Traffic "filtering"

[Anonymous]

#3718

Having been away from the two wheeled motorised class of transport/fun for a while, wondered how “legal”  traffic filtering is. Had a cursory look at LTNZ website ,but nothing i could see covered it. Must say i upgraded my general knowledge of rules though .Has anyone been "done " for filtering?Filtering is pretty common in traffic around Wellington,peak time, and seems totally safe if you have sufficient clearance between motor vehicles in either lane and you travel at a safe velocity ready to stop or otherwise take evasive action .

[Richard Kuysten]

#15374

I'm not sure if you're term “filtering” is what I would call lane splitting or not but assuming it is I can say that many years ago when I was commuting from the north shore to Auckland city on the motorway I was pulled in for lane splitting by a very reasonable officer of the constabulary on a bike just like mine only white.  He explained that if I was moving between two lanes of moving traffic in marked lanes at a faster speed than the traffic I was “overtaking” so must be between the car on my left and the white line.  If I  moved over the white line so that the line was on my left and the car on the right then I would be deemed to be undertaking and would be breaking the law.  I still don't know if this was just a very reasonable cop or actually the law but it made sense and I never got pulled up again.

[Dave Ross]

#15375

I think filtering refers to moving through stationary traffic up to the front of the queue. Lane splitting is what you described, Malcolm. At least that's my understanding. I do both. I must say that I ignore the line when lane splitting, but do try keep the overtaking speed low, along with all the usual precautions. While the line thing may save you a ticket, I rather keep as much distance between me and the cars as possible, as I don't want to be undertaken. Many times I've moved over to let faster moving bikes through, occasionally even ones sporting L plates, once a lady on a scooter. They had all assessed the risks differently to me.  People who commute everyday seem to become desensitised to the risks. I just want to get home in one piece.

[Anonymous]

#15376

The Poms call it filtering , but Kokopelli is on to it . Stationary traffic only, two lanes in one direction, motorcycle space between them . Lane splitting …. thats another phrase i havnt come across,until now.I have asked LTNZ to clarify /consider/ advise .Result will be interesting.

[Warren]

#15377

Requesting clarification from the NZTA may be a mistake.As it is not currently covered in the Road Code etc, I would be pleading ignorace (not too hard for me).I have assumed that this is a grey area which has been left to the officer's discretion.Do it safely and it's overtaking. If not safe, booked for undertaking (personal experience).P

[Anonymous]

#15378

Slak you nailed it on the bean!A nice man , and a motorcyclist to boot , from NZLT  just rang me . He didnt want to go into print(respond to my e-mail)but he said that "filtering" is a "grey area" He commutes from Upper Hutt to Wellywood every day and says his biggest concern are other motorcyclists who buzz up the filter lane too fast and scare the daylights out of slower filterers! Advice is if you want to filter , do so carefully, like all things we do on motorcycles or motorvehicles,and stay within your capabilities.

[Anonymous]

#15379

I got done for filtering ( 150 Bucks) less than 1 K from my home on Easter saturday, nice sunny day,stationary two lanes of traffic, slowly worked my way to the front with heaps of space between me and the cars, I',m on a GS1150 dressed like flouro man with a white helmet full lights and auxillary lights, if you cant see me then your blind….Cop pulls me over about half a K down the road SHWY 17 two lanes wide, causes total Chaos to all the other traffic on the 80 K rated road and proceeds to give me a lecture on road safety . Wanker !Incidently his body launguage and facial expressions were simular to that of a head master who had just caught a boy tying bangers to his pet cats tail.Sorry guys but I have had a bike licence for 41 years and I had a clean licence till I got to NZ the traffic cops down here are nothing but cash generators when they have nothing constructive to do, they lay in wait at the top of short passing lanes,and down hill stretches of open road, they hide up slip roads with their radars in stealth mode and treat you like a criminal for doing 15 K over the limit on a down hill section of open empty road.But it's all about road safety.So now I have to wait in lines of traffic behind a bus waiting for a couple of sets of lights to change while being tail gated by a huge 4 x 4 driven by Red Neck Reggie who is busy TXTing his Sheila while we move up the line towards an eventual green light hoping that he looks up in time to see that I have stopped before turning me into an ornament on a bus engine..While all this is happening the cyclists can ride nonchalantly up the gutter line to the front of the queue, and take up a position on the green grid in front of the lead vehicle.I dont have any answers but what I do know is that it does the police no P. R. favours handing out fines for minor road infringements, what ever happened to a friendly chat and a warning (remember those days).I'm sure most of the time the cops themselves are embarrassed at the way they are having to behave in order to avoid the inevitable negative productivity revue if their sucess rate is bought into question. If the answer is to spend more time looking at the speedo, (in case on long weekends you exceed 4 K over the limit) the road safety angle sort of changes its perspective a bit.Me Bitter na ! I just hate the thought that I am helping to fund the whole machine that will eventually turn us all into motorised lemmings waddling along in a multicoulored metal conga with Mr slow at the front doing 80 K  because he only has 4 points left on his licence, oh shit thats me !!!!! I geuss the answer is suck it in, cuz theres more to come !!!!RegardsRincewind....

[Dave Ross]

#15380

I try not to do it when there are cops around. I will get a ticket doing it sooner or later, hopefully later. I will suck it up. Knock on wood, no tickets on the bike during the last 180000km or so, no points at all. I did have one friendly warning, but I think the guy didn't have a radar fitted. I guess it's the luck of the draw. There are a couple of things that will never catch on properly over here. One is the indicating thing and the other is keeping left on the motorway. I don't think they police either of those. Oh, the stopping on red lights is another one. Apparently you don't have to stop if you are following another car bumper to bumper around a turn, regardless of what the lights have done. Oh, one more. It's ok to go around a roundabout against the traffic if there is a queue and you wish to  turn just past the roundabout. And, I think they have outlawed phone calls on handhelds, sort of, but the old make-up application while driving is still going strong. And..... ;D

[Anonymous]

#15381

I try not to do it when there are cops around. I will get a ticket doing it sooner or later, hopefully later. I will suck it up. Knock on wood, no tickets on the bike during the last 180000km or so, no points at all. I did have one friendly warning, but I think the guy didn't have a radar fitted. I guess it's the luck of the draw. There are a couple of things that will never catch on properly over here. One is the indicating thing and the other is keeping left on the motorway. I don't think they police either of those. Oh, the stopping on red lights is another one. Apparently you don't have to stop if you are following another car bumper to bumper around a turn, regardless of what the lights have done. Oh, one more. It's ok to go around a roundabout against the traffic if there is a queue and you wish to  turn just past the roundabout. And, I think they have outlawed phone calls on handhelds, sort of, but the old make-up application while driving is still going strong. And..... ;DA young lady joined the North Western motorway behind me earlier on this year on my way to work and in the course of travelling from Westgate to Patiki rd where I turn off, she managed to comb her hair,put on her full face of make up, smoke two ciggies,drink a cup of coffee put on her lippy and paint her nails( Both hands) in fairness to her though she was talking on a hands free phone kit......I gave her a round of applause as I peeled off at Patiki...talk about multi tasking.

[Anonymous]

#15382

Cmon, Wizz,You do the crime, you do the time.  If you are really unlucky I will one day be the cyclist sliding by on the gutter.HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!  Damn, I'm a bar-steward, ain't I?By the way, Dysmapsic RIC's are absolutely entitled to ask somebody else to ride lead on their runs - do not hesitate.  I would volunteer the Red Baron, but he'd run for cover, the woose.  Try Rob, or YoungJim, or UncaMoose, or even Bwucie.

[Anonymous]

#15383

Cmon, Wizz,You do the crime, you do the time. THERE YOU GO,NOW EVEN YOU THINK i'M GUILTY,WHAT CHANCE HAVE I GOT If you are really unlucky I will one day be the cyclist sliding by on the gutter.STRANGLEY ENOUGH IT WAS A CYCLIST THAT TOOK ME OUT A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO BY FAILING TO STOP AT A TRAFFIC ISLAND WHICH LEFT ME WITH THE SHOULDER INJURY I STILL SUFFER WITH TODAY,SO I ANIT SYMPATHETIC TO THE CAUSE MR CHA! HA! HA! HA! HA!  Damn, I'm a bar-steward, ain't I? MINES A STELLA THEN...By the way, Dysmapsic RIC's are absolutely entitled to ask somebody else to ride lead on their runs - do not hesitate.  I would volunteer the Red Baron, but he'd run for cover, the woose.  Try Rob, or YoungJim, or UncaMoose, or even Bwucie.

AH THE GET OUT OF JAIL FREE CARD...WE;LL SEE HOW I FEEL ON THE DAY.

[Anonymous]

#15384

My neighbor is a fit, old fella with a new BMW sports car. He recently ,on a boomer of an autumn day , bounded out of bed early , full of the joys of life , into the beemer and out onto the local motorway .Cruising along ,no traffic ,north towards Mt Bruce , booted the BMW up to 130-140kph …then noticed the flashing lights appear off a side road .”i can outrun this guy “he thought,but after 5 minutes better judgment took over and he slowed and pulled over to the shoulder of the roadThe cop pulled up behind him and approached slapping the “ticket” book on his thigh .”Morning sir, in a hurry? Im of on holiday in 20 minutes with my wife,its been a long night!If you can give me an excuse i havent heard before i will forego the ticket for speeding”he said."Well officer , my wife ran away with a Traffic cop about 30 years ago ,and i thought you were bringing her back!"The cop smiled and said"On your way old timer , and be careful in future" Try this Rincey!

[Anonymous]

#15385

My neighbor is a fit, old fella with a new BMW sports car. He recently ,on a boomer of an autumn day , bounded out of bed early , full of the joys of life , into the beemer and out onto the local motorway .Cruising along ,no traffic ,north towards Mt Bruce , booted the BMW up to 130-140kph ...then noticed the flashing lights appear off a side road ."i can outrun this guy "he thought,but after 5 minutes better judgment took over and he slowed and pulled over to the shoulder of the roadThe cop pulled up behind him and approached slapping the "ticket" book on his thigh ."Morning sir, in a hurry? Im of on holiday in 20 minutes with my wife,its been a long night!If you can give me an excuse i havent heard before i will forego the ticket for speeding"he said."Well officer , my wife ran away with a Traffic cop about 30 years ago ,and i thought you were bringing her back!"The cop smiled and said"On your way old timer , and be careful in future" Try this Rincey!Ha Ha I needed a good laugh,I will definatley repeat that one...

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