I thought for sure that CT didn't explicitly say lane sharing was illegal but there it is in black and white. Further proof that on MB I am better off asking questions than answering them. Thanks for the info (and I'm glad that I haven't been doing it!)
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Post by ericalm »

From another, somewhat contentious thread, the scoop on lane splitting in CA…
ericalm wrote:There's a lot of misinformation and apocryphal info out there about driving laws and, in particular, lane splitting.

I have scoured the CA Vehicle Codes and LEO websites. All I've been able to find is that, yes lanesplitting is legal though primarily because it's not prohibited by the VC. There are no codes stipulating any sort of restrictions on it. What you will find on the CHP site is language saying it must be done in a "safe and prudent" manner. This is not codified; it's a standard for enforcement, their own policy.
http://www.chp.ca.gov/html/answers.html

I have even heard LEOs say things such as "it must be done at less than 15mph over speed of surrounding traffic" and such. Anyone who can show me where this rather arbitrary rule is on the books is welcome to do so.

Here's what a lawyer who's part of a motorcycle law network had to say about it:
…California allows lane sharing, which means that motorcycles can drive in between cars that are in a lane. Now, most motorists regard that as an insane and an illegal act by a motorcyclist. However, although not legally set forth in the law, it is not against any law. The California Highway Patrol used to have guidelines where they advised people about what was safe to do for lane sharing, but they have since taken that off of their pamphlet on motorcycling and now they just say that all you have to do is do it in a safe and prudent manner. Essentially what they're saying is that a safe and prudent manner is probably that you're not supposed to go faster than 35 miles an hour and you probably shouldn't go faster than 15 or 20 miles faster than the traffic that you're passing. Obviously, there are ways to do lane sharing that are safer than others and you should try to do that.
http://accident-law.freeadvice.com/acci ... e-laws.htm

The state driver's handbook states:
Motorcycles may travel faster than traffic during congested road conditions and can travel in the unused space between two lines of moving or stationary vehicles, which is commonly called lane splitting.
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/hdbk/shr_slo ... otorcycles

The motorcycle handbook has a section on lane "sharing"; it's discouraged there, but nowhere does it state any guidelines for doing it.

However, the definition of "reckless driving" is pretty much wide open to interpretation by any LEO. There are no laws allowing riders to act as I've seen some squids (and a few scooterists). Ride like a jerk, get caught, get a ticket.
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Post by babblefish »

For those of you who live in the San Francisco area and have driven (or tried to drive) on the "The Embarcadero" during some kind of event (like Fleet Week or 4th of July), then you know that it becomes a virtual parking lot. Thank goodness CA allows lane splitting! The only things moving at this time are motorcycles, scooters and bicycles. I've even ridden in the bicycle lane (slowly!) while giving any bicyclist the right-of-way whenever it comes up. Before some of you get your shorts tied-up in knots, the SFPD will also use these lanes on their small enduro motorcycles to get though traffic. I've followed a few of them this way and they didn't bat an eye lash even though they knew I was behind them.
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Post by jasondavis48108 »

babblefish wrote:For those of you who live in the San Francisco area and have driven (or tried to drive) on the "The Embarcadero" during some kind of event (like Fleet Week or 4th of July), then you know that it becomes a virtual parking lot. Thank goodness CA allows lane splitting! The only things moving at this time are motorcycles, scooters and bicycles. I've even ridden in the bicycle lane (slowly!) while giving any bicyclist the right-of-way whenever it comes up. Before some of you get your shorts tied-up in knots, the SFPD will also use these lanes on their small enduro motorcycles to get though traffic. I've followed a few of them this way and they didn't bat an eye lash even though they knew I was behind them.
As an enthusiastic bicycle rider I could give a darn less if motorbike shared the bike lane so long as they are not going super fast and are courteous to the non-motor bikes. Its the "cyclists" who usualy get in a tizzy over theis sort of stuff. I've even seen posts where they want to ban electric bicycles from the bike lanes, electric bikes can only go 15-20 mph) any self-respecting cyclist could go faster than that. I dream of the day when you have three bike lanes shared by all kinds of bikes motored or not, and a single little car lane that all the road debris gets swept into.
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Post by dawg onit »

seriously, we saw on the news here in phx "lane sharing" passed for a one year trial on conjested freeways only rule. ill try to find something online.
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Post by Kaos »

Grr, I had just finished reading this thread before heading out the door in the cage with the family. Not 30 minutes later a guy on a Harley was lane splitting in heavy traffic on a 4 lane surface road. It steamed me like nothing else. Lane splitting is very illegal in Oregon, and he wasn't even doing it safely, just cruising like he had his own lane well over the speed limit.

Not that I condone people getting mad at lane-splitters, but he gives the rest of us a bad name. I've had people road rage on me because of others lane splitting, and it drives me nuts!! </rant>
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Post by babblefish »

I've never understood the anger some people have over a motorcyclist or scooter splitting lanes because it doesn't hurt or impede me in any way while I'm in my car. If he/she doesn't split lanes, I won't get to my destination any faster so I don't see the problem. But then, I've been riding for 40 years and think a bit differently than your normal cager. :)
If lane splitting here in the States pisses you off, then definitely don't go to Asia. Over there, they'll pull into the on-coming lanes during a red light then pull in front of you when it turns green. Pissed me off when I first moved to Taiwan, but got used to/over it after a short time. :)
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Post by Kaos »

babblefish wrote:I've never understood the anger some people have over a motorcyclist or scooter splitting lanes because it doesn't hurt or impede me in any way while I'm in my car. If he/she doesn't split lanes, I won't get to my destination any faster so I don't see the problem. But then, I've been riding for 40 years and think a bit differently than your normal cager. :)
If lane splitting here in the States pisses you off, then definitely don't go to Asia. Over there, they'll pull into the on-coming lanes during a red light then pull in front of you when it turns green. Pissed me off when I first moved to Taiwan, but got used to/over it after a short time. :)
Don't get me wrong, its not the lane splitting itself that steams me. Its the flippant disregard for the rules of the road that I'm steamed about. If it were in California I wouldn't have batted an eye.
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Post by babblefish »

Kaos wrote: Don't get me wrong, its not the lane splitting itself that steams me. Its the flippant disregard for the rules of the road that I'm steamed about. If it were in California I wouldn't have batted an eye.
Just curious, do you always follow the speed limit? :wink:
And you'd never tail-gate, right? :)
Is it legal to make a right turn against a red light in your part of the world? Just wondering. :)
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Post by PhillyScott »

babblefish wrote:I've never understood the anger some people have over a motorcyclist or scooter splitting lanes...
Nor have I.
babblefish wrote: If lane splitting here in the States pisses you off, then definitely don't go to Asia.
Or Europe, as lane splitting (filtering) is legal and rampant!

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Post by Kaos »

babblefish wrote:
Kaos wrote: Don't get me wrong, its not the lane splitting itself that steams me. Its the flippant disregard for the rules of the road that I'm steamed about. If it were in California I wouldn't have batted an eye.
Just curious, do you always follow the speed limit? :wink:
And you'd never tail-gate, right? :)
Is it legal to make a right turn against a red light in your part of the world? Just wondering. :)
Heh, I see your point. Maybe I'll be more specific. It upsets me that they're so flip about it. Yes I speed. You won't see me doing 110 in a 55. No I *NEVER* tailgate. I don't want to play the 'can I stop faster than them' game :)

Yes, right turn on red is legal in Oregon. U-Turns are usually not, and people U-Turning illegally upsets me too.

Its also that the other drivers arn't expecting it AT ALL. There is no expectation that another vehicle should be BETWEEN lanes, or turning completely around suddenly. It endangers everyone involved.

If it were expected. I.E. in California where its legal, then I don't have a problem with it. :)
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Post by dawg onit »

if it passes here, i dont know if i trust the phx drivers, when it gets 115 degrees here, and they are stuck in their cage, thats when the old phx road rage kicks in. i got balls but i want to keep them intact, call me crazy!
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Post by Cheshire »

Especially dangerous down here in the South where turn signals only seem to get used when it's time to pass vehicle inspection. If it's legal and expected I'd have no problem with it. When it's the last thing I'd expect, it's a danger. I didn't lane-split or filter on my bicycle, I don't do it on my scooter, I don't drive onto the shoulder to go around a car that's turning. The rule of thumb I learned as a kid was "be predictable." :)
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Post by babblefish »

Well, my point is, there are very few saints in this world and there are more important things to get upset over. My mantra for life is to not worry about things I have no control over. It'll just get me fat...because when I get upset I start eating ice cream. Lots of ice cream. A half gallon container at a time. It's not a pleasant sight.
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Post by dawg onit »

if this passes here in az, will we be the only no helmet lane splitting state?
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Post by Lostmycage »

Kaos wrote: Its also that the other drivers arn't expecting it AT ALL. There is no expectation that another vehicle should be BETWEEN lanes, or turning completely around suddenly. It endangers everyone involved.

If it were expected. I.E. in California where its legal, then I don't have a problem with it. :)
That's the meat of the issue right there. It's also why it's so hard to get considered in other states than CA. It'll remain dangerous until someone figures out how to ween the caged masses to the idea that someone has an advantage over then, even though the very same commuters are at a disadvantage (in some regards).

I desperately want to lane split, but because it's not expected from the cagers, it's an insane move. I will make an exception to that when I'm in a right lane (not a turn lane) and I'm turning right, but all (if one person has their blinker on, I stay put) the cars in front of me are going straight. I'll also make an exception during an Apocalyptic even, Natural, Zombie or otherwise.
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Post by thehypercube »

babblefish wrote:...because when I get upset I start eating ice cream. Lots of ice cream. A half gallon container at a time.
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jasondavis48108
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Post by jasondavis48108 »

Cheshire wrote:Especially dangerous down here in the South where turn signals only seem to get used when it's time to pass vehicle inspection. If it's legal and expected I'd have no problem with it. When it's the last thing I'd expect, it's a danger. I didn't lane-split or filter on my bicycle, I don't do it on my scooter, I don't drive onto the shoulder to go around a car that's turning. The rule of thumb I learned as a kid was "be predictable." :)
Here in michigan its legal to lane split on a bicycle to get up to the front of the line at a traffic light but I don't do it anymore. It really enrages the cagers and thats the last thing you want. Also, if they see you trying to do it they often will get as close to the right as possible so that you can't get to the front of the line. The funny thing is that its legal so that the bikes don't hold mup traffic! They are actually slowing down traffic by blocking you from doing it. I think part of the problem is that a minority of crap bicyclists around here who don't follow traffic laws have really pissed of the cagers and so they hate us all. btw

1) I do not speed
2) I follow all traffic laws wether in a car, on an scooter or a bicycle
3) I don't jaywalk and cannot tell a lie :P
"Only the curious have, if they live, a tale worth telling at all" Alastair Reid
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beeporama
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Post by beeporama »

Lostmycage wrote:
Kaos wrote:Its also that the other drivers arn't expecting it AT ALL. There is no expectation that another vehicle should be BETWEEN lanes, or turning completely around suddenly. It endangers everyone involved.
...I desperately want to lane split, but because it's not expected from the cagers, it's an insane move.
this. I drive a car and scooter about equally and I try to be very sensitive to two-wheeled vehicles in the car, perhaps excessively so. When they behave in a way that is dangerous or unpredictable it freaks me out.

Also, in line with what jasondavis48108 said, I've seen the kind of rage that good bicyclists get because the other 1% of them are stupid jerks. I'd like for people to have a good impression of two-wheeled vehicles, not that we are all reckless jerks more interested in showing off than in our personal safety.
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squash1978
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Post by squash1978 »

Kaos wrote:Its also that the other drivers arn't expecting it AT ALL. There is no expectation that another vehicle should be BETWEEN lanes, or turning completely around suddenly. It endangers everyone involved.

If it were expected. I.E. in California where its legal, then I don't have a problem with it. :)
I agree, well put.
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MrNatural
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Post by MrNatural »

I've thrown this out there a number of times... Drive the scooter like the motor vehicle that it is!!! Don't bother wondering why some drivers get pissed off at our traffic-evading actions. Fact of the matter is, they do! We want auto drivers to respect the rights given motorcycle & scooter owners under the law and treat us like any other motorized vehicle......until it's inconvenient to be viewed that way, then suddenly some of us DON'T want motor vehicle status so we can park in restricted areas, drive down the sidewalk or bike path (I’m sure the writer of that statement was yanking our collective chain), drive the wrong way down one-way streets, etc.
I try not to do a disservice to myself and other scooterists/bicyclists by my self-serving actions. And before you try to set me up as self-righteous by asking if I ever break the law...Of course I do! AND, I’m not some car-hating scooter/bicycle fanatic, I drive my car 10,000 miles/yr; scoot about 3500; and bicycle about 2500.
My other scooter is a Schwinn.
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laxer
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Post by laxer »

Well, Senor Natural, I get what you're saying but the OP here was doing something PERFECTLY LEGAL in his state.
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KABarash
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Post by KABarash »

thehypercube wrote:
babblefish wrote:...because when I get upset I start eating ice cream. Lots of ice cream. A half gallon container at a time.
You must live near Mitchell's
WHAT?? Mitchell's on Rockway Ave in Valley Stream?? :D :D

Lane splitting just scares me!
When I was a kid I was riding my bicycle between the parked cars at the curb and a line of cars at a stop light, absolutely the right thing to do, no splitting involved. Suddenly the passenger door of a car opened, and BA-LAM I hit it!!!!! THEY did the wrong thing!!! I snapped both brake cables on my bike, needed 14 stitches to close the wound in my forehead from where I hit the door frame, my left arm was in a cast for 12 weeks and I was YELLED at by the old guy who was getting out of the car while stopped at the light!!! (Mind you, this was in the early 1970's when we were just 'out growing' the era of "Leave it to Beaver" and we were supposedly a 'kinder and gentler' society!)
Although splitting is NOT legal here in Pa people do it, I WON'T!! I could only imagine how much that would hurt if going faster!
JoshInLA
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Post by JoshInLA »

I'm so glad to live in CA. I'm from Chicago, where you do not legally have to wear a helmet, which I think is a terrible idea. The idea that more states allow helmetless riders than lane splitting is insane. I honestly would not have bought my scooter if I could not split lanes legally. Although it's really fun, I bought my scoot to save time and gas, and since my car is a Civic, the gas alone would not be worth it.
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Quo Vadimus
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Post by Quo Vadimus »

KABarash wrote: I could only imagine how much that would hurt if going faster!
My understanding is that you aren't meant to do it that fast...
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rondothemidget
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Post by rondothemidget »

JoshInLA wrote:I'm so glad to live in CA. I'm from Chicago, where you do not legally have to wear a helmet, which I think is a terrible idea. The idea that more states allow helmetless riders than lane splitting is insane. I honestly would not have bought my scooter if I could not split lanes legally. Although it's really fun, I bought my scoot to save time and gas, and since my car is a Civic, the gas alone would not be worth it.
I agree with Josh. Splitting lanes is THE reason I commute with my scooter. The route I take allows my trip to always be 30 minutes, regardless of the traffic or lights. It takes me 45+ minutes when I take my car because of freeway traffic. Lane splitting saves me about 15 minutes each way for a 23 mile commute. So, because I'm on the roads less, I can say that scootering is helping me prevent cancer.
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hungcanuck
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Post by hungcanuck »

I too am a cali lane splitter. It's best (safest) in traffic when there's a long row of backed up cars. You get the odd dumbass that thinks it's illegal, but more often some drivers will actually make room by pulling a little bit out of the way.
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