Filtering

[S1417]

I've been riding for over two years now and still can't seem to feel confident with when it is and isn't okay to be filtering. Couple of examples on my way home yesterday:

The first was a big queue up to set of traffic lights. Due to a filter lane at the traffic lights the oncoming lane has a constant flow of traffic. The left hand lane is split into two quite narrow lanes so cars tend to take up the whole lane, whereas the right hand lane is reasonably wide. So the option to filter here involves riding partly in the oncoming lane with cars passing against you. Is this okay or should I just wait in the queue at this point?

The other was coming down a country road to a T junction where I wanted to turn left. Again a big queue was there but I wasn't sure how to go about it. I felt like filtering down the right of the traffic would leave me having to cut across the cars at the front, or that i could end up being completely blocked off from turning left by the cars. I find the same at a set of traffic lights if i want to turn left, then the only way to do it is filter down the outside and then go across the lead car but this usually involves passing the stop line which brings in the obvious legal issues.

So yeah in short I'm just in need of a bit of advice about when it is and isn't okay to filter past queues.

[Beehive Bedlam]

You can filter one of two ways like shit off a shovel or with extreme caution.

[Chuffin Nora]

When you can you do and when you can't you don't.

My advice, as ever, is to jump in at the deep end by moving to The Smoke -- now, for the winter! -- and joining Addy Lee or whatnot, and have your very livelihood ride upon a needs-must-quickly-acquired ability to make a silk purse out of a pig's ear.

It's what I did, and it didn't do me any harm!
I say, I say, it didn't do me any harm.

HTH
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There's a fine line between integrity

[WD Forte]

It depends.
It's kind of pointless talking about specific situations as from my own experience their are times I've judged it safe to take advantage and times I've waited a bit.

You must ask yourself is it safe? can I get away with this or will I put myself in unneccesary peril and is it worth the risk?

If in doubt, hang about.

You don't have to filter, if you see other bikes screaming down the wrong side of the road to get past a line of cars then that's their choice.
Ride your own ride and choose when and what's safe and appropriate for you.

If you get to situations where you think you could have filtered safely
but didn't dont beat yourself up just reasses next time.

Oh, and don't start van punching
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bikers smell of wee

[Busa1340R]

[sickpup]

Lack of cofidence is fine, just let others past. Over confidence now known as doing a 'Kramda' will get you killed.

[Rogerborg]

[KnuckleShot]

Exactly what WD Forte said.

If you feel it is safe to do so then go ahead.
If not then just wait in the queue.

[jonbee56]

Think I speak for all the (London) city commuters. Without filtering youre commute time will be at least 4x that if you are using a car.

If you are not comfortable doing it, then dont. If you want to learn, take it slow and pull in regularly to let the experienced impatient riders pass you.

Gotta agree though.. give yourself a fortnight in the city & you will filter like the regulars, (but not the nutty couriers)
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CBF125 > Hornet 600 (x2) > CBR600F -- slowly getting better
"If you can't turn it, then burn it"

[pompousporcup...]

Can you take a different route, perhaps one with wider lanes/ more room to start out.

I started filtering on my first day once passed. Glad I did as its taught me a lot about when/where to do it. In fact, i filtered on my mod2 test as we got caught on a dual carriageway in heavy traffic. Examiner said "if you feel safe to do it, start filtering your way through"

If there's a gap. Take it. Also worth looking for escape routes should it not go to plan..although if you need an escape route it probably wasn't "safe"



Tl;Dr: get on with it.

[LittleRestrai...]

[DieselASFC]

[pinkyfloyd]

[Pete.]

[blue_painted]

Also ... look at how many other bikes are filtering, because the drivers get used to being "filtered-past" and are less likely to panic and so less likely to swerve into your way -- or just downright move to block you -- if everyone is doing it.

And like what he said up there ^^ do what you're comfortable with.
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GP-100 -> CB250RS -> CBX550F2 (pause) KR1S -> RD350YPVS -> ZX6-R (pause) CD200 ->Mash 400 -> T100 (current) & (R1100RT scrapped pile o' shite) (CB250 Nighthawk - SORN in shed) Meteor 350 (current)

[Michelle L]

Filtering fast can lead to an accident in my opinion , I have been very close to having one myself so now I just do it with extreme caution..
I mean I do not have a plane to catch or a meeting to go to so most of the time I am just happy to sit there anyway..
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Ride safe , if you can not ride safe , ride free....

[S1417]

Cheers for all the replies, some solid advice as usual

I guess it's just a case of more practice and experience required. I just a expected after 2 years of doing it I might have started to feel at least a little more confident than I do

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

[G]

Oh, I thought the answer was 'yes' .

[Pete.]

One could argue that putting motorbikes alongside cyclists is actually safer because:

1. Delays the pull-away of cars behind the cyclists
2. Makes the cyclists aware of the motorbike's presence. They would be far more likely to get collected by a passing bike because cars need so much more room to pass.
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a.k.a 'Geri'

132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good

[G]

Yea, their logic of vehicles that can fit through tight gaps and do 0-60 in 3 seconds should be stuck in between trucks and cars behind slow moving cycles seems a little off - but, 'safety'.

It would be a case of just enforcing the law, but they weren't doing that in the example we had on BCF, as the markings on the road weren't an official ASL, so they should have been stopping cyclists in that marked bit too.
If it was the 'spirit of the law' designed to make things safer, they shouldn't really have been stopping motorcycles.

[c_dug]

In your turning left example I would filter up the right hand side and cut back in a few cars from the front rather than proceed all the way to the front of the queue and cut across a car that is potentially about to pull out.

I tend to be over cautious when filtering towards oncoming traffic, and I'm a pretty confident filterer in most cases, I don't much fancy a head-on though!
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I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.

[monkeybiker]

[Andy_Pagin]

The only time I filter between lanes is when the traffic's stationary, being London based this is a workable strategy since stationary traffic is such a regular occurance.
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They're coming to take me away, ho-ho, hee-hee, ha-haaa, hey-hey,
the men in white coats are coming to take me away.
Yamaha Vity -> YBR125 -> FZS600 Fazer -> FZ1-S Fazer

[hellkat]

Any hole's a goal.
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Not nearly as interesting in real life.