Wish they'd stop doing this

[frez]

I think we're in agreement, and yes you can learn quite a bit, good and bad, from following other riders.

I agree it is really funny when you end up back in front of someone because the traffic has conspired against them, especially when they are a bit of a knob.

[Juvecu]

I often slow down when I see another bike filtering towards me from behind. I let them pass and then I follow them at a fair distance, enough so that they don't think I want to pass them. This means they are the one going past the cars first, "opening up" the gap for me and making motorists aware that there are bikes filtering. That way I'm less likely to be the subject of a SMIDSY. If they happen to get hit they also get lucky in that they have a fellow first aid trained biker behind them who can help

ps. Glad to see the thread change to giving advice rather than finding someone to put the blame on

[loggamatt]

Haha... I like that Juvecu, and thinking about it... this is probably the 3rd reason I always let faster riders filter by me when I can. You're right that it does make filtering a bit easier if another motorcycle has already opened up the gap for you a bit. Plenty of car drivers are oblivious that there's a motorcycle behind them until they see it emerging from their blind spot, at which point a lot of car drivers will dart in the other direction instinctively. Doesn't help the motorcycle they saw, but often helps the motorcycle following

Generally with filtering, I find that confidence makes it easier. The only times I've got myself into a bad situation with filtering is when I've been too timid and hesitant. Somehow, other road users can sense your fear and then take advantage of it... but if I'm confident in my filtering everyone else seems to behave too. Sure, sooner or later someone is going to do a sudden U-turn without looking and whether I'm riding confidently or not won't matter, it'll just come down to luck and whether I spot their intention in time. But for day to day filtering, confidence helps.

I'll probably ride to work tomorrow as I need to get home quickly afterwards. Believe it or not, when I started, riding a motorcycle to work through central London, it took me about as long as taking public transport and I'd be almost in shock by the time I got there!  Nowadays it's more likely that I take a few extra spins around the block or to a nearby cafe before going in because I get there so quickly, and I generally arrive with that smug sense of satisfaction that only comes from riding past an enormous queue of stationary cars  

So my filtering advice is that practice and confidence is the key.

[adst]

When filtering , hold back when you approach a turning on right ...someone may pull out of the turning only looking to his right ...smack into you ...and the line of traffic you are filtering ..gets tempted to turn right suddenly ..I had a district nurse do that to me just yesterday ..turned from 5 cars away from the turning ..pulled onto wrong side of road and cut corner ...think once she was out there she "might" have noticed me ..but definitely did not check mirrors for filtering bike or anything else ?..being aware saves you ...

[frez]

I had the same happen to me one time, filtering down the outside of traffic queued at a roundabout a van decided to pull out of the queue and filter past 4 cars himself before turning right. He didn't see me coming and it took all my luck not to drop the bike when the front locked up on my cbr600.

[Juvecu]

I bet it took a while to get your arse to let go of your seat, close call

[Gassoon]

I just read this whole thread - really top posts everyone! Very interesting stuff, and thanks to Josh for posting his original discussion point. I know I've learned stuff from it!
Btw -Just never get too confident, as I'm sure you know, loggamatt!

On the original topic, what still surprises me is how car drivers (well, humans in general I suppose), can set their minds to a course of action and doggedly [a.k.a.stupidly] follow it through...NO MATTER WHAT!

The ones that instantly spring to mind are the drivers who set off across a roundabout even though traffic is coming from their right side - they look stolidly straight ahead as if you don't exist (therefore through 'magical thinking' they eliminate any danger). Handy that.

That could even have been in the mind-set of that original car-driver: he saw your hesitancy, and felt uncomfortable that there was no definite, reliable situation he/she could readily understand where one vehicle was decidedly ahead of the other. So he thought 'Right, I'm getting ahead', and once the decision is made, there's no altering it for some.



Mind you, maybe he was just a tw%$.

[Jay2]

There are no hard and fast rules with filtering, you are moving between traffic with a limited space, so anything could happen.  Even the Police can't decide on what is good or bad filtering as there are so many variables every time.

There are many times I could have filtered between traffic, even after numerous bikers have passed me doing the same thing.  But if I'm not 100% sure or confident then I'll sit in traffic and admire the scenery.

If you make it home or to work safely, job done.  

[Strommer]

The better I got at filtering the less I actually filtered.

I used to always filter to the front at lights, no matter how tight and squeezy.  Always got home in 45 minutes.  As I got better I filtered less and restricted it to a few known bottlenecks.  The result being I got home safer, less tired and in ...45 minutes....

[ProfG]

I filter regularly but safely. I don't filter just for the sake of filtering but only where appropriate and safe. Otherwise I wait my turn.

About 2 years ago I was knocked off my bike by a car that I had stopped next to and although was quite safe and had not touched his vehicle, the driver took exception to a biker getting through the traffic and at the lights went straight ahead for a few meters instead of turning right (The road turned to the right) to make sure he hit me and then put his foot down. It happened so fast I could not get his number. The car behind stopped and helped me up and made sure I was alright. There was some minor damage to the bike and I suffered a sprained hand and shoulder but it healed.

Numpties and arse-holes everywhere  :violence-uzi:

[loggamatt]

Strommer, that doesn't surprise me one bit! I think filtering in London can be a bit like the motorcycle equivalent of leaping through the air to get onto the tube train before the doors shut. Really worth it? There'll be another one along in about a minute!

I'm like you in that I only filter to the front of cars at the lights if it's pretty easy to do or there's a big enough queue to make it worth my while. I see motorcycles gingerly inching in between a couple of cars to get to the front at the lights all the time and tend to think what's the point.

And as I say, I'm almost always sat beside them again a little further up the road anyway.

I agree with you that filtering only makes much of a difference at the big bottlenecks. Though I will also do it if there's loads of space between lanes or around the outside and it's just as easy to do it as to not do it.

[adst]

Returning to the original theme ..found this you tube From Roadcraft Nottingham ...


Seems bikers probably pay more attention and cagers don't realise they are not aware of what thy do ....


Especially like the written quote from Highway Code ...

[Fatbelly]

Loggatt's observations on filtering in London also highlight a simple, more basic lesson that we would all do well to bear in mind. The roads are full of dickheads, not all of them are in cars, an awful lot of them are on bikes!

[john williams]

Greetings all, in reply to Mr Divers post ref overtaking then slowing down and delaying drivers progress I would advise great caution when playing this game one day you will do it someone who never got a bit last night and so will ram you up the arse instead. Also what  is the point of overtaking and then slowing your own progress it just brings you down to their level and is bad ju ju for all bikers. (hope I used the correct their in that sentance).

[Brockett]

I only filter past standing traffic in 1st gear.
I only overtake  moving traffic when I can use the other or opposite lane.
I feel that overtaking/filtering past slow moving vehicles that can suddenly turn right ( or U-turn) is just too risky. I know bikes can get through narrow gaps but at my age I can't afford another six months recuperation and miss all that biking.
Just speaking for me although I know many won't like it.

[MartinW]

Basically that's exactly what I do too Mr Brockett.