Motorbikes riding up center of traffic Options

[czerney]

So what's your opinion on guys (or gals) riding their motorbikes up center of stationary rows of traffic to get to the front?

As someone who's ridden motorbikes in the past I'd say more power to them.

But couple of mornings ago I'm in my car on the inside lane in pole position waiting for the lights to change when theres a big bang on my left.

I looked over and saw a bike rider had hit my left door mirror with his handle bar which flung him wobbling extremely badly into the intersection. How he managed to not fall off I don't know, but as luck would have it the lights had turned green at that moment so there were no other cars in the intersection otherwise pretty good chance he'd have been cleaned up.

So the guy gains control of his bike and I'm pretty pissed off as you can imagine and drive up behind him flashing lights indicating to pull over. But he doesn't and guns it off the road and onto the on ramp of an intersecting main road. He wasn't really on a very powerful bike so I took off after him and proceeded to flash and hang on the horn till he ended up pulling over maybe 200 m down the road. It was heading into peak morning traffic so it wasn't really a chase so to speak... (so no speeding etc if you're thinking!)

I got out and checked for damage and to my suprise there was only just the tiniest nick in the mirror because it had rotated on it's hinge which absorbed the impact.

So other than that I pretty much told the guy to take it easy could have killed himself. Particularly as roads are wet etc etc. He made up a story saying he wasn't trying to get away from me was just trying to find a good spot to stop which we both knew was crap.

Then the next day another rider did the same thing... shot up the middle and barely missed my mirror then shot through the green light just as I'm accelerating. So in effect he's riding up center of traffic which was immediately merging from two lanes to one on the other side of the intersection!

I'm of mixed thoughts about it now. I'm not sure what the actual law is regarding this activity, but I think more riders have enough risks on the road to deal with without adding the risk of damaging cars, or getting run over because they can't navigate to the front in time.

Anyone else have a take on this?

This post has been edited by czerney: Jun 15 2012, 09:52 AM

[hectorbustnuts]

Pack of cunts. Can't fucking stand it.

I often wish a firey death against a concrete barrier upon them.

[PointZeroOne]

In Victoria it's illegal to lane split when the traffic is moving. But it's legal to move to the front when the traffic is stationary.

But whether riders actually follow this or not is another thing.


I think it's more about the rider misjudging the space they are trying to get through or misjudging their riding skill.

[val0r0x]

I'm pretty certain the legality of it differs from state to state. As an ex-motorbike rider myself, I can see how appealing it is, but I personally don't agree with it and never did it. Too dangerous imo, for all involved.

[smadge1]

Pretty sure it's illegal here in QLD too, but much as it probably annoys everyone, we kinda expect it.

It's illegal to overtake on the shoulder too, and that's bloody dangerous.

[unco_tomato]

I don't mind if there is plenty of room and traffic is stationary, but riders weaving in and out of moving traffic, or not knowing when to stop by misjudging the light sequence change is extremely dangerous. I've had bike riders pull in front of me at a set of lights, only to putter off at 40km/h also, that really pisses me off. They are in enough of a rush to cut traffic at lights, yet obviously not in enough of a rush to drive remotely close to the speed limit.

I think it largely comes down to the person on the bike. Some people ride safely and carefully when the situation calls for it, and others just ride like a complete fucking dick all of the time. If I was a more sadistic person I would find comfort in the knowledge they won't be on the road very long, but it's hard to be so cold.

I've been the passenger on a bike a couple of times, and only rode a handful of others (had my L plates for a while but didn't enjoy bikes that much), but when I did ride I didn't ride up the middle lane unless the lights had only just turned red, and I could spot a large gap to occupy.

Well done on keeping your cool Czerney, if some prick hit my car I'd be pretty upset, even if there wasn't much damage. If he sped off from me.... well, I'd probably have had a more heated conversation with him than you did. I also would have taken down his number plate and lodged and insurance claim. A prick like that deserves a bump up in his premium expenses.

[czerney]

I quickly memorised his number plate first thing I did but I guess once I saw there was no damage I cooled down a bit.

I guess I'm not a big one for having confrontations where I can avoid it. I was extremely angry mostly because he didn't pull over straight away but in the back of my mind I was thinking this guy hasn't got long to live.

I didn't add it to the OP but he never apologized (although I understand that due to insurance implications to admitting fault) but he made excuses about how the bike has been handling crap lately and needs a bit of work done.... as if it was a legitimate excuse rather than realising that it made his actions even more stupid!

Sadly Darwins targetting system is off, and it's not the retard that gets killed it's an innocent.

[nesquick]

just weld some blades horizontally on your wheels... that will sort them out :S

[MrFriendly]

I've done it a couple of rare times when the cap was wide enough, but it's still a big risk.

Generally I don't do it, it's illegal here, and it is dangerous. Most riders here seem to completely ignore it though.

Personally I can't help but side with car drivers on the issue as there's too much risk of damage to ones car.

[orcone]

It doesn't impact you unless they impact you. Get over it you bunch of whingers.

It works out safer for the riders because they dont have to worry about getting squished into the back of a car by someone who doesn't see them as they sit behind traffic. They take off faster than anyone else so it doesn't delay you at all, and as bike rider myself I always wave to the little kids who like seeing a bike next to their window.

[smadge1]

It doesn't impact you unless they impact you. Get over it you bunch of whingers.

It works out safer for the riders because they dont have to worry about getting squished into the back of a car by someone who doesn't see them as they sit behind traffic. They take off faster than anyone else so it doesn't delay you at all, and as bike rider myself I always wave to the little kids who like seeing a bike next to their window.

If it is as safe as you say, then why don't they make it legal?

[orcone]

If it is as safe as you say, then why don't they make it legal?

Wait, are you saying it's not safe because it's illegal? I don't know why it's not "legal", it just seems like common sense and if done properly and carefully then there's no problem.

[tmac7]

This is something that motorcycling groups and the public have been bickering about for ages. There are lots of arguments for and against it, some good and some not so good. As a motorcyclist myself I feel that based on my riding ability, splitting through stopped traffic is not a problem (provided there is ample space) but as soon as the cars start moving it becomes too dangerous. The actual legalities of lane splitting aren't very black and white for the different states with some saying that it is legal to lane split, but illegal to pass on the left or to be next to a vehicle in the same lane so it is basically up to the police/court to determine if a motorcyclist is actually in the wrong. I personally chose to lane split for 3 reasons; to save time (this was the main reason, I'm not going to pretend like it wasn't), to get away from terrible drives running up my ass and also because my particular bike had a tendency to overheat when not moving. I think that the laws should be made more clear so it either is or is not legal, but have generally found that bicycles are a greater hazard than motorcycles in peak traffic (bring on the flaming lol). If you want to participate in traffic than you should either obey all of the road rules all the time or act as a pedestrian all of the time, not just when it suits you. As previously mentioned, there's not much more annoying than having someone cut in front of you only to go extremely slow. I would never ride a bicycle in traffic having seen how close some stupid drivers think is safe to pass.

Oh and hi everyone, been reading these forums since about 2004 but never actually joined, until I read this thread that is...

[Xen]

It makes sense from the fact that they can move off from the lights faster than the other vehicles.

It can be bloody dangerous for them though if the misjudge the gap, I have seen one clip a car and end up under a bus which they were damn lucky with that.

The one that pisses me off is bike (bicycle) riders heading to the front of the queue then holding up all of the traffic as they ever so slowly get up to speed.

[tmac7]

As with most driving it all comes down to a bit of common sense. Generally if you ride (or drive) with the attitude that whatever happens to me is my fault you can't go wrong. That means if you put yourself in a situation where some d*&khead cuts you off and you can't stop in time, you were going to fast. It also means if you decide to filter and hit a cars mirror because you were going to fast or couldn't control your bike, you deserve to be abused.

[Mac Dude]

It doesn't impact you unless they impact you. Get over it you bunch of whingers.

check.

It works out safer for the riders because they dont have to worry about getting squished into the back of a car by someone who doesn't see them as they sit behind traffic.

I call bullshit. Do you have any stats to support this? Even if a driver doesn't see the bike they will see the car in front. As they get closer the bike will become obvious. If you have any supporting evidence I'd be interested in seeing it

They take off faster than anyone else so it doesn't delay you at all, and as bike rider myself I always wave to the little kids who like seeing a bike next to their window.

I'm glad you think waving at little kids gives you the right to ride between lanes of traffic ;P

[tmac7]

Not quite what I was looking for but close enough

Motorcycles at Intersections:
http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/rsc/ 1993cycle/ch3.htm

“Nearly 80% of urban intersection two vehicle motorcycle collisions occur at signalised intersections. In 75% of these crashes the motorcycle had the right of way.”

80% of accidents involving cars & motorcycles occur at intersections including roundabouts. Motorcycles can be difficult to see & be hidden by other vehicles, or even obscured by the windscreen pillars of your car. These accidents happen at all intersections, regardless whether there’re controlled by lights, or stop & give way signs. When approaching any intersection, it is very important to look in all directions & both sides of the car’s pillars before making turns or moving onto the carriageway. At Traffic lights be very careful making right hand turns, as motorcycles can seem to appear from nowhere when you are already committed. DO NOT run red lights, as a motorcycle at the front of the traffic can be in the centre of the intersection within a second of the light turning green for them.

Drivers blamed for biker crashes
New research shows drivers, not motorcyclists, are responsible for most crashes involving motorbikes and other vehicles, a motorcycle insurer says.

Based on an analysis of all claims received over the three years to last year, Swann Insurance general manager Duncan Brain said motorcyclists were not to blame in 68 per cent of accidents in Victoria where they and other vehicles were involved.

Nationally, more than 9100 claims showed that 70 per cent of accidents were caused by the other driver, according to the research

[smadge1]

Drivers blamed for biker crashes
New research shows drivers, not motorcyclists, are responsible for most crashes involving motorbikes and other vehicles, a motorcycle insurer says.

Based on an analysis of all claims received over the three years to last year, Swann Insurance general manager Duncan Brain said motorcyclists were not to blame in 68 per cent of accidents in Victoria where they and other vehicles were involved.

Nationally, more than 9100 claims showed that 70 per cent of accidents were caused by the other driver, according to the research

might be the car's fault a lot of the time, but you can bet the bike rider will be hurt more.

[tmac7]

smadge1, very good point! That is why it makes sense to filter and get away from the 'at-fault' car.

[chrisg]

Never did it in all the years I rode, can't say I like it much either, it can be very dangerous, to the rider.

I can see the attractions, but realistically you get one chance on a bike and to come off in moving traffic could well be fatal, its all too easy on a bike to find yourself in a car's blind spot when the lights change and the traffic begins to move. From there things can go pear-shaped rather quickly.

That said it happens all the time here in Perth and I've no idea if it is legal or not in WA.

I do agree on cyclists though, in Perth there are a lot of bike tracks but you frequently see riders on the road often obstructing traffic when there is their own path set aside for them.



Cheers