Lane Splitting in WA

Id talk to the leos on the site and get their opinion and see any..er uhhum tricks you can use in phrasing or proposals to help it along I know there are a few on here...my opinion.. the only time it should ever be used...if ever is in a dead stop traffic other than that i feel its irresponsible and will cause more road rage and potentially an angry person opening their door or closing the gap on you... but I have no room to talk I haven't ever done this nor to I commute so maybe it works well.. idk my rant lol good luck the less legislation restricting us the better let us make the decision to lane split or not.. but if its restricted then they can ticket it since they cant tax it like they can with alcohol

 

I believe it fizzled out in Oregon. I attended the meeting in Nov 2010 where they took opinions and then later found out that the funding for this survey was already allocated for something else.

http://www.facebook.com/PDX.MSCAC

(you have to scroll down to Nov 2010 to find the links about it)

 

Just be sure to get the language down so that it reads, "when the traffic ques are at a stand still" or something to that effect. Also wording regarding rights of way when the rider reaches an intersection between two (or more) lanes of traffic? I'd hate to see a bunch more deaths because of the lack of ability for cars and bikes to share the same highway. Perhaps a proposed change in driver/rider education program's will have to go hand in hand with your proposal too?

Also sell the advantages to other road users. There was a post here rescently from a survey in Brussels that included figures about reduced congestion times and exhaust emissions in inner-city situations.

 

Waste of time. We'll never have lane splitting in WA.

 

Yeah, you know how those darn WSP guys are! :mrgreen:

I am sure that CA did extensive studies regarding traffic (we're covered there) and the benefits of lane splitting in relieving some of the traffic congestion.

There is really no other reason to have it. But, since Seattle is consistently in the top 10 in the nation for traffic congestion, that would be a good angle to try.

 

PM sent to OP

 

I live near Seattle and personally think lane splitting would be unsafe. The way people drive around here is scary, I get cut off by people not using turn signals about 3 times a day. Plus all the freeways this side of the state are turtles, the ruts and pot holes are bad enough, driving over raised lane markers should not be added to the list, especially in the rain.

PS, I can hold my bike at 6k all day long and not over heat so I would never need to lane split with my ninja.

 

One thing about western WA's roads.

We added capacity (lanes) on the cheap on most of our multi lane roads. I-5, Aurora, parts of I-405, many others.

Our lanes are narrower than Cali's lanes, generally. We don't have room for lane splitting at the locations where we need it most.

As much as I'd love to see it . . . it aint ever gonna happen, unless you can explain why our 9' or 10' lanes provide enough space.

Spec'd lane width for Interstate hwys, without the variances granted to much of Western WA: 12'

 

How about the police view lane splitting
as an 'annoyance' and only ticket if they
are performing the lane splitting/filtering
in an unsafe, or in a hazardous manner.

I know, this is a 'leap of faith,' to suggest
such an idea to allow motorcycles to use
a technique that is used in Europe and CA.

The motorcycle community should be able
to learn how to perform lane splitting in a
safe manner. The unsafe or hazardous ones
will suffer the consequences of an infraction,
or an accident and learn how to properly filter.

Oopsy, . . . forgot about those cagers !!! :nana

 

+1, in bad congestion on Hwy 2 East out of Monroe cars were at a stand-still but bikes were able to use the shoulder to get past the traffic. However, there was one car I could see that was swerving into the shoulder to prohibit the motorcycles from using it...until a Multistrada pulled up to his window and had some words with him. Must say, the gentleman on the Multistrada was far more diplomatic than I would have expected from the Jetta's dangerous behavior.

 

Those who wait for an ignorant law to be passed to perform actions necessary towards keeping themselves safe on the road shouldn't lane share

 

Ever spend much time on the freeways of SoCal? I spent the first 37 years of my life there. When I first moved to WA, I was amazed at how well they all behaved, compared to CA. They generally held to the speed limit, drivers were polite, etc. Turn signal use? You would be shocked and awed if someone used a signal when changing lanes. Not uncommon to having people 3' off your tail when you're doing 75. If you're using the car pool lane, you better be doing at least 80, or you will find a stack of cars behind you, waiting to run you over, pissed off because you aren't going fast enough. Bott's Dots are more common than recessed markers. The roads up here are FAR superior to what's down there. I drive down to LA at least once a year. I say its to visit my kids and my grand kids, but really I go down there to brush up on my defensive driving skills, which deteriorate up here due to lack of use.

 

There is no law in the V.C. in CA allowing lane splitting, there's just no specific law prohibiting it.

 

+1 what he said.


I spend a few months a year down in N and So Cal. Driving up here is like a dream compared to California drivers.

 

Pretty much this ^

I worked on the House Transportation Committee a few years ago. The Legislature is full of Democrats and Democrats pretending to be Republicans. They don't add freedoms. They take them away.

The only place where this type of thing passes is in Republican states, like California and Arizona. Washington is all about safety (*see cell phone/seat belt law) and there is nothing you can do or say that will convince them that lane splitting is a good idea.

 

ha
at least they know how to do 80mph

 

+1 This. There are far more important things than this, that need to be worked on.

 

When I was living in LA, I specifically asked a motor-officer about lane splittinng to hopefully avoid a very spendy ticket. His response was that it is not legal, nor is it illegal. However, theirs (CHP & LAPD) standard at that time was that traffic flow must be below 35 MPH, and the bike splitting the lane must never travel more than 10 MPH faster than the flow of traffic...if you did, you were subject to very serious tickets...like reckless driving and such. Also, the vehicle splitting lanes was liable for any and all accidents or incidents...period. So if Joe dumbass opens his door...its your fault.

Now the reality of the situation was this...I commuted from San Pedro to Santa Monica daily on a CB 900 F and never once had a problem, but I also never followed their rules either...I felt I was more at risk if I split lanes at too slow a speed because there are drivers that feel "cheated" and open doors into bikes. But realistically I was probably not more than 15 to 20 MPH above traffic flow at the highest.