How do drivers in <Your Town Here> React to Filtering?

Craig321 · 20 May 2016 at 14:23

Kreeeee said:
I was taught to filter on my lessons and had to do it on the test.

I was also told I would have had to retake the test if I didn't filter as the test would have been cancelled.

I was told similar before taking my test, but don't believe for one second they would fail you for not filtering, surely?

RyanF · 20 May 2016 at 14:26

I do love it when someone triggers taskmasters bi-weekly filtering rant. Why get a bike if you don't use it to filter whenever safely possible -.-'

ttaskmaster · 20 May 2016 at 14:38

Kreeeee said:
I was also told I would have had to retake the test if I didn't filter as the test would have been cancelled.

Now that was definitely a lie, whoever told you that...
There may be some situations where it's actively encouraged, just like using a bike-permitted bus lane, but it's definitely not a test fail if you don't!!

arfoll said:
Actually I did my CBT at a school in Reading but based in Oxford if that rings a bell and they got me to filter at the end of the CBT ride to 'get back in time'.

That sounds like Lightning... One of the worst reps around.
One of their instructors had the highest failure rate in the UK at one point and was at least threatened with legal action after he lost his rag with a student, chucked the kid's lid down the road and then abandoned the poor girl at the roadside.

arfoll said:
But why does it annoy you? They're taking a risk you're not willing to take and that's fine no?

It's not the risk.
It's the pointless filtering of 2 vehicles, when there's no need to filter and it just irks other road users. It saves a few seconds off your journey. Why bother?

arfoll said:
I often see people filter in front of me in gaps I wouldn't dare squeeze in and just think 'well played' or 'brave'

If you're having to 'brave' something under normal riding conditions, you're not doing it safely.

arfoll said:
or to the guy in a fireblade in london who squeezed past, scratched his mirror on a truck and fell off at the red light "glad wasn't me!".

I'd be thinking how that would never be me and what a dangerous **** he was.

arfoll said:
Filtering past to be first at the light is fun, logically it may not be the best time gain in the planet but it makes *my* commute a lot more enjoyable to me and I honestly don't think any cagers are slower because of it so it seems pretty harmless.

First at the light - Sure.
First off at the light - Sure.
Past the front at the lights is illegal and does **** people off. More so if there's several bikey commuters all trying to "make progress" as it really does impose on other road users.

It's all about the give and take... or the Take, Use, Give, if you're into that side of things.

ttaskmaster · 20 May 2016 at 14:43

RyanF said:
I do love it when someone triggers taskmasters bi-weekly filtering rant.

Love it when overconfident auto-filtering Butterflies give you a bad rep too, I assume?

RyanF said:
Why get a bike if you don't use it to filter whenever safely possible -.-'

What on EARTH makes you (and seemingly half the forum) think I don't filter?

Kreeeee · 20 May 2016 at 15:11

Craig321 said:
I was told similar before taking my test, but don't believe for one second they would fail you for not filtering, surely?

They cancel the test if you get stuck in traffic for too long. The re-test is free in that situation though.

ttaskmaster said:
Now that was definitely a lie, whoever told you that...

Incorrect. I'm not surprised though.

benji182 · 20 May 2016 at 15:13

Rossi~ said:
It would really suck if i didn't filter on my commute.

Both on the A1 and in Baldock is a bit of a nightmare. Below is a very good day in terms of congestion.

Lovely commute Rossi~

I bet its worth the extra 10minutes getting suited and booted when you see how many cars are static during that short video.

That other bike was a bit cheeky at 6mins 2secs.

tom_e · 20 May 2016 at 15:14

Kreeee isn't saying you'll be failed but they've got a set amount of time to assess your riding if all you've done is spent that time sat in a line of traffic then they've seen sod all and can't pass you so you'll need to do it again. Whereas if you filtered and got out of the traffic and actually done some riding they could assess you'd be fine.

Craig321 · 20 May 2016 at 15:33

Kreeeee said:
They cancel the test if you get stuck in traffic for too long. The re-test is free in that situation though.

Incorrect. I'm not surprised though.

Ah ok, mine was different, my instructor told me if you don't filter when its safe to do so, they can fail you, which is BS. Makes sense with the traffic though, but where I took my test was always pretty quiet, so no issue there.

TallPaul_S · 20 May 2016 at 15:38

Why filter past 2 cars at traffic lights? Because we can!

2 cars at every set of lights soon adds up. Even if it's only 2 minutes saved on every commute, that's 16 hours a year saved.

Yaayuh! · 20 May 2016 at 15:39

benji182 said:
Lovely commute Rossi~

I bet its worth the extra 10minutes getting suited and booted when you see how many cars are static during that short video.

That other bike was a bit cheeky at 6mins 2secs.

It's probably 10 minutes a day suiting a booting in total, as i usually where the jeans all day. Depends if it rains or not.

It's not a bad ride in, 90% A1 though lol.

That bike ahead just went for it when he saw the lights go green. Would've been silly if the van was going right or if the bike was going left, but both were straight over.

Fireskull · 20 May 2016 at 15:51

This thread is genuinely lolworthy

tom_e · 20 May 2016 at 15:53

I didn't know filtering could provoke such emotion!

Freeman · 20 May 2016 at 15:58

tom_e said:
I didn't know filtering could provoke such emotion!

Over 2 cars!!!

ttaskmaster · 20 May 2016 at 15:59

Kreeeee said:
They cancel the test if you get stuck in traffic for too long.

Which is not the same as failing you if you do not, or in many cases cannot safely, filter past.

TallPaul_S said:
Why filter past 2 cars at traffic lights? Because we can!

I was probably like that when I first started riding, but these days I just don't give a **** any more. It's far easier and safer to just let those couple of cars go - They'll be up to the speed limit (and likely over it) a mere 2 seconds after me anyway and it's really no bother. I'll only filter if there are several cars ahead and things are slowing/stopping. More so if the junction ahead is a dangerous one, as people can get very stupid over their vehicle's personal space!

TallPaul_S said:
2 cars at every set of lights soon adds up. Even if it's only 2 minutes saved on every commute, that's 16 hours a year saved.

You must all live in empty towns, where the 10 or so cars that are out on your roads all drive nice and slow, in perfectly straight lines with plenty of space between the different lanes and with no-one ever trying to race you, block you, deliberately sideswiping you or otherwise changing lanes without even looking, never mind indicating...

tom_e · 20 May 2016 at 16:01

ttaskmaster said:
Which is not the same as failing you if you do not, or in many cases cannot safely, filter

Which will be why no one has said you'll fail for not filtering :confused:

Fireskull · 20 May 2016 at 16:02

TallPaul_S said:
Why filter past 2 cars at traffic lights? Because we can!

2 cars at every set of lights soon adds up. Even if it's only 2 minutes saved on every commute, that's 16 hours a year saved.

I just did some basic calculations and worked out roughly I would waste about 7 full days a year if I didn't filter and sat in traffic

so yeah I am ALWAYS going to filter past even one single car to make my journey quicker.

ttaskmaster · 20 May 2016 at 16:03

tom_e said:
I didn't know filtering could provoke such emotion!

It's more about habits that annoy other road users and how it comes back on us.

Kreeeee · 20 May 2016 at 16:08

Craig321 said:
Ah ok, mine was different, my instructor told me if you don't filter when its safe to do so, they can fail you, which is BS. Makes sense with the traffic though, but where I took my test was always pretty quiet, so no issue there.

Not filtering on Birmingham tests will end up in endless re-tests

ttaskmaster said:
Which is not the same as failing you if you do not, or in many cases cannot safely, filter past.

How about you go back and read my posts properly, eh? I never said you'd fail but you seem to have this red haze of rage blocking your perception.

Fireskull · 20 May 2016 at 16:08

Filtering isn't a habit though, I get if you meant riding up close behind people and genuinely annoying riding which plenty of riders do but filtering? you get the odd person that might block you but I can count with my fingers and toes how many times thats been deliberate in over 10 years of riding now....

TallPaul_S · 20 May 2016 at 16:09

ttaskmaster said:
I was probably like that when I first started riding, but these days I just don't give a **** any more. It's far easier and safer to just let those couple of cars go - They'll be up to the speed limit (and likely over it) a mere 2 seconds after me anyway and it's really no bother. I'll only filter if there are several cars ahead and things are slowing/stopping. More so if the junction ahead is a dangerous one, as people can get very stupid over their vehicle's personal space!

You must all live in empty towns, where the 10 or so cars that are out on your roads all drive nice and slow, in perfectly straight lines with plenty of space between the different lanes and with no-one ever trying to race you, block you, deliberately sideswiping you or otherwise changing lanes without even looking, never mind indicating...

My route to/from work involves filtering past literally hundreds of cars every day, and there are several sections after traffic lights where I'll constantly get stuck behind someone doing 40mph in a 60 zone, with limited opportunities to overtake. Round here no-one, and I mean no-one drives at the speed limit in NSL sections, let along over it

40mph in a 60mph? Yep. 50mph in the outside lane on a 70mph DC? Oh yes.

Granted, there are certain lights where there's normally only 2-3 cars in front and sometimes I won't bother filtering past them, but most of the time if there's time (knowing the light sequences) and space I'm to the front, and ready to go.

This is a normal ride to work for me, but you'll see I don't always filter to the front