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Bay Area Riders Forum official Lane Splitting Guidelines

Not a fan of speed changes while splitting. Cars that have seen/mapped you and determined you are coming at a given speed aren't going to anticipate a speed change. Doing unexpected things can goof other drivers' scheme- stay predictable. Besides, in a car length you aren't going to go that faster- you're kidding yourself.
 
NorCalBusa said:
Not a fan of speed changes while splitting. Cars that have seen/mapped you and determined you are coming at a given speed aren't going to anticipate a speed change. Doing unexpected things can goof other drivers' scheme- stay predictable. Besides, in a car length you aren't going to go that faster- you're kidding yourself.
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Yes, that’s a good point. If I can maintain a steady speed and stay out of the sandwich, I will maintain my speed. A lot can depend on the levels and variability of traffic speed. If traffic is really slow, then it’s the car gaps that I will briefly accelerate to get past as quickly as possible. If traffic speeds are varying a lot, then my lane splitting speeds vary a lot. I often think that motorcycling is so dynamic that it’s difficult to distill advice. Every scenario has subtle differences which dictate different thought patterns for me.
 
NorCalBusa said:
Not a fan of speed changes while splitting. Cars that have seen/mapped you and determined you are coming at a given speed aren't going to anticipate a speed change. Doing unexpected things can goof other drivers' scheme- stay predictable. Besides, in a car length you aren't going to go that faster- you're kidding yourself.
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Absolutely fair point. I guess I make decisions on the fly - constant speed definitely has its benefits in terms of predictability, but getting out of a sketchy situation (e.g a driver who doesn't seem to be paying attention) is also good.

I guess my main point is that often it's good to approach slowly enough that they see you, but be willing to go if the gap appears.

But that's just me - I've been splitting for years. So I'm interested what the OP I was replying to has learned and is comfortable with...
 
Good reason to call it sharing.. Officer said it. It is not splitting it is sharing.

That still bugs me after all these years.
 
Rules or not, doing it on the double white lanes is sketchy even when it's not raining. You are already going fast being on a bike, so taking tons of risk (of slipping) just to gain minute or two seems reckless.
 
They are all good points that were brought up in the video, however, I was disappointed to hear such a condescending tone from the officer.

The guy clearly didn't understand the law, but was very respectful and open to learning. The officer had the choice of returning the respect shown and educate him in a genial way or display his dominance. He chose the latter. There is an inherent power asymmetry in any traffic stop and unfortunately the officer chose to reinforce that asymmetry with his disrespectful tone.

His comment "That's a $500 fine. If you have $500 to spare, I'll write you up right now." could easily have been rephrased to "You're actually not permitted to do that under California law. It's a fairly substantial fine, so I wanted to make sure you understood the rule."
 
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He also had the choice of writing him a ticket for multiple violations and chose to give him a warning plus education instead.


My takeaway: EVEN COPS HATE IT WHEN YOU SPLIT WITH FLASHERS
 
I edited the first post to add a Podcast visit that Surj and I did with Zak and the Bone. Miss doing those.
 
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