Lane Splitting - what's the go?

[Bundybusa]

Hi All,

I am a tad (OK, totally) confused on when it is or isn't allowed to split lanes on a bike. Can someone please put it in plain, simple language for me? I'm in Sunny QLD but it looks like the road rules are fairly uniform nationally now.

Many thanks

Michael

[TimF]

I've had:

$60 fine (no points) for crossing white edge line.

$60 fine (no points) for riding between lanes of stopped traffic.

[Andycool]

Just Be Careful and look out for Mr Plod!!! When doing it ;)

To be Alert is everything

[steventh]

Michael,

In NSW (and presumably other states) Lane Splitting is illegal by application of the general road rules. i dont beleive it is specifically prohibited.

In general;

You can not cross to the outside of the edge lines to pass a vehicle on its left (unless it is blocking the road turning right).

You can not ride on the area of a painted island.

You must overtake a vehicle on its RHS (on the left only if you are in seperate lanes). BTW overtaking includes passing a stationary vehicle (that is not parked).

To confuse things i found this little gem on the RTA site...
s141 No overtaking etc to the left of a vehicle

(1) A driver (except the rider of a bicycle) must not overtake a vehicle to the left of the vehicle unless:......

© the vehicle is stationary and it is safe to overtake to the left of the vehicle.

I suspect you would be hard pressed to convince the police that scraping past the queue of vehicles is safe.. and in the M/C handbook the RTA specifically advises against this.

Cheers..

[Bundybusa]

So basically, you can't legaly split lanes at all? Even when you are in 2 lanes of traffic and come to a a red traffic light, you can't ride up the middle of the 2 lanes of traffic to the front? I don't do this now but I see it happen so often that I sometimes wonder if it might be legal and I just didn't know about it.

[GRUNTMAX]

Very Informative Steventh.

Brake the law or get rammed up the ars- by a drunk driver & end up dead or in hospital. The choice is yours.

It's OK for us to do it each other, but not cage drivers. Blatent NSW RTA & Queensland Transport discrimination against motorcycle riders!
[attachment=5482]

[Louwai]

Very Informative Steventh.

Brake the law or get rammed up the ars- by a drunk driver & end up dead or in hospital. The choice is yours.

It's OK for us to do it each other, but not cage drivers. Blatent NSW RTA & Queensland Transport discrimination against motorcycle riders!

Love that answer. 3 bikes side by side.
So I'm at a loss to understand how the "spacing" rule applies to that.
I don't have the reference number, but I read a rule stating that riders, when side by side in the same lane, must be minimum 1.5m apart.
That means the lane would have to be over 5m wide, allowing for the width of each bike & the seperation space as well.

[Volvi]

I split most of the time.

When stopped by a cop and he says you split lanes the only defensive answer is "Yes but only on the right side of the vehicles and when they were stationary and overtook them in the same lane when it was safe to do so" He may reply but you entered the alongside lane making overtaking the vehicles on that lane to the left of all the vehicles. "No sir i stuck within my lane only". (Bearing in mind just how much observation cud the cop have had of the lines) "When it was safe to do so" are the key words to.

I havent been stopped but was told by a cop thats the effective answer.

[Dubs]

In WA:

Lane splitting is both legal and illegal.

If vehicles are stationary than you can overtake on any side.

If vehicles are moving than you can only overtake on the right hand side of a vehicle in your lane.

If you overtake in the left then it becomes an illegal overtaking manouvere.

You must also indicate whenever changing lanes and give 'sufficient' signal to notify the other road users of your intention.

In no circumstances can you cross the continuous white line on a road. Used to be just at intersections but it is now wherever it is painted ie freeway exits, intersections, sides of the road and painted islands.

You cannot overtake on double continous lines but you can turn right and do uturns.

If your gonna lane split, use common sense, travel a a safe speed and don't cause any interference to other traffic because if you do then the whole process becomes an illegal action.

Dubs

[Madmax]

I do it to stay ahead of the main cage pack and behind the pack in front. If you do it while the traffic is stopped there aren't many ways the plod will get to you before the traffic starts flowing again. I've only been stopped once in over 30 years for splitting and was reasonable with the plod that stopped me. "Yes Sir" and "No Sir" and no arguing.
Most of us do it and every car we go passed in the grid locked traffic hates us for it.


Max

[bigfoot]

there just jealous! if they rode a bike they'd understand!!

[steventh]

Hi Folks,

Riding Side By Side

The rule about motorbikes riding parallell is often misquated. In NSW you can not ride more 2 abreast and more than 1.5m away from the other bike, not as is often thought, at least 1.5m apart.

NSW Road Rules 2008

151 Riding a motor bike or bicycle alongside more than 1 other rider

(1) The rider of a motor bike or bicycle must not ride on a road that is not a multi-lane road alongside more than 1 other rider, unless subrule (3) applies to the rider.
(2) The rider of a motor bike or bicycle must not ride in a marked lane alongside more than 1 other rider in the marked lane, unless subrule (3) applies to the rider.
(3) The rider of a motor bike or bicycle may ride alongside more than 1 other rider if the rider is:
(a) overtaking the other riders, or
(b) permitted to do so under another law of this jurisdiction.

(4) If the rider of a motor bike or bicycle is riding on a road that is not a multi-lane road alongside another rider, or in a marked lane alongside another rider in the marked lane, the rider must ride not over 1.5 metres from the other rider.

Cheers

S

[H4Y4BU54]

You can debate this till your all blue in the face. If you ask me it all comes down to the cop on the day and whether or not he got any the night before.

My opinion... Lane split and don't stop if you pass a cop car. If you pass a cop bike, find smaller gaps for a while and speed up.

Live large,
Geoff.

PS ignore my opinion if you are one that prefers to follow rules.

[Louwai]

FOR QLD ONLY
I sent a request to the Transport Dept asking them to direct me to the specific sections of the road rules that pertain to "Lane Splitting".

This is the answer I received.

Brian

Thank you for your email about lane splitting.

Generally the same rules which apply to the drivers of cars also apply to the riders of motorbikes.

The practice of motorbikes riding between rows of vehicles is commonly referred to as "lane splitting" and while there is currently no specific rule prohibiting lane splitting, there are a number of sections of the Queensland Road Rules (QRR) that may be contravened by a motorbike rider while lane splitting. I have set out the particular rules below along with the infringement notice penalty for each one. In practice it would be very difficult for a motorbike rider to lane split without contravening some or all of these rules,

changing lanes without signalling for sufficient distance to alert other
road users - penalty of $60 and 2 demerit points;
failing to stay within a single marked lane or line of traffic - penalty
of $80;
failing to provide a safe distance when passing another vehicle -
penalty of $200 and 2 demerit points;
failing to stop at a stop line at traffic lights - penalty of $300 and 3
demerit points; and
crossing a continuous white edge line - penalty of $80.

Motorbike riders are permitted to move back and forth between lanes to overtake other vehicles provided they give sufficient warning of their intentions and provide a safe distance when passing other vehicles.

It is the responsibility of the Queensland Police Service to enforce these road rules.

The QRR may be accessed on the web at:
http://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/LEGISL...RURR99.pdf

Information regarding motorbike safety can be accessed on the Queensland Transport website:
http://www.transport.qld.gov.au/home/Saf...y_campaign

If you have any further questions then please contact me again either by return email or using the details below and I'll be happy to help you.


Howard Griffin
A/Policy Officer
Land Transport and Safety
Telephone: 3253 4506 Fax: 3253 4110

[steventh]

Hi Louwai
FOR ALL States

Good effort on getting formal advice which would apply to all states.

The general view provided by the Qld Dept confirms what I wrote in the post #4 above. The road rules in all states apply to registered vehicles (cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles etc ) travelling on public roads unless exceptions are specifically stated.

Lane splitting is not specifically prohibited, you just happen to break lots of other laws in doing it.

Whether or not it is enforced by a particular PC is of course another matter.


Cheers

Steven