Hi all, As a relative new-comer to biking I would appreciate a little advice here. I've googled it and received conflicting views so I thought I'd ask the knowledgable folk on here for their input. I rarely commute to and from work on my bike but as it was a nice day on Friday I thought I'd take it for a spin. On the journey home I approach a busy crossroads manned by traffic lights and at rush hour the queue of traffic stretches back 500-600 metres. The first 300 metres consist of two blind blends and naturally two unbroken white lines in the middle of the road so I patiently queue in the traffic line and when the road straightens out about 300 metres away from the lights and the centre line changes to a single broken white line I slowly pass (10-15mph max) the stopped/ crawling traffic. Depending on the position of the vehicles in the queue this very often means that I am riding on the broken white line or slightly on the other side of the road but I have a full view of oncoming traffic and I always make a note of gaps in the queuing traffic should I need to pull in to allow oncoming traffic to pass. However on Friday my escape route had disappeared when an approaching line of traffic made their way towards me so I tucked in as tightly as the queueing traffic would allow however on this occasion it meant that I was positioned with my wheels on my side of the road/ broken line but a little of my right hand side of the bike/ me on the opposite side of the road. I must stress that the road is perfectly straight and normal width and cars were passing me at <30mph with no problems however a 'biggish' van with wide mirrors passed my head with very little room to spare and it got me thinking. 1/. Was I at fault for filtering and not having a suitable escape slot or, 2/. Should the driver of the van (who would have clearly seen me and had more than enough room to position his van tight in to the kerb to his left and widen the gap between myself and his mirror) have done so? Thoughts please. Thanks.
It's a tough one mate as although filtering is legal it's a massive grey area, if your over the white line in anyway whether stationary or moving and hit by something coming the other way and they are in their lane it's gonna be done to you unfortunately. The van driver has to consider that his left hand mirror (wide you said) if he moves over to avoid you could possibly hit a pedestrian.
Or, as is more likely the case he was just being a Twat and making a 'point'! You just have to allow for these attitudes and leave escape routes and you'll be fine. Have a watch of Baron-von-Grumbles Utube vids, he's a master of Filtering but his technique is not for the amateur!
Filtering is legal, basic rule is that you do no more than about 10-15 mph more than the slow moving or stationary traffic. If in doubt get yourself on a Bike-Safe course. Van driver may have been annoying but no-one has to move over to help you filter. Saying that there are stories around of the Police pulling people who deliberately block people from filtering.
to add to the above, I filter when it's safe to do so. If you think you are unable to move over to let traffic on the other side get past or close to me then I don't try. So in the end I filter as much as I can as long as it's safe. and just be aware other roads users may not know bikes can filter legally or just don't like it
Mate, as above its a grey area minefield from the legal aspect. In terms of your traffic cop, your speed of filtering is judged by his opinion. I regularly pick up one bike cop on my 3 lane A road, and he is happy to filter at 50 and has often waved bikes through, others its 30 and you ain't passing him. So its the buyer beware syndrome. In your scenario, every time you put yourself the opposite side of the broken line, its on your shoulders, you need eyes out of the back of yer ass. Done it for 35 years in London, when I need glasses I am gonna need about 8 pairs for commuting. Always try to see your exit point of safety, always remember that most cars will not know you are there, your not that visible even to those that are paying attention, those that are looking at the radio, sat nav, phone or simply pulling one off are your killers, you must account for the lot of them. You don't always call it right but a 6th sense builds up of impending doom, and that's what keeps you alive. I filter quicker then most, but if it goes tits up, only me to blame.
As Cliff said you build up a sixth sense have a look at my video a London Minute in the videos section on here you get an idea of the things you can experience when filtering especially in built up areas. Working on an Addison Lee video for you fellas today will post up later if I get time later on in the day.
On an added note if you are doing a lot of filtering get a noisy exhaust! I've got a racefit and the traffic parts like the Red Sea when they hear it
I wrote this piece recently which I appreciate may seem like teaching some of you to suck eggs which is not my intention, but for te less experienced riders, I hope that it is of some help. I am happy to cover undertaking as a seperate issue if considered desirable. One of the advantages of riding a motorcycle is that we as riders can continue to make progress where other vehicles are unable to. When traffic is stationary or moving slowly in queues, motorcyclists can use their manoeuvrability and limited space requirements to continue on their journey relatively unimpeded. However with this benefit comes a high degree of responsibility. Is it illegal? No its not. The Highway Code; the Driving Standard Agency publication on Motorcycle Riding; and the Police Riders Handbook – Motorcycle Road Craft, all mention filtering and states that it requires great care and attention from the motorcyclist. The Police and riding experts will advise that no offence is committed as long as the motorcyclist complies with all road traffic signs, road markings, road traffic regulations and filters with appropriate due care and attention with courtesy to other road users. So what happens if you want to bring a civil claim for personal injury, loss and damage suffered in a collision whilst filtering? It may be worth noting that when a Judge is asked to make a decision who is to blame, they often refer to past cases particularly those which have been decided in a higher Court. These are what legal professionals call legal precedents. The first major case decided by the Court of Appeal was Powell v Moody in 1966. Briefly the circumstances of this accident were that there were two lanes of stationary traffic. The motorcyclist filtered along the offside of the second line of traffic when he came into collision with a car emerging from a side road on the nearside intending to turn right through a gap in the traffic. The Court described filtering as queue jumping which was a hazardous manoeuvre which had to be carried out with a high degree of care required by the motorcyclist. The Court said that it was effectively the burden of the motorcyclist to ensure that it was safe to overtake. As you will appreciate, the concept of queuing goes deep into our national psyche and there is a subconscious objection to those that “jump the queue”. If an accident happens where someone is doing this, then the natural reaction has been to blame the person who is in breach of the natural order of queuing. In this case, the Court held that the motorcyclist was 80% to blame. The effect of this is that the motorcyclist’s claim was reduced by 80%. You can appreciate how such a finding would drastically reduce the amount of compensation a motorcyclist would receive if he suffered serious injuries. In the case of Leeson v Bevis and Tolchard (1972) a bike was filtering passed a single line of queuing traffic at about 15 mph. A van pulled out of a garage on the left in front of a lorry. A collision occurred between the bike and the van. This again went to the Court of Appeal and the biker was found 50% at fault. We then go to the case of Worsfold v Howe (1980). This was a two lane road. The nearside was for traffic going straight ahead and the second lane was for traffic turning right. The biker was riding in the second lane at a speed of 10-30 mph. A tanker had left a large gap in front of it to allow traffic to emerge from a railway yard on the left. A car emerges very slowly in front of the tanker across both lanes to turn right. A collision occurred. This also went to the Court of Appeal where the biker was found 50% at fault. The Court said that the biker was travelling too fast and that he had gone beyond his line of sight. In the case of Pell v Moseley heard by the Court of Appeal in 2003, here we have a single lane carriage way in each direction subject to a 60 mph speed limit. The motorcyclist began to overtake a line of traffic when he came into collision with a car which intended to turn right into a field where a motor cross event was taking place. The Court of Appeal found the motorcyclist 50% to blame stating that the motorcyclist was negligent in that he failed to notice that the Defendants vehicle would have needed to slow down before turning right, a fact which should have been apparent despite her failure to indicate. Further the motorcyclist was aware of the motor cross event and should have considered the possibility that the Defendant may wish to turn into the field and as such should not have attempted to overtake as he did. We then saw a chink of light in the case of Davis v Schrogin in 2006, heard by the Court of Appeal. An accident occurred on a long straight section of road with one lane in each direction. There was a long queue of stationary/slow moving vehicles. A motorcyclist travelling in the same direction was overtaking at approximately 40 mph. He was half to two thirds of the way across from the central white line, was displaying a dipped headlight and a right hand indicator. He had been in that position for approximately half a mile and was not weaving in and out of traffic. A car lost patience and decided to carry out a U turn when the motorcycle was no more than five car lengths back. A collision occurred. The Court found the car driver wholly at fault on the basis that the motorcyclist was there to be seen and that even if he had been travelling appreciatably more slowly than he was, it would have made no difference because he had been right on top of the point of the accident when the Defendant first did anything to alert the motorcyclist of his intended manoeuvre This was a decision of sense having regard to the facts of the accident. However, things became somewhat muddy when an article in one major motorcycle paper suggested that bikers could now filter in any circumstances and at any speed and recover 100% of their compensation. That euphoria was short lived following the case of Farley v Buckley in 2007. A motorcyclist was passing a refuse wagon which was travelling in the same direction and was indicating an intention to turn left into a side road. The lorry was unable to complete its turn as the side road was narrow and there was a car waiting to emerge and turn right. The motorcyclist travelling at a speed of about 30 mph overtook the refuse wagon with its wheels virtually on the centre white line when the car drove out in one continuous movement at approximately 5-8 miles per hour. A collision occurred. The Court held the motorcyclist wholly at fault as it considered that the motorcyclist was travelling at a too high a speed which in the circumstances was reckless especially having regard to the nature of the manoeuvre that he had been carrying out, the lack of visibility to his left and the fact that the refuse wagon had been displaying its left indicator. The final case that we can refer to is Higgins v Johnson 2008 which is a County Court decision. In this case, a car was approaching a rugby ground on the right and indicated to turn into it. The car had commenced its manoeuvre when it was struck by a motorcycle which was overtaking. The Court heard evidence that the car driver first indicated left, then right, then left and then finally right again. The motorcyclist held back but once he believed that the car driver appeared to have settled on a course of continuing straight ahead, he pulled out to overtake. The Court accepted independent witness evidence that the car did indicate left, right, left and right. The final indication happened when the motorcyclist had already begun to overtake. The Court held that the car driver failed to check her mirrors or look over her shoulder and had she done so, she would have seen the motorcyclist. However, the Court also found that the motorcyclist was aware that there was an indecisive, erratically indicating driver ahead of him yet he proceeded to overtake her on a yellow boxed junction. The Court found the motorcyclist 25% to blame on this basis. The moral of this story is cases such as these are fact specific. That is, each case is determined on its own merits. The court will look at the manner in which each party was driving/riding, traffic and road conditions and all relevant issues. So, what can you do to avoid an accident in the first place or give you a good change of getting 100% of your compensation? 1. Ride slowly and at a speed that you are able to stop if:- Vehicles emerge or turn at junctions (be extra vigilant if your visibility is compromised by high sided vehicles) Vehicles suddenly changing lanes or U-turning without warning Vehicles suddenly opening their doors (especially if filtering along traffic that has been stationary for some time) 2. Watch for pedestrians and cyclists. Also other filtering motorcycles! 3. Be ready to brake or use your horn if you think you have not been seen 4. Use dipped headlights and wear florescent/reflective clothing 5. Watch for road studs, road paint, road defects and manhole covers which can throw the bike off line 6. Avoid conflict with other road users and be courteous 7. Comply with all road traffic signs, road markings and road traffic regulations
Whilst the above makes perfect legal sense here's something from me on the subject of filtering - The path of the fireblade man is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, filters his bike through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost bikers. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who would attempt to cut up and block My fellow bikers. And you will know My name is the Lord when I lay My vengeance upon your Audi.
Fast tight filtering and lane splitting gives me a bigger thrill than track days and high speed A roads tbh. not that I don't like speed coz I do. Carrie-Anne Moss in the Matrix on that Ducati, fap fap. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eF9AC2Ce2ow
SPS makes a good point re. loud exhausts. I used to laugh up my sleeve a bit over the 'loud exhausts save lives' motto, considering it a bit of an excuse for being anti social but labelling it as the reverse. This was until I got an open top car and a virtually silent filterer nearly caused me a trouser accident when he suddenly went past my lug hole in a traffic jam. It might be controversial in this place but sometimes, especially when you're sat at a standstill and therefore don't expect to be overtaken, you just don't clear your mirrors. A bike can be upon you in seconds and sliding over to give him extra space just might not be an option. Sometimes the car driver isn't doing anything wrong at all. So, yes, loud exhausts can save lives.
Nothing pisses me off more than a muppet on a bike who thinks that pulling in the clutch a blipping the throttle to 8 to 10K gives him right of passage through a line of cars. It just hurts my ears, slows me down as he normally slows even further to admonish car driver with a wag of head after said car driver moves 3" over and totally pisses off said car drivers to all commuters. Yes, the summer commuter has arrived. Learn to filter, that's the quickest way through, if not take the train.
Just to add to the point Cliff made above if you are going to filter also respect the biker behind you for example this morning I was stuck behind a twat on a Fazer for ages and he was just dawdling along and just meandering up to gaps that were closing and was of the attitude of well I'm alright jack and that just isn't acceptable. Bottom line is if you're going for a closing gap move your ass don't just meander up to it. I lost my rag with him in the end and shot passed him and then gave him some of his own medicine at that point he put his hands up as if to say to me what are you doing and I thought WTF? You've just been doing that to me for the last 10 miles now you can see how annoying it is! Respect your fellow bikers people even if you only ride in the summer some of us like me have to ride all year round and we need the cagers on our side as much as possible too.
This too is a valid point. I openly admit ( my missus will back this up) that the overwhelmingly vast majority of times I lose my rag while driving isn't necessarily people doing bad or dangerous things, just that they are driving to a different pace than I want to go. I'll rant and abuse them, even got nose to nose with a geezer the other week, but in the end they're doing their thing and obliviously wondering why the twat behind them is getting so wound up about it. I really need a dedicated lane, and in Ken World you'll all be given passes to it... Obviously, on the bike, I'm not as subjected to other's styles and comfort zones as much. I'm usually the first in the queue at lights, I can usually filter jams, I'm not as subject to the stresses of just waiting my turn. Consequently, I'm a lot more chilled riding my bike than I am driving my car in traffic.
When I done my Bike Safe rule of thumb is filter when safe to do so don't put your self at risk! Loud pipes do help but if your filtering between two lines of traffic especially if it's a bright day I flick my full beam on for a moment or two just to get drivers attention not to blind them tho! That works wonders most drivers daydream and are not concentrating when sat still in traffic also with aircon and windows shut with music on they probably won't hear you no matter what pipe you have Just keep yourself safe and be considerate to other road users they respect you more and more importantly other bikers to but if your an arrogant fud revving and squeezing making everyone move for you! Drivers in front will close up on you hindering you progress so what's the point! So be courteous and safe it make life easier for all! You will come across twats that think you have no right getting in front of them but they are few and far between! Well where I live they are
