Filtering etiquette

[Ninja]

1)There's a bike in front of you, his filtering is a little hit and miss - sometimes stopping for no apparent reason, not going for the obvious passes - So ...

Knowing that he has already seen you, is probably a little nervous with you behind him ( cos he's seen you making progress all the way up to his back wheel ) - is it just plain rude to nip past ? or should you maintain the tagline?

2)Also - you're filtering between two opposing streams of slow moving traffic ... and meet someone filtering the other way ... both stuck 'cos there isn't any gaps to nicely sidestep into (in town y'see) - do you just have a laugh at each other?

random thoughts ... sorry ...
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James
4 wheels transport the Body ... 2 wheels transport the SOUL

[haGGard]

1) If im the person coming up the rear Then i wait for the person in front of me. If they decide to let me past by moving in with the traffic, then i will pass.

However if someone comes up behind me i will always let them past because 99% of the time they will be on a bigger bike and be a better rider.

2) Heh, i just give em a wave and move out of the way to let em past.

[headlamp]

What I tend to do in instance 1 is assume the biker is fairly new. I usually keep my distance and not harrass him. 95% of the time they will see you and pull in and let you pass. If they are being pendantic - i.e. they've seen you, and have not speeded up or tucked in then I will either (if appropriate) dive into another lane and pass or wait till I have a reasonable gap and zoom past them.

In instance 2 again, 95% of the time both bikes will pull in - and nod as they go past each other. Sometimes you will see the other bike pull in to allow you free passage. Or you will pull in to allow him free passage. On the rare occasion this has happened it has been with a scooter - whose riders generally have no sense of bike etiquette whatsoever!
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[iCraig]

Well if it were me infront holding someone up I would pull in and let them passed its only courteious .

I've actually had it happen to me, a guy on a BMW filtering slowly infront, me on a GS500, he pulled in, gave him a quick wave he replied and I carried on filtering infront. I noticed a few mins later he was back filtering behind me in the path I had just created (the drivers up here are kind and move over for you .)

[Nath]

[kasandrich]

I have only been riding a year and do not live in a partiularly heavy traffic area, so do not need to do much filtering, I have however now started to when the need/opportunity arises, but I do not consider myself very confident/aggressive at filtering.

So I am more likely to be the one with someone coming up behind me. I would expect them to come past me, and I would have no problem with that at all, but as it is assumed they are the better rider, I would not move out of the way for them to come through unless it was extremely tight for space, as the better rider I would expect them to be able to find the safe opportunity to come past me.

I must admit I've had a situation like that on the M25 near the Dartford tunnel, and I never even saw the other rider for quite some time, my Son was on the pillion and he said the guy was there behind me for some time............it waasa black/yellow sports bike, one evening headed south, if you were that bike, I'm sorry
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Richard

CBR1000FM

[Monkfish]

when your stuck in solid traffic an the other lane is either moving at a good speed or fast do you wait with the traffic or sod it an flitter through. i would normally wait cause drivers in my area all seem to hate bikes or just dont look anywhere plus im still a youngone learnin the ways

[Barker-CBR 600]

1 - If he's nervous than he will probably let you past, you could end up putting him right off (or scaring him so bad he comes off) if you zoom past.
Besides if your in that big a rush that the 2-3 minutes being stuck behind a slower filterer will make you late.. you should have left earlier!

Remember you might think he's ducking in but he might know something you dont (like knowledge of an ice patch, smell of diesel, a hidden car of chavs around that big lorry).

2 - Have a good chuckle, nothing else you can do. Wait till theres a gap and move over, or have a chat. No point getting all arsey like car drivers sometimes do, remember he could jump off an smack you one.
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'Is this a rhetorical question?'

[Silver]

1) Yes. Safely though, and not aggressively.
2) Yes. And then move over when you can.

[G]

1) I'd sit back a bit (not that you should be too close anyway, as you can see bugger all of what's happening). If they don't pull in to let you past make sure you do a very clean overtake, as they may not have seen you and could pull over as you're trying to get past.

2) Yes, but in that situation I would if at all possible try to always have an 'escape' route planned. More usefull if a car on the other side of the road or similar suddenly swerves over.

[ratcliffe]

If I am filtering, and another bike comes up behind me, I assess how much I am holding him up, if he/she seems happy to stay there then I keep going, but if I think I am holding them up at all, then I pull into the next available gap, and let them continue on.
Its only fair, as you really can progress on bikes without riding like a nutter, and if they are good safe filterers, I can learn from watching how they do it in front of me as well.

[mrchips]

1) Sit behind him, but not up his hole, unless he lets you past
2) It's never happened to me but I'd imagine I would pull in to the traffic.


I was filtering the other day and a transit driver took it quite personally. I was just getting ready to pull off on a right turn and he pulled round me and passed me.
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[MattEMulsion]

[Bikerbird]

I don't filter much but if i see a bike behind i pull in then follow him up the road, would much rather be following another bike than them follow me.

[DukeRed]

The problem with pulling in to let them past is sometimes they are happier filtering behind you and so pull in again to let you past. You can usually tell if they want to get past by the distance they are holding behind you, driving style and the bike they ride.

Jan
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[Gazdaman]

I met a filterer filtering the in the opposite direction the other day.

That's a moment when you're glad you're not going very fast and luckily there was a space for me to nip into.

Gaz

[Major_Grooves]

My riding goes to pot once I get another bike behind me when I am filtering. I automatically assume I am holding them up and that I am an inferior rider.

Usually I'll let them past, but due to my assumptions, often they don't actually want to pass me.

I do find that when people pass me inconsiderately, I remind myself that I'm not such an inferior filterer. I will usually be going slower (safer) than them through the traffic, and not exceeding the speed limit when the traffic clears, but by taking my time I find the gaps that they might miss. And guess who I meet at nearly every junction and set of traffic lights at red - the "faster" rider. It gives me great satisfaction to make so little effort, then meeting the hurried guy.
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[california_rookie]

Not enough bikers around here to answer either question. What a sad state that is.
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[Knisis]

For the last two weeks (pre-christmas) I commuted up the A2 and through London (30 miles each way). Most of my ride up the A2 is filtering.

1. As a very new filterer I would watch my mirrors for bikes coming up and duck in as soon as possible.
Then one day I realised I was spending more time watching for bikes coming up and not watching where I was going, so now I will check behind me as I come upto a gap, if a bikes there, I indicate and pull into gap.

2. I always pass one car at a time, if it's clear I go for it i.e. no lorry's, right turners, oncoming left turners, right/left roads or bikes.

[popadop]

[Ninja]

[Inglesina94]

I have only just started filtering thru' traffic and I remember a couple of weeks ago I was going on the A27 in heavy traffic and was being slow filtering.

I saw a bike coming behind me quickly and as soon as I found a place where I was comfortable to stop I did so but it was after a few cars he was behind me.

Anyway I heard him (it was a male rider) being very rude at me for being slow at filtering and that I should not be on the road ... I was quite unnerved considering that I have a 600 without L plates!

I didn't let him put me off though and was still proud of myself for doing it as for me it was an improvement on my riding!
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[california_rookie]

[binge]

[sickpup]

Filtering rules are pretty simple. If you can't, don't. If your slow keep out of the way of others. Basic manners.

Sounds harsh doesn't it but where I live people ride bikes for a living and get paid by the job, you slow them down you cost them money. I've seen people kicked off of (barely) moving bikes because they were causing a tailback.

As to the dangers of filtering I find the people who complain the most are those with the least experience.