Lane Splitting--L.A. Style

[TripperMike]

And this could happen too

What an idiot.

That is one rare instance where the car driver could say "I didn't see him coming" and I'd believe him/her.

 

[TomInPA]

Problem is, that's what the unwashed masses think of when we say that lane sharing or filtering would work for everyone, by making bikes safer and reducing congestion. They don't think of the bike moving slowly through clogged traffic, they think of hooligans shooting through traffic at 80 miles an hour.
What that video shows is NOT what we want to be able to do, and it's NOT what anyone reasonable is talking about when they discuss lane sharing.

I think the average person in a car thinks "that guy gets to cut in line and it's not fair...Kill!"

 

[James Burleigh]

I think the average person in a car thinks "that guy gets to cut in line and it's not fair...Kill!"

I have to respectfully disagree, Tom. I don't think that's true in California anyway, and not in European countries where this is the norm. I think the vast majority of California drivers understand that this is something motorcycles do in their state and, done rationally (from the driver's perspective), it's no skin off their nose. But just as there are asshat drivers, there are asshat motorcyclists, and sure, the reaction to them is quite different. Many times I will see a rider behave like an asshat and think, "You jerk." But sure, I have no doubt that murder is in the hearts of some drivers toward riders--like that guy who brake-checked me on the freeway on-ramp when he apparently objected to the loud acceleration of my Harley Sportster behind him.

 

[tcfjr]

Interesting side topic on the double double yellow HOV lane marking, it seems to be a SoCal thing. I spend most of my riding here in the San Jose Bay Area, and we are blessed with just a single pair of white lines separating the HOV lane from the regular flow of traffic. When I see the DY DY markings down south, in my mind's eye I make it a point to not venture in that zone at all. However, it does give us a bit more room between the lanes. It also has a bit more crap on the ground just waiting for your tires to pick up.
The problem I have with these HOV lanes is they sometimes veer off from the rest of traffic into special ramps that accumulate other merging HOV traffic before rejoining the normal lanes. Many times traffic slows to a crawl on these ramps as it merges back into one lane. That's where I'm trapped. I tend not to want to laneshare a single lane - on either side. I'd rather take my chances between the cars in regular traffic then get stuck in that situation.

I guess I have my own developed version of the "Principle of Motorcycle Advantage". It all boils down to riding within your comfort zone.

Brodie

Two HOV lanes in Los Angeles County (I-10 east of downtown, and I-110 south of downtown) have been changed to "ExpressLanes", which allow vehicles to pay a toll for use if they're under the normal HOV occupant limit. You're required to use a transponder with a switch that sets how many occupants are in your vehicle. If you have enough people (2 mostly, but the I-10 section has a 3 occupant requirement during rush-hours), it's still free to use, but if you're short, you pay the toll which varies based on the overall congestion in the main line traffic lanes. (Motorcycles with non-personalized plates can use these ExpressLanes without a transponder.)

Anyway, for these ExpressLanes, they're using a double-white line, as shown below. There are signs along the median saying "thou shalt not cross the double-white lines". Instead, there are specific openings for entry and exit.

The current ExpressLanes are almost all two-lanes each, which makes a big difference.

 

[TomInPA]

I think the average person in a car thinks "that guy gets to cut in line and it's not fair...Kill!"

I have to respectfully disagree, Tom. I don't think that's true in California anyway, and not in European countries where this is the norm. I think the vast majority of California drivers understand that this is something motorcycles do in their state and, done rationally (from the driver's perspective), it's no skin off their nose. But just as there are asshat drivers, there are asshat motorcyclists, and sure, the reaction to them is quite different. Many times I will see a rider behave like an asshat and think, "You jerk." But sure, I have no doubt that murder is in the hearts of some drivers toward riders--like that guy who brake-checked me on the freeway on-ramp when he apparently objected to the loud acceleration of my Harley Sportster behind him.

I agree with you, that in CA, lane splitting is almost completely accepted. People stuck in traffic will actually go out of their way to give you room to pass. The attitude seems to be, hey, at least he gets to go. Lane splitting not only makes car drivers more courteous towards bikes, they seem much more aware of us.

This attitude stops at the state line, and gets worse as you move east. The attitude is, you can damn well wait your turn like me, and some will aggressively move to block you if you try to lane split. Lane splitting can work here in totally screwed up traffic where no one is moving, but the space between the lanes is free, but you need to move through before they notice you and watch for the block. Sorry I wasn't clear that the exception is CA.

 

[wheatonFJR]

Somebody around here would definitely kill you.

But there is very little traffic here, so there's that.

 

[SacramentoMike]

So at least you wouldn't get killed that often.