To feel really frustrated that so many drivers don't know this?

[SharkiraSharkira]

I am a biker (as in motorcycle).

I'm a member of a few biking related pages on fb and recently my feed is inundated with videos and articles about bikers being assaulted by car drivers or run over/knocked off their bikes due to car drivers not looking or seeing them or even intentionally. Some of them have been really shocking!

One thing that seems to be coming up time and time again is drivers bemoaning bikers 'illegally overtaking' or 'pushing in' or 'riding between the lanes'. All of these things are perfectly legal for bikers and it is called filtering - it is used to make progress through traffic and some believe it is actually safer for bikers, being vulnerable road users. And yet 90% of the drivers comments on these videos are basically saying it is the bikers fault they got run over/maimed/attacked because they 'shouldn't have been between the lanes'. We are allowed to be!

Aibu to find it very frustrating that SO many drivers don't seem to know that this is legal?

Obviously there are always idiots that ride unsafely and I'm not referring to these people, rather those who follow the rules and filter legally and safely and still get abuse for it.

*Doesn’t matter what your opinion is really does it?

It’s legal, we know it happens so as a safe driver we need to be aware of it and accommodate it.*

It does as it happens, when I am referring to the "safe" part of the statement in the OP, I'm not referring to these people, rather those who follow the rules and filter legally and safely. The safely part is open to subjection and that it was I have an opinion on - not the legality of it.

So many Bikers seem to think that something being legal automatically makes something safe. My point is that it doesn't.

Examples:
It is not illegal to eat and drive at the same time, but it is not safe.
It is legal for a child to scooter on a pavement, but is not always safe.
Nitrous Oxide is legal but it is not safe.
Filtering or cycling on the opposite side of the road is legal, but it is not always safe...

Right, and the fact I was addressing perfectly legal filtering has passed you by?

‘Filtering’ in fast moving traffic isn’t even filtering, its undertaking and it’s illegal.

I cycle to work and try and stick to the cycle lanes, but there isn't a continuos one from home (or when I first reach the main road) to work and it's only 2.5 miles. First it's on the road (very protective line of paint on the road ), then the pavement, then back on the road, then disappears altogether. Also frustrating is car drivers driving very close to or IN the cycle lane. Can I ask, is it ok to cycle up the left of cars in slow moving or stationary traffic if I'm in a cycle lane?

I know it’s legal. Very very very unsafe though.

dollybird
Can I ask, is it ok to cycle up the left of cars in slow moving or stationary traffic if I'm in a cycle lane?

Yes, with caution. But please, for your own welfare and that of others, never ever cycle up the inside of a vehicle at the traffic lights. Even when I am sitting there indicating left, I cannot believe the idiot cyclists who then come up, stop to my left, and block my path/put their own life in danger by positioning themselves right in my path. I look, of course, but if you right in my blind spot I cannot see you, and it's a downright idiotic thing from a common sense perspective for a slow cyclist to block the path of a vehicle who was ahead of you and you could see what they are about to do when the lights go green.

If the vehicle is indicating left, stay back. If the vehicle is not indicating left, still stay back because they may have forgotten to indicate, their indicator may not be working etc etc.

if you right in my blind spot I cannot see you

If the vehicle is not indicating left, still stay back because they may have forgotten to indicate

MIRROR
SIGNAL
MANOEUVRE

Right, and the fact I was addressing perfectly legal filtering has passed you by?

Who says my first post was directly responding to you? It wasn't. I was responding to the OP

Some prick changed lanes when I was coming past last night, I wasn't even filtering at the time as there was a large gap at that point, was well established in the lane, luckily I had enough time to brake. Stick some people in their 5 star NCAP car and they couldn't give a fuck about anything or anyone else outside of their own little bubble.

I filter everytime I'm on the bike, I suppose I could just sit there and run the risk of getting crushed inbetween the back and front of two cars if the guy behind me doesn't see me stopped, but I don't really fancy that. Not to mention, add to the very large noise pollution and air pollution many traffic spots already have instead of just passing throigh, and also add to traffic congestion on a whole, I may as well be in the car if I'm sitting in traffic holding everyone else up behind me.

As for bellends who move over to block filtering, fuck you if there's anyone on here who does that, only had it happen once to me, they got some choice words hurled their way. Once seen it done to another biker, needless to say the driver of the car went home with a bill for a new wing mirror after the biker elbow dropped it off his car, I had zero sympathy for the car driver in that instance.

Nitrous Oxide is legal but it is not safe.

Ha ha ha are you talking about automotive or personal use?

Zampa

MIRROR
SIGNAL
MANOEUVRE

You are missing the point Zampa. If someone has forgotten/failed to indicate, i.e. they are being an idiot, and they turn into a cyclist who has positioned their bike just to the left of the vehicle at a junction, it doesn't matter how much you are standing there with your big caps on shouting MIRROR SIGNAL MANOEUVRE, that doesn't help the cyclist who is now under their wheels does it?

My husband and I are bikers (cruiser not fast or sport) and car drivers and couldn't agree more on all your points Smeaton. All users of the road should be considerate and being in a car does not justify bad and often dangerous behaviour just because you don't like something. Keep your fucking toys in your pram or get off the road WaitrosePigeon!

Christ there are some arrogant and dangerous drivers on this thread. People who don't know the law, or think they know better than the law.

Essentially, the car driver rules seem to be
'if I don't notice you, it's your fault, not mine'
'if I hit you, it's your fault, because you're on a bike'
'if you're on a bike, you are responsible for the poor decision making and driving of car drivers'

If a child crosses the road while you're sitting in traffic, is in your blind spot and you drive into them because you didn't think to check - is this the child's fault?

If you forget to indicate when you change lane and drive into a person - is it the person's fault?

'Sorry mate I didn't see you' doesn't help the person who has critical injuries because some arsehole 'forgot' to look where they were going.

I knew that was legal, I’m pretty sure most drivers do too!!

I knew this because i have biker friends but it is not covered in the car section of driving lessons or highway code - which it should be!

I block them if I can so they can’t get past mwahaha Wow. What an insane, obnoxious, irresponsible, dangerous attitude to have. Have a word with yourself.

@Biker47 As for bellends who move over to block filtering, fuck you Stands up cheering, and clapping

I ride a motorbike. Have ridden a motorbike for far more years than I've been able to drive a car. You know many times a biker has impeded my progress whilst driving? Never. I move over slightly, they're gone, and I continue on my merry way like they weren't ever there in the first place.

I rode my bike around London for a good few years, and the number of near-misses I had was incredible - 99% caused by drivers intentionally trying to run me off the road, shove me out of the way, or generally just not seeing me. I have a carbon sports can (exhaust) on my bike to make it louder, so that nobody can give me the bullshit excuse they didn't know I was there. I once decided (for shits and giggles) to make my daily commute through London riding as though I was in a car. Staying in lane, no filtering, using the "correct" road position, etc. I tell you, never again - I nearly came off three times on that journey alone. Car drivers getting irritated that I was still there next to them, instead of "zooming" progressing slightly faster off through the traffic.

I don't actually give a flying fuck if you agree with the filtering or not. At the end of the day, there is another human being using the road and who is far more vulnerable than you are, if you're in a car/van. If you modify your driving to "make a point", just because you don't agree with how they ride, then you may very well cause an accident. Ask yourself - are you really so aggrieved that a biker will make better progress than you, that you're prepared to break their limbs over it (if not worse)? If the answer is yes, then you're a nasty son-of-a-bitch who shouldn't be in control of a vehicle. Just relax, it's NOT that big a deal to let them pass by.

And breathe.

Patently there are safe and there are unsafe situations in which to filter but unlike the States, it's legal. If you're one of those who get pissed off by it (stuck enviously in your steel box in that jam you encounter to and from your job every single day) and try and 'block' the biker then you're an arse. Simple.

Most bikers are very safe and I have no problem with bikes filtering in slow moving traffic - I'm positively envious of them! Where I do have a problem is when one bike overtakes on the left and another on the right at the same time. I tend to move over to give bikes room so it would be easy to squish one or the other unintentionally.

Not sure it's safe, I may move to dodge a bit of debris just a few cm within my lane / nobody is 100 percent straight 100 percent of the time so whilst it's legal and people shouldn't be annoyed not sure it's safe.

It's legal to drive at 70 mph on a motorway. Doesn't mean it's always safe. All drivers should always drive according to the road conditions, which means taking account of other road users - and judging what they might or might not do. Stay safe on the roads, y'all!

I just don't get why anyone would want a motorbike at all, honestly.

Just because it's legal doesn't make it safe.

It also requires a good deal more attention to see bikes weaving through moving traffic than it does cars progressing in lanes. I've frequently had bikes coming at me from both sides, making lane changing quite dangerous. Especially for them. Of course we need to pay attention to bikes. But I do wish bike drivers would give car drivers more respect too.

I'm forever having people move over so I can't get past on mine, it's frustrating.
I only ever filter if it's safe to and only if it's stand still mile long traffic or else I will just wait like everyone else. I can't count how many times I've nearly had an off due to some wanker moving over quickly just to stop me getting past safely.

It may be legal its not always safe and you get arrogant bikers who think they can do as they please. I had an incident in summer were upon checking my mirrors and safely went to overtake the 35mph driver in front of me who had hogged the single lane for a good 10miles in a 60 limit only for one of several bikers about 4 cars back thought he would try to overtake me over taking the other driver. I had to pull in quickl to avoid knocking the dick off his bike who managed to knock my wing mirror. Luckily his mates didn't even attempt to follow him until further up. It shook me up.

Oh and as a rule of thumb I am considerate to bikers and reguarly pull in& slow down to let them overtake safely having known people die or be left brain damaged etc from being hit on their bikes my own dad had his pelvis smashed coming off his bike thanks to a driver in his youth

All these posts spouting about how dangerous motorcyclists are when they're filtering, I'm astonished that I haven't hit one yet. Oh yes, it's because I drive correctly. I use my mirrors and look behind me before changing lane. I don't behave like an arsehole, trying to deliberately block other road users, particularly those more vulnerable than me.

If you can't do the same then you shouldn't be driving.