Biker filtering

Justintime

Justintime

Justintime

Soldato
Joined
24 Jul 2006
Posts
8,876
Location
Hoddesdon, London, UK
Was in traffic when this guy in front of me went to change lane, the guy in the other lane stopped to let him in but he didn't quite have room yet until the car in front moved up a bit.
A biker who was filtering traffic and was not even in sight when this manoeuvre was happening rode straight up to the side of the car in front of me, started revving his engine and cussing at the guy calling him names etc.. and how it was his right of way blah blah.. THEN he proceeded to stay on the guys side when he finally got in and rev his engine then cut him up for about 30 seconds then tore off at an amber light so the guy would get the red.
I always wondered, is filtering a right or a privilege? Seems to me the biker was completely in the wrong and a massive tool at the same time?
 
Justintime said:
I always wondered, is filtering a right or a privilege?
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That's a slightly odd question. Filtering is a perfectly legal maneuver as long as it's performed safely.

Sadly you get knobs on all forms of transport - for every knob on a bike there are probably hundreds driving a car.
 
Nothing worse than some cager who sits in the middle of 2 lanes because he's an idiot and is trying to perform a manoeuvre without having space to do so.

Bike over reacted a bit, I've been known to rev my engine to let people now they've been an idiot.
 
Some people like to create drama to give themselves an excuse to complain. It's like those cyclists who post videos of themselves mouthing off at every car that comes within 20ft on YouTube every day. To them, being on a vulnerable method of transport justifies their ridiculous behaviour. I know a biker who accelerates up to cars that pull out in perfectly acceptable gaps in front of him, just so he can make the situation look worse to justify him mouthing off and causing a scene.

In short, the biker was a complete tool.
 
Rossi~ said:
Is there any way that you can re-write/describe better the OP. I'm struggling to understand the situation.
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Sounds like stationary traffic on a dual carriageway, car in front of the OP in his lane wants to change lanes, sees half a car gap to move into which leaves him straddling both lanes. Filtering biker comes up the middle of the 2 lanes (as he's 100% allowed to do, OP) and sees numpty sat there blocking the way.

Biker probably over reacted a bit, but then the car driver probably shouldn't have tried to push into a gap that wasn't there.

The biker "wasn't even in sight" but that could just mean the OP hadn't seen him, and the car in front could have pulled out a few seconds before biker arrived, that we don't know.

Anyway, yes OP, filtering is 100% legal. And bikers rev their engines not only to show anger to car drivers, but also to let them know they are there. :)
 
Sounds like the biker thought he had the right to be there.

I treat filtering as a privilege and if the opportunity is there, I'll take it. People move out of the way for me all the time which is great, but when they don't I sit back. There's no rush.

There seems to be an attitude with bikers that they should ALWAYS be making progress no matter how dangerous it is.

I remember one time taking a lesson a few days before my bike test when the instructor wanted us to do some dual carriageway. I was happily sitting in the left lane doing 70, keeping my distance from the car in front. Instructor comes screaming passed in the right lane shouting over the radio why am I not over taking and making progress. He was obsessed with overtaking cars thinking that bikes should always be in front.

It's not to say I don't use my bikes power to gain advantage over cars though :D
 
I've had something similar happen once, traffics turned green so I set off and accelerated and then out of nowhere some motorbike who filtered in from the back cut right in front of me, had I not braked he would be in hospital having his spleen taken out, I beeped the horn, which he took offense to so he stopped in front of the light when it was still green and waited for it to turn amber and then set off so that I get stuck in red, then made a smug gesture as he set off. I'm sure karma will get him soon enough especially the way he drives.

Just the other day too when I was crossing the road a bike just skipped the red and just about missed me and few other pedestrians and then nearly got hit by the cars from the other sides whose lights where green, the car beeped his horn and this motorbike just sat there looking at him as if he was in the right and the car did something wrong.

Is it any wonder why so many become casualties in accidents.
 
Still a relatively new biker but I ride in and out of the city every day so filtering is a big part.

Like freeman said, I treat it as, if I can and it's safe then I will but if not theres no problem as there be another safer opportunity just up the road.
 
Freeman said:
I remember one time taking a lesson a few days before my bike test when the instructor wanted us to do some dual carriageway. I was happily sitting in the left lane doing 70, keeping my distance from the car in front. Instructor comes screaming passed in the right lane shouting over the radio why am I not over taking and making progress. He was obsessed with overtaking cars thinking that bikes should always be in front.

It's not to say I don't use my bikes power to gain advantage over cars though :D
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My instructor was the same. Sitting on an NSL road, anything doing less than 60mph had to be overtaken, even when it was completely pointless.
 
Filtering is fine as long as you never go more than 15mph faster than the traffic you are filtering through/past.

Don't get too close to people's cars or act like a prat as you can be the filling in a care sandwich in an instant if you wind a car driver up.
 
I'd see it as if it was a car. If there is space and it's safe to do so, I see no reason why they can't go through.

However, I also agree with the comments above that they shouldn't treat it as an excuse to try to make progress continually. In the situation above, while blocking both lanes while changing isn't technically 'correct', it's sometimes the only way to change lane in which case the bike should have just waited.

I actively move out of the way whenever I see a bike. Just not worth the risk to them or you if say you get a gust of wind or a wobble and they end up riding close.
 
Power rangers and filtering, the age old debate....

Having been a ranger and a cager I've argued for and against both sides of the fence. My current opinion is that it's a privilege not a right.

2p
 
Bike rider sounds like a **** to me but then you get ***** every where doing all sorts of things.
When I'm on my bike I am about as chilled as I can get, there's just summit about riding that calms me down inside. I turn into some kind of Road Knight who is out on the roads looking for people to help or new people to chat to or just looking for a nice place to ride through.
Put me in a car in traffic though & I'll chew your face off on a Sunday afternoon whilst your kids watch from the back seat. :p

Jokes aside I am just as calm in a car these days because it's my choice whether I go bike or car. Having an LPG motor helps loads as well as I'm happy to drive well out of my way to avoid traffic & I don't have to worry about the cost. :cool:
 
TallPaul_S said:
Sounds like stationary traffic on a dual carriageway, car in front of the OP in his lane wants to change lanes, sees half a car gap to move into which leaves him straddling both lanes. Filtering biker comes up the middle of the 2 lanes (as he's 100% allowed to do, OP) and sees numpty sat there blocking the way.

Biker probably over reacted a bit, but then the car driver probably shouldn't have tried to push into a gap that wasn't there.
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More like the biker came across a part completed move and thought the cars were deliberately trying to block him so he acted like a total tool.

Sorry but in slow traffic partially completing a manoeuvre is perfectly fine. If you wait you end up not moving at all (because tools like the biker block it).

I am both a biker and a car driver and both act like tools from time to time, but in this case the biker was 100% in the wrong.
 
4T5 said:
When I'm on my bike I am about as chilled as I can get, there's just summit about riding that calms me down inside. I turn into some kind of Road Knight who is out on the roads looking for people to help or new people to chat to or just looking for a nice place to ride through.
Put me in a car in traffic though & I'll chew your face off on a Sunday afternoon whilst your kids watch from the back seat. :p
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Yeah funny how that works isn't it :)
 
As both a rider and a driver, filtering it perfectly acceptable as a means to make progress - it is one of the big advantages of a bike over a car. I don't see there as being any set speed difference to stick too, but simply use my judgement on being able to swiftly stop or slow to the same speed as the traffic if necessary. For my own judgement that's normally a car length, maybe two - enough to get you out of trouble.

As bikers we've all had a filtering 'experience'. More often than not there's no indication from the car, but quite frequently you can see the driver's attention shift through moving the head or glancing at a mirror.

I don't tend to rev the engine to voice displeasure, but i do use the engine to let drivers know that I'm there, and often filter at higher than normal revs in order to do so.
 
TallPaul_S said:
Sounds like stationary traffic on a dual carriageway, car in front of the OP in his lane wants to change lanes, sees half a car gap to move into which leaves him straddling both lanes. Filtering biker comes up the middle of the 2 lanes (as he's 100% allowed to do, OP) and sees numpty sat there blocking the way.

Biker probably over reacted a bit, but then the car driver probably shouldn't have tried to push into a gap that wasn't there.

The biker "wasn't even in sight" but that could just mean the OP hadn't seen him, and the car in front could have pulled out a few seconds before biker arrived, that we don't know.

Anyway, yes OP, filtering is 100% legal. And bikers rev their engines not only to show anger to car drivers, but also to let them know they are there. :)
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I guess i worded it a little wrong. My 'right or privilege' question meant did he have the absolute right of way and everyone must clear a path for him or was it a privilege to do so but accept that the way may get blocked and he had to wait for a safe gap.
The biker was definetly not is sight as i heard the engine from a long way off, the other car had already partially done his manoeuvre when he came on the scene about 10 secs before his engine was even audible.
 
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