Lane Splitting

San Diego's NBC affiliate did a news analysis item on lane-splitting on
its 11 PM news last night. I was braced for a rider-bashing and while
some cagers were given space to vent, the clip was remarkably balanced.

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/video/11126087/index.html

Rich, Urban Biker

 

: San Diego's NBC affiliate did a news analysis item on lane-splitting on
: its 11 PM news last night. I was braced for a rider-bashing and while
: some cagers were given space to vent, the clip was remarkably balanced.

: http://www.nbcsandiego.com/video/11126087/index.html

Lots of misconceptions read as fact, there. For one, can anyone point me
to the statute that makes lane splitting legal? The story said it was
enacted by the legislature.

 

Don't forget, income taxes are illegal too.

 

Except, I have been told by some insistent conservatives, in the area of
civil rights, where if a right is not explicitly listed in the
Constitution, then it doesn't exist.

Did you knew about the New Jersey study of motorcycles in HOV lanes?

 

That's arguable, depending on what you (or more importantly, a majority
of the Supreme Court) make of the 10th Amendment. However, you cannot
be held accountable for an offense unless that offense is defined in
statute, and courts regularly throw out statutes for vagueness.

What did they find? There was a study here by a UC Davis prof, who
found the HOV lanes in general don't help much: unless there are two of
them, one tends to get a slowpoke in the HOV lane that prevents others
from going any faster than the regular lanes.

HOV lanes are different in SoCal: they're 24/7 and allow ingress and
egress at limited points. I tend to use them when riding even if I
could make better time in the regular lanes because I'm insulated from
drivers making sudden lane changes.

Rich, Urban Biker

 

Sorry if I broke your irony meter. I've recently come to the position
that the Constitution does not define civil rights ("none but these")
but limits government's rights ("none but these").

This had to do with safety. NJ wanted to ban motorcycles from HOV lanes,
but the feds wanted us allowed. NJ had two freeways with similar
statistics of use and accident rate, so on one they allowed motorcycles
in the HOV lane and in the other, bikers had to go with everyone else.
The results convinced NJ and the federal government that motorcycles
should be, for safety reasons, allowed in the HOV lane.

Yep.

 

I wish we had those here! I find people pulling into my lane without
looking is one of the major hazards of riding on the freeway (or in
the city of San Francisco. For some reason in that particular town
people don't seem to feel they need to stay in one lane or to signal).

When a cager knocks down a biker, he always says 'I didn't see him!'
And usually it's because he didn't LOOK!

 

Yeah, it's like, "WTF? My lane's getting narrower!" That's why I try to
keep along side of a vacancy in the next lane, but in SF, that's often
impossible.

--
Barb
Chaplain, ARSCC (wdne)

"Keep fighting for freedom and justice, beloveds, but don't forget to
have fun doin' it. Lord, let your laughter ring forth. Be outrageous,
ridicule the fraidy-cats, rejoice in all the oddities that freedom can
produce."

--Molly Ivins

 

= Are you nuts? You don't lanesplit on the yellow line!

The close follower is dangerous!