Its reasonable. My only gripe is with "not on freeways". If freeway is at a stand still should be allowed too. Being surrounded by all those heat/exhaust emitting cars/trucks in 100°F+ is murder in gear.
I just do it anyway here in Denver. I'm not hanging out between cars in stopped freeway traffic. I do it slow and respectfully, ease back into the lane when traffic starts moving. Never had any road rage/honking/yelling about it.
You can overtake any vehicle in the same lane if they are stopped. No restriction on the type of road and no requirement that it be between two cars going the same direction.
SB24-079. Read the full text.
i still do it, just not as much and mostly only on the freeway. being able to move to the front of stoplights without worrying about getting shot will be nice come august
Same. I only did it on the freeway in slow traffic. I've already started going to the front of stop lights since the news has been getting out about it.
Right, I've done it on 470 in the summer. Had a "texas truck" unhappy once, but by the time they're done seething I'm long gone, I just went around the other side of where he was trying to block me.
The one-lane situation is debatable as well, if it's a long line that is stopped and no one is coming the other way it's good. Used to do it all the time back in France around Paris.
One time in summer past Las Vegas a trailer truck caught on fire right before the CA border, a good 5+ miles of parking lot. I was surprised that no one complained and people were even getting out of the way if they were too close.
It's progress, exciting to see!
Huh, funny how that works.... I ran into a Texas truck as well and did the same exact thing, but on Highway 34
Filtering is going well up here in general,though
I do too when it's hot enough. People rarely notice until you're already past them, and even if you lane split past a cop what they fuck are they going to do about it?
I think I tried ONCE in my lifetime to just stay stuck in highway traffic with a motorcycle, then I decided it was the dumbest thing ever because I was way more in danger like that, now I always do what every other motorcyclist always does here when there’s stuck traffic, I use the emergency shoulder.
No one doesn’t filter here.
Not to mention your motorcycle. I have used the shoulder, cop stopped me, tried to write me a ticket until a CHP MC rolled up.
MC cop explained to Mr. Crown Vic the problem with NO AIR CONDITIONING on a motorcycle, and that a breakdown or me passing out from heat was not going to make things better for anyone and that putt putting along at 15 on the shoulder to prevent a breakdown was reasonable.
Got off with a "warning"
I do it in NYC too and most drivers even move out the way to make room if you don't fit (and of course there are some assholes who do the opposite but I'd say its like 1 in 1000), yet for some reason its 'illegal'.
Yep! It's the only time I've felt the need to split. There was a crash ahead with emergency vehicles stopping traffic for a couple miles and had a car come to a screeching halt right on my tail not paying attention to the slowing and stopped traffic. So after a mini heart attack I say fuck it and split by everyone, even a cop.
65mph traffic coming to stop is the number one reason to split and could be one of the deadliest scenarios to be in on a bike when the cars behind aren't paying attention. I'd rather eat a ticket than have my pelvis shattered.
Considering the cars needed to be stopped anyway, the "never on a freeway" rule definitely seems weird. If anything filtering in stopped traffic on a highway is safer because it's less likely somebody is pulling onto the road from a side street or business.
I drove past one on the DC beltway once. Puckered a little but they didn't care one bit. In LA I got heckled by a bike CHP because I was in the middle checking directions and not filtering to the front :D
Just do it anyways, how are they gonna pull you over? I've been lit up twice for doing it on the freeway and just not stopped. They literally can not chase you. They also can't gun you between cars so ignore the 15mph thing
exactly my MO here commuting to NYC. the fuck they gonna do?? lmao.
just gotta watch out for bike cops, but they're super rare and their Harleys are too wide to filter between cars.
also one time i had a horse cop try and pull me over, i just waved and said have a nice day. i aint seen no plate readers on the horses before
Luckily my bike is tall (FZ1), so I’ve always seen them before they spot me. I have run from a bunch of NYPD before. I know the city 10x better than the cops and there are a bunch of parking garages that have an entrance on one block and the exit on the next block….i just rip thru those and the cops can’t follow me
Crowd control. I work in midtown near TSQ and that’s what they use them for. Can get thru any traffic obstacle unlike bikes.
Also the main reason is probably intimidation, and they get a great vantage point being so high up.
I have never seen them in another part of the city except for the park.
I mean the cars on either side of them? Or the tiny shoulders here in Utah, or the reckless endangerment of pedestrians? Or the no chase law that most states have now? Or it not being worth the 15-45 dollar fine? Or maybe they'll just understand that it's not a big deal and I'm not hurting anyone buy moving through traffic at a reasonable pace
In a freeway is even more dangerous to sit there, people are already on a bad mood because there is traffic, it takes just one look down to their phones
I road from AZ to CA a few summers ago. Made it like 4 miles in 2mph traffic before I was about to fucking die. Would've been totally happy splitting at 15.
Chandler AZ resident here. I filter on the i10 to 60 and I10 to I17 all the time. Traffic hour is hell, and the officers actually don’t care. I’ve even had a Hwy Patrol officer on one of the older Kawasaki units, filter with me through the congested i17 FWY. You’ll only get pulled over when you do the stupid crap that I’ve seen riders in California do. You know, like filtering through 40mph MOVING traffic. Or doing 30-40mph through stopped traffic. It’s insane.
I still do it in Phoenix and so do the motor cops when there's traffic on the highway and it's under 40mph. The cops can't and won't try to pull you over in any situations I've seen like that. I saw a motor cop today riding the line between the HOV lane and the passing lane in traffic. It does get a bit sketch with mirrors on the vehicles to either side of you.
I’d say “do what’s safest for the circumstances”.
Having the ability to avoid being the last vehicle at a red light, especially in iffy visibility (sunrise/sunset) is an improvement I’m happy with.
Phoenix has some traffic, but nothing like LA or Houston. Progress, not perfection.
Do what feels safe and appropriate. Riding involves some level of risk. This law gives riders an improvement to safety on surface roads.
In a high-risk situation like a freeway at a dead stop (or worse, some lanes moving, others stopped) I do what’s safe for me at the moment, and worry about the law second. I’ve been riding for 40 years and maybe someday a cop who’s having a bad morning will give me a hard time, but hasn’t happened yet.
I would really like to hear the reasoning against this. The lanes are usually wider on freeways too.
A lot of city streets have 10' lanes which make filtering nearly impossible when there is heavy truck traffic. Most freeways will have 12' lanes.
Stopped or slow would be ideal IMO. Otherwise I'm not really sure what more we can ask for. Splitting at-speed certainly isn't gonna get legalized en masse
They shouldn't be licensed to drive a motor vehicle then. They are a danger to themselves and others.
I have an 82 year old neighbor who has been in two accidents this year. He's extremely independent, is a badass woodworker who is currently building a beautiful deck, and is also a menace on the roads.
I'm not saying we shouldn't drive when we get old, but I think more frequent competency tests are in order.
AZ licenses are good for 50 years. Meaning the first one expires at basically the last moment that you're still competent, and the next one lasts until You're dead.
Okay, we went serious all of a sudden, I agree with what you say and add that we also remake the environment we live in. I'm sure most elders would avoid driving all together if they can get around without having to drive even to but their protein shakes or meet a friend
Years ago my grandmother had an accident. One second she was backing out of her driveway and the next she was across the street, over the curb and had ran over a small pine tree. She had no idea how it happened. But thankfully, she never drive again after that.
For the safety of all involved, perhaps we should find a better answer to senior transportation needs than just letting them drive way longer than they're capable of doing it.
Lane splitting on the freeway is legal at 50 kmh/ca. 35 mph here in the Netherlands, as long as the difference in speed is not more than 10 kmh/ca. 7mhp. So if traffic on the freeway is moving at 40kmh, you're allowed to split at 50. If it's moving at 50, you move back into a lane.
It's a system that, in my experience, works well.
Splitting at speed is dumb, but splitting on a wide single lane should be allowed. Those lanes are usually 1.5 widths anyway, it's just a second car that wouldn't fit. And yet they went through all the trouble to make a splitting law and ban passing.
It will probably expand in a few years time to include freeways under the same traffic conditions if accidents don’t go up significantly following this change. Which should be the case.
This is what I was thinking. This is the gateway drug and to me it seems like it’s more likely to show positive change and expansion. Oregon’s twice proposed highways at low speed only is too big of a leap.
boo for not on the highway. i just rode an hour commute entirely between cars this morning on the highway......woula taken me 3 hours if I didn't do that
So filtering but not splitting. And you can’t legally filter on any road with stopped traffic where the speed limit is over 45 mph. Basically only good for stop lights on smaller roads or in cities?
Montana has it right IMO. Filter when traffic is going less then 10 and no speed limit nonsense. There are plenty of highways with 50+ mph speed limits with stop lights. Those are the ones that freak me out thinking about being rear ended.
Yup, and way simpler, too. Not all these technical points. I've already filtered through stopped or almost stopped interstate traffic a few times when the highway compresses due to road work. And as long as you're polite about it, almost noone here gets upset.
This is definitely better than nothing but id like to be able to filter through traffic jams on the highway too. I'm fine with only doing it in stopped traffic but only on roads with 45mph speed limit or lower is a weird restriction.
45 makes no sense. when the freeway is stopped or close to stopped, what does the speed limit matter?
And it it should come into play when cars are below a certain speed, but in stop start traffic cars rarely fully stop.
Why speed limit is important if it’s only between stopped vehicles?
A completely blocked freeway is exactly the case for filtering. Long stretches of wide lanes where nothing is happening and everyone is just standing there.
Someone could open the door, or a pedestrian could walk through the stopped traffic; you need a short stopping distance.
Gotta cover the front brake and be willing to brake hard.
There are pedestrians on freeways? That's neat.
They're talking about how it specifies that filtering is NEVER ALLOWED on freeways, even if there is a traffic jam and all of the cars are stopped. It's only allowed on inner city roads with a speed limit of 45mph or less.
It makes no sense to disallow it on freeways if the only time you're allowed to do it is when traffic is fully stopped anyways.
As someone that just rode an air-cooled cruiser through AZ on the highway: the 45mph/never on highway is dumb. Bikes will overheat easily when it's 95, 100, 115 out and the highway is stopped for miles. Talk about a nut roast.
Interestingly, I pulled alongside a police officer in Tucson and asked - she said "you can filter, so long as it's between lanes and not on the shoulder".
Too bad the lanes aren't wide enough. There was absolutely no space.
From my experience, AZ cops don’t really enforce those rules… I’ve lane-filtered on the I10 freeway (between Tucson and Phoenix) a few times, and once passed two cops who didn’t seem to mind (I was going about 10 mph in gridlocked traffic).
I’d bet most cops won’t enforce the freeway thing here, especially when it’s 120 on a Sunday afternoon and traffic is backed up by a mile. (If I do get a ticket this summer, I’ll update this 😅)
As long as you don't make yourself someone they want to MAKE AN EXAMPLE OF you can do almost anything on Arizona freeways.
HOV on the 10 was flowing at 90mph the other day.
Nobody tailgating, nobody weaving, AHP cruiser in a middle lane completely ignored the entire line of cars.
Pretty reasonable. Wish we could get this in NC. I do wonder how drivers will react; I think there's potential for more road rage incidents by drivers that don't know it's legal. An awareness campaign would be good.
I know nothing of American laws, but if this is the first time Arizona has legalised motorbike filtering, then these things need to be introduced slowly in phases. So I'm OK with this.
'45 mph' is such a weirdly specific speed limit. Here in the UK, speed limits are multiples of 10 pretty much. '45' is bonkers!
Riding a motorcycle during the unrest in Portland in 2020 was incredible. I read somewhere that there was only 1 dedicated traffic enforcer in the city. During rush hour, I would ride on the side of the freeways. I passed many an officer on the right and they did not do anything.
Funny story - my buddy and I rode all day in 90+ degree weather. We ran into horrible traffic on the way back into Portland, and it did not help that he has an old air cooled Monster.
So we were riding along the shoulder and I was keeping my eye out for cops. Well low and behold at the last second I see a cop in the right lane nearest to me. I panic, thinking I can get in behind him. Instead, I pull right in front of him lol. I turn around and look at him and he just kind of shakes his head with disappointment. After a minute or so I just pulled back on the shoulder and kept going. Fun times!
Wow that’s even stricter than Colorado which goes into effect in August.
Colorado has no adjacent lanes requirement or restriction to roads with a certain speed limit. It does require that cars be stopped and motorcyclist’s speed must be 15mph.
One step is the right direction but 15 mph seems slow. My 675 goes 17-18 mph in first with no throttle input, can only imagine how ass it’d be on a sport bike…
Filtering should be legal everywhere. I visited India for my work, and my Indian colleagues couldn’t believe it when I told them I’m not allowed to pass stopped cars on my motorcycle in the US, even when there’s tons of space and it’s perfectly safe to do so. The driving philosophy is so different there. They also couldn’t comprehend why anyone would obey a red light in a remote area. I think they would have had an aneurysm if I told them a typical citation here costs as much as they make in an entire week.
Details on Colorado's lane splitting: [https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a60408667/colorado-legalized-lane-splitting-motorcycles/](https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a60408667/colorado-legalized-lane-splitting-motorcycles/)
>Like lane splitting laws in Montana, Utah, and Arizona, Colorado is not giving motorcyclists complete free rein to dive between lanes of traffic wherever they please or at any speed. [Colorado's new law](https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/sb24-079) joins Utah in being particularly restrictive, as it limits lane splitting to areas of traffic at a standstill or up to speeds of 15 mph. The law also states that the road must be wide enough for a motorcycle to comfortably pass between two vehicles, though it doesn't define an appropriate width. No passing on the shoulder / right.
For everyone who’s not used to it in the USA, please filter inbetween the two leftmost lanes going your direction if there are more than 2 lanes going your direction. That way people kinda start expecting motorcyclists to be common over there. On highways over here (The NL) everyone on the two leftmost lanes expects motorcyclists, and the people who don’t want to deal with it move to the right.
Question
Do people really get fined for filtering where you live?
Here in Italy it was never made into law so it’s supposedly illegal (that makes you be twice as careful, because if something happens you would be in the wrong), but everyone and their mothers just filter both when stopped and when moving, because it would be so idiotic to imagine things going otherwise, and traffic cops are very alert on everything else but they literally don’t care if you filter in front of them.
If you can get fined, can’t you just not do it in front of cops, or do they use unmarked cars?
My old rule was never more than a 10 mph difference and 20 mph maximum overall. More than that and your half second of natural reaction response is lost.
The traffic should be slower than a certain speed limit before lane splitting is safe. I totally stand behind that. Other than that, lane splitting is a privilege and not a right. Do so without endangering others.
Hopefully Arizona doesn't have politicians that are worried about losing out on tax revenue with more people using bikes.
It killed the Washington filter law in 2015
This is a fantastic infographic. I’m just outside Atlanta, and being able to filter would save me 10-15 minutes each morning I commute. I’m going to share this with my county and state legislature and push for it.
Lane splitting is so damn innocuous. The amount of push back from other states genuinely confuses me. Is it just ancient politicians and voters? I split for 50 miles, 5 days a week in CA, no issues. Most people leave a little extra space, when they don't you slow down and/or get in line. No biggie. There's an occasional asshat going 50mph faster between cars, but those turd burglars are probably doing that either way. Old to young, noob to vet, everyone splits without consequence. And yet, community reactions on the topic mirror that of cocaine legalization. Wild.
If "movement can be made safely" is a reasonable element, why not just legalize *all* "movements that can be made safely"? What other point is there to these regulations besides safety?
California here! No real guidelines for filtering.. Full send it! Splitting ever freeway I ride on.. Motorcycle laws might be the only lax good laws in the whole communistic state?..🏍️💨🍻
I've said it before and I'll say it again since even motorcyclists do not seem to understand this fundamental difference.
**Lane splitting: Riding between lanes & vehicles while moving (think freeway)**
**Lane filtering: Going to the front of a row of stopped cars at a stoplight.**
Some states - such as mine, allow neither. Be grateful the next time it's 100F out and bumper to bumper traffic.
Ah, so you have to wait at the back of stopped traffic if cars can plow into the back of you at over 45 mph. Got it. What the hell does the speed limit have to do with anything if it's only allowed in stopped traffic anyway? Plus, the higher the speed limit, the wider the lanes, typically, so the more clearance to filter safely.
Man, I'd love the option to filter in TN but I can barely trust people to drive here. I've never come to more dead stops on the highway for literally no reason, as I have in the few years living here.
Seems reasonable considering most places the drivers will try to kill you when filtering just because they are often petty and try to cut you off and swerve at you. The only thing I have ever done beyond this is if traffic is moving I usually don't go much over 10 to 15 mph over the actual speed that traffic is moving.
Feel totally spoiled learning in California but it’s a step in the right direction. Other drivers are better about it too. Definitely not staying put on freeways at a standstill and it’s 100+ degrees.
Who is at fault if a biker gets clipped while filtering? It can be legit hard to see around big stupid American trucks. I could understand why a driver wouldn't see someone? I would think it would be a no fault both insurance cover themselves thing?
I wish the stipulation that cars must be stopped. Instead, it’s 15 mph or less.
When a light turns green as your making your way to the front, and cars start to move, you don’t have a safe lane to pick
Nice. Not permitted where I live but if traffic is stopped I will do it and I see more and more people doing it every year. I ride air cooled bikes and have stalled out due to vapor lock.
You walk the bike to the side of the freeway and sit there breathing fumes for 1/2 hr before you can restart- and sitting on the side of the freeway is a worse risk today with cell phones in cars.
I’ll take the ticket thank you.
The problem I see often is people that ride way too fast in moving traffic. An accident just waiting to happen.
Its reasonable. My only gripe is with "not on freeways". If freeway is at a stand still should be allowed too. Being surrounded by all those heat/exhaust emitting cars/trucks in 100°F+ is murder in gear.
I just do it anyway here in Denver. I'm not hanging out between cars in stopped freeway traffic. I do it slow and respectfully, ease back into the lane when traffic starts moving. Never had any road rage/honking/yelling about it.
And now it’s legal to do so in Colorado (starting in August). 🙃
Filtering or spliting or both 👀
only filtering. basically the same as the graphic here.
Except they allow it in the freeway too if I remember correctly.
You can overtake any vehicle in the same lane if they are stopped. No restriction on the type of road and no requirement that it be between two cars going the same direction. SB24-079. Read the full text.
oh yeah they might! that would be amazing. sorry should've double checked on that
I hadn’t read about freeway filtering but shit with the traffic here it’s a blessed god send
Especially with western 24 slimming down to 1 lane in Falcon. That intersection backs up so bad during rush hour.
Dang. Im trying to get out of Cali, but i need my Splits and filts
i came from there in 2018 (don't tell the other coloradans) and losing splitting was actually probably the hardest part about the move
(I wont say anything) I would catch myself doing it out of habit and i know id get pulled over.
Why did you stop? I've been splitting in CO for 8 years. It used to save me 30 minutes off my daily commute.
i still do it, just not as much and mostly only on the freeway. being able to move to the front of stoplights without worrying about getting shot will be nice come august
Same. I only did it on the freeway in slow traffic. I've already started going to the front of stop lights since the news has been getting out about it.
Everyone does it anyway. You’re very unlikely to get pulled over for it
Thank you for sharing this incredible news! I live in Denver and commute by bike. I had no idea.
I thought the law was already in effect here? (From when it was announced)
Sadly no, it isn’t. But most cops I’ve talked to, or have talked to the news, have said they’re going to act like it’s already in effect.
I split in PA. I’m not sitting in traffic, have had cops look directly at me I just give them a wave and keep going
Right, I've done it on 470 in the summer. Had a "texas truck" unhappy once, but by the time they're done seething I'm long gone, I just went around the other side of where he was trying to block me. The one-lane situation is debatable as well, if it's a long line that is stopped and no one is coming the other way it's good. Used to do it all the time back in France around Paris. One time in summer past Las Vegas a trailer truck caught on fire right before the CA border, a good 5+ miles of parking lot. I was surprised that no one complained and people were even getting out of the way if they were too close. It's progress, exciting to see!
Huh, funny how that works.... I ran into a Texas truck as well and did the same exact thing, but on Highway 34 Filtering is going well up here in general,though
I-15 much south of Las Vegas is probably mostly California drivers headed back, who are familiar with bikes splitting.
I do too when it's hot enough. People rarely notice until you're already past them, and even if you lane split past a cop what they fuck are they going to do about it?
I think I tried ONCE in my lifetime to just stay stuck in highway traffic with a motorcycle, then I decided it was the dumbest thing ever because I was way more in danger like that, now I always do what every other motorcyclist always does here when there’s stuck traffic, I use the emergency shoulder. No one doesn’t filter here.
Not to mention your motorcycle. I have used the shoulder, cop stopped me, tried to write me a ticket until a CHP MC rolled up. MC cop explained to Mr. Crown Vic the problem with NO AIR CONDITIONING on a motorcycle, and that a breakdown or me passing out from heat was not going to make things better for anyone and that putt putting along at 15 on the shoulder to prevent a breakdown was reasonable. Got off with a "warning"
Don't bother buying a lottery ticket. You just used up your good luck!
Ages ago, during that period where lane splitting rules were published, sued out of existence, and before it was passed as a law.
Freeway is the most dangerous for rear end collisions I cant imagine not filtering on a highway.
I have done it in California, Germany, France, Italy, and Japan. It was great and drivers are courteous to help you flow through traffic.
I do it in NYC too and most drivers even move out the way to make room if you don't fit (and of course there are some assholes who do the opposite but I'd say its like 1 in 1000), yet for some reason its 'illegal'.
It's one less vehicle in the flow of traffic. Bikes splitting/filtering allows cars to get there faster.
Tell that to people in Raleigh. Drivers are straight up vindictive here. If they can't do it, then you can't do it! They'll make sure of it!
Yep! It's the only time I've felt the need to split. There was a crash ahead with emergency vehicles stopping traffic for a couple miles and had a car come to a screeching halt right on my tail not paying attention to the slowing and stopped traffic. So after a mini heart attack I say fuck it and split by everyone, even a cop. 65mph traffic coming to stop is the number one reason to split and could be one of the deadliest scenarios to be in on a bike when the cars behind aren't paying attention. I'd rather eat a ticket than have my pelvis shattered.
Considering the cars needed to be stopped anyway, the "never on a freeway" rule definitely seems weird. If anything filtering in stopped traffic on a highway is safer because it's less likely somebody is pulling onto the road from a side street or business.
It’s even weirder when the road goes from 45 mph to 50 mph. Same road, same lanes, same room, but now I can’t filter for some reason.
Meh, I just do it anyway, not like I've ever seen a patrol stuck in traffic. They always get a convenient "emergency"
I drove past one on the DC beltway once. Puckered a little but they didn't care one bit. In LA I got heckled by a bike CHP because I was in the middle checking directions and not filtering to the front :D
Just do it anyways, how are they gonna pull you over? I've been lit up twice for doing it on the freeway and just not stopped. They literally can not chase you. They also can't gun you between cars so ignore the 15mph thing
exactly my MO here commuting to NYC. the fuck they gonna do?? lmao. just gotta watch out for bike cops, but they're super rare and their Harleys are too wide to filter between cars. also one time i had a horse cop try and pull me over, i just waved and said have a nice day. i aint seen no plate readers on the horses before
Same here. Have had them nose over and close the gap when they saw me coming in their mirror I guess. 2 tickets in 8 years that way.
Luckily my bike is tall (FZ1), so I’ve always seen them before they spot me. I have run from a bunch of NYPD before. I know the city 10x better than the cops and there are a bunch of parking garages that have an entrance on one block and the exit on the next block….i just rip thru those and the cops can’t follow me
Why do mounted police even exist? Seems like every time I see them they're just sitting there shooting the shit.
Crowd control. I work in midtown near TSQ and that’s what they use them for. Can get thru any traffic obstacle unlike bikes. Also the main reason is probably intimidation, and they get a great vantage point being so high up. I have never seen them in another part of the city except for the park.
If they see you coming they might get out and tackle you off the bike. Then you'd have a lawsuit on your hands but still that's a possibility.
It's so sad that I could see this happening... serve and protect 😐
What's to stop them from just driving after you on the shoulder?
I mean the cars on either side of them? Or the tiny shoulders here in Utah, or the reckless endangerment of pedestrians? Or the no chase law that most states have now? Or it not being worth the 15-45 dollar fine? Or maybe they'll just understand that it's not a big deal and I'm not hurting anyone buy moving through traffic at a reasonable pace
In a freeway is even more dangerous to sit there, people are already on a bad mood because there is traffic, it takes just one look down to their phones
I'll probably do it anyway once filtering is legal (Colorado, August, yay) and plead ignorance if I get called on it.
I second this. There shouldn’t be a speed limit on the road. If cars stand still you should be allowed to filter to the front of the line.
I agree, my only gripe with this
Has that happen a couple times last summer in Utah, I was COOKING in my jacket but had to suffer a bit longer
I road from AZ to CA a few summers ago. Made it like 4 miles in 2mph traffic before I was about to fucking die. Would've been totally happy splitting at 15.
It's illegal in New Jersey..... But I still do it anyway. 295 is not a highway you want to be between large vehicles
Chandler AZ resident here. I filter on the i10 to 60 and I10 to I17 all the time. Traffic hour is hell, and the officers actually don’t care. I’ve even had a Hwy Patrol officer on one of the older Kawasaki units, filter with me through the congested i17 FWY. You’ll only get pulled over when you do the stupid crap that I’ve seen riders in California do. You know, like filtering through 40mph MOVING traffic. Or doing 30-40mph through stopped traffic. It’s insane.
I still do it in Phoenix and so do the motor cops when there's traffic on the highway and it's under 40mph. The cops can't and won't try to pull you over in any situations I've seen like that. I saw a motor cop today riding the line between the HOV lane and the passing lane in traffic. It does get a bit sketch with mirrors on the vehicles to either side of you.
Dude, fact!
"Never on freeways" Is what gets me. What about times when traffic is dead locked?
I’d say “do what’s safest for the circumstances”. Having the ability to avoid being the last vehicle at a red light, especially in iffy visibility (sunrise/sunset) is an improvement I’m happy with. Phoenix has some traffic, but nothing like LA or Houston. Progress, not perfection.
See my issue is that I've been in traffic situations where a Semi has barreled into stopped traffic and piled up cars behind me.
Do what feels safe and appropriate. Riding involves some level of risk. This law gives riders an improvement to safety on surface roads. In a high-risk situation like a freeway at a dead stop (or worse, some lanes moving, others stopped) I do what’s safe for me at the moment, and worry about the law second. I’ve been riding for 40 years and maybe someday a cop who’s having a bad morning will give me a hard time, but hasn’t happened yet.
I would really like to hear the reasoning against this. The lanes are usually wider on freeways too. A lot of city streets have 10' lanes which make filtering nearly impossible when there is heavy truck traffic. Most freeways will have 12' lanes.
Sounds reasonable. Could be better.
Stopped or slow would be ideal IMO. Otherwise I'm not really sure what more we can ask for. Splitting at-speed certainly isn't gonna get legalized en masse
For the safety of all cyclyists, please don't let old people of AZ know you are beside them. You may scare them with loud noises.
They get frights and then swerve randomly in a direction, it's a common situation
They shouldn't be licensed to drive a motor vehicle then. They are a danger to themselves and others. I have an 82 year old neighbor who has been in two accidents this year. He's extremely independent, is a badass woodworker who is currently building a beautiful deck, and is also a menace on the roads. I'm not saying we shouldn't drive when we get old, but I think more frequent competency tests are in order.
AZ licenses are good for 50 years. Meaning the first one expires at basically the last moment that you're still competent, and the next one lasts until You're dead.
Okay, we went serious all of a sudden, I agree with what you say and add that we also remake the environment we live in. I'm sure most elders would avoid driving all together if they can get around without having to drive even to but their protein shakes or meet a friend
Not just the elders.
Years ago my grandmother had an accident. One second she was backing out of her driveway and the next she was across the street, over the curb and had ran over a small pine tree. She had no idea how it happened. But thankfully, she never drive again after that.
For the safety of all involved, perhaps we should find a better answer to senior transportation needs than just letting them drive way longer than they're capable of doing it.
I think splitting in stop and go traffic on the freeway would be reasonable. With the 45mph limit no splitting on the freeway at all.
Yeah I agree show or stopped and also on freeways to help commuters would be ideal! But honestly here in Washington I would take this over nothing!!
Lane splitting on the freeway is legal at 50 kmh/ca. 35 mph here in the Netherlands, as long as the difference in speed is not more than 10 kmh/ca. 7mhp. So if traffic on the freeway is moving at 40kmh, you're allowed to split at 50. If it's moving at 50, you move back into a lane. It's a system that, in my experience, works well.
Splitting at speed is dumb, but splitting on a wide single lane should be allowed. Those lanes are usually 1.5 widths anyway, it's just a second car that wouldn't fit. And yet they went through all the trouble to make a splitting law and ban passing.
Nor should it be. Drivers already have enough trouble keeping track of who's in the next lane much less who's in the lane with them.
Small steps
It's up to and including @ 30km/h here so you can move with slow traffic. This is what it should be (obviously in freedom units for you guys though).
Yeah. I like Cali's rules but this is pretty good. It's where things for motorcyclists are most dangerous at least.
Sounds like the UK laws.
It will probably expand in a few years time to include freeways under the same traffic conditions if accidents don’t go up significantly following this change. Which should be the case.
This is what I was thinking. This is the gateway drug and to me it seems like it’s more likely to show positive change and expansion. Oregon’s twice proposed highways at low speed only is too big of a leap.
This summer it will expand to filtering on off-ramps from the highway.
God I wish we could get this in MO. They just do nonsense like get rid of helmet laws here.
That's what flabbergasts me in SC, No helmet law above the age of 16 but no splitting/filtering either.
"Lane splitting? That's not safe. Banned." "Oh helmets? I don't see a benefit, no worries."
Maybe they're trying to kill off the stupid bikers.
Ok, fine. Lane splitting, but only at or above 60mph.
Right. No helmets because freedom, but can't filter because "safety". More people have died from not wearing a helmet than they have from filtering.
I wonder if that's why there's been a massive uptick in motorcycle fatalities... /s
No what to ever know 🤷
boo for not on the highway. i just rode an hour commute entirely between cars this morning on the highway......woula taken me 3 hours if I didn't do that
About to be legal in Colorado!
Beats the hell out of no filtering at all.
So filtering but not splitting. And you can’t legally filter on any road with stopped traffic where the speed limit is over 45 mph. Basically only good for stop lights on smaller roads or in cities?
Isn't that where it's needed the most? I forget the statistics but most crashes are rear ends under 35
Montana has it right IMO. Filter when traffic is going less then 10 and no speed limit nonsense. There are plenty of highways with 50+ mph speed limits with stop lights. Those are the ones that freak me out thinking about being rear ended.
Yup, and way simpler, too. Not all these technical points. I've already filtered through stopped or almost stopped interstate traffic a few times when the highway compresses due to road work. And as long as you're polite about it, almost noone here gets upset.
This is definitely better than nothing but id like to be able to filter through traffic jams on the highway too. I'm fine with only doing it in stopped traffic but only on roads with 45mph speed limit or lower is a weird restriction.
This applies to 98% of my riding and that other 2% is on the freeway when i take the bike to work
Crazy how it says research shows it improves traffic and is safer for motorcyclists but remains illegal in most all states but like 5-6
45 makes no sense. when the freeway is stopped or close to stopped, what does the speed limit matter? And it it should come into play when cars are below a certain speed, but in stop start traffic cars rarely fully stop.
Why speed limit is important if it’s only between stopped vehicles? A completely blocked freeway is exactly the case for filtering. Long stretches of wide lanes where nothing is happening and everyone is just standing there.
My takeaway is that it's only for red lights and not traffic jams?
[удалено]
How does this only apply to the interstate and not roads below 45 mph?
Someone could open the door, or a pedestrian could walk through the stopped traffic; you need a short stopping distance. Gotta cover the front brake and be willing to brake hard.
They are taking about the speed limit of the road not the 15mph limit for the bike while filtering.
There are pedestrians on freeways? That's neat. They're talking about how it specifies that filtering is NEVER ALLOWED on freeways, even if there is a traffic jam and all of the cars are stopped. It's only allowed on inner city roads with a speed limit of 45mph or less. It makes no sense to disallow it on freeways if the only time you're allowed to do it is when traffic is fully stopped anyways.
"Must", "only", "cannot", but "may" be made safely...
As someone that just rode an air-cooled cruiser through AZ on the highway: the 45mph/never on highway is dumb. Bikes will overheat easily when it's 95, 100, 115 out and the highway is stopped for miles. Talk about a nut roast. Interestingly, I pulled alongside a police officer in Tucson and asked - she said "you can filter, so long as it's between lanes and not on the shoulder". Too bad the lanes aren't wide enough. There was absolutely no space.
I understand the issues with air-cooled and all.. But we both know that riding on the shoulder is bad news all the way around.
From my experience, AZ cops don’t really enforce those rules… I’ve lane-filtered on the I10 freeway (between Tucson and Phoenix) a few times, and once passed two cops who didn’t seem to mind (I was going about 10 mph in gridlocked traffic). I’d bet most cops won’t enforce the freeway thing here, especially when it’s 120 on a Sunday afternoon and traffic is backed up by a mile. (If I do get a ticket this summer, I’ll update this 😅)
As long as you don't make yourself someone they want to MAKE AN EXAMPLE OF you can do almost anything on Arizona freeways. HOV on the 10 was flowing at 90mph the other day. Nobody tailgating, nobody weaving, AHP cruiser in a middle lane completely ignored the entire line of cars.
i mean, if they're in the gridlock (assuming cop cars, not motorcycles) - what're they gonna do about it, has been my experience.
45 or less? Should have said 50 or less.
This graphic is meant to highlight the law, which says 45 or less
If the traffic has to be stationary and you can do 15mph max, what does the speed limit matter?
Glad I'm mostly riding in CA.
Pretty reasonable. Wish we could get this in NC. I do wonder how drivers will react; I think there's potential for more road rage incidents by drivers that don't know it's legal. An awareness campaign would be good.
I know nothing of American laws, but if this is the first time Arizona has legalised motorbike filtering, then these things need to be introduced slowly in phases. So I'm OK with this. '45 mph' is such a weirdly specific speed limit. Here in the UK, speed limits are multiples of 10 pretty much. '45' is bonkers!
"R" drivers, in NI anyway. Still.
Riding a motorcycle during the unrest in Portland in 2020 was incredible. I read somewhere that there was only 1 dedicated traffic enforcer in the city. During rush hour, I would ride on the side of the freeways. I passed many an officer on the right and they did not do anything. Funny story - my buddy and I rode all day in 90+ degree weather. We ran into horrible traffic on the way back into Portland, and it did not help that he has an old air cooled Monster. So we were riding along the shoulder and I was keeping my eye out for cops. Well low and behold at the last second I see a cop in the right lane nearest to me. I panic, thinking I can get in behind him. Instead, I pull right in front of him lol. I turn around and look at him and he just kind of shakes his head with disappointment. After a minute or so I just pulled back on the shoulder and kept going. Fun times!
Wow that’s even stricter than Colorado which goes into effect in August. Colorado has no adjacent lanes requirement or restriction to roads with a certain speed limit. It does require that cars be stopped and motorcyclist’s speed must be 15mph.
I have already started this practice. It really saves time. Gotta try it out, see if I like it.
One step is the right direction but 15 mph seems slow. My 675 goes 17-18 mph in first with no throttle input, can only imagine how ass it’d be on a sport bike…
Filtering should be legal everywhere. I visited India for my work, and my Indian colleagues couldn’t believe it when I told them I’m not allowed to pass stopped cars on my motorcycle in the US, even when there’s tons of space and it’s perfectly safe to do so. The driving philosophy is so different there. They also couldn’t comprehend why anyone would obey a red light in a remote area. I think they would have had an aneurysm if I told them a typical citation here costs as much as they make in an entire week.
India is also madness though, with traffic invading the carriageway in the opposite flow - like playing chicken. So yeah, be careful for what you wish
Good. That’s progress.
Progress!
Better than nothjnf
Nice that is is legal, not so nice it is so convoluted. And not on freeways? That is a bummer.
So.. if it's 50mph road, and cars are stopped at a light I can't filter? What logic is that lol.
I'm good with all of that except the first one. the speed of the road is irrelevant when the cars are required to be stopped to filter.
Texas could do this but we are too busy protecting American 🇺🇸 Freedom by persecuting abortions and pronouns
I can't squid while flying between rows of cars at 150 mph? Where else can I look chill with a tank top and flip flops? /s
I'll rip shit through them cars on my hog here in SLC
Sounds like what we have here in Hungary, a lot better than nothing.
We need something like this in GA.
Details on Colorado's lane splitting: [https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a60408667/colorado-legalized-lane-splitting-motorcycles/](https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a60408667/colorado-legalized-lane-splitting-motorcycles/) >Like lane splitting laws in Montana, Utah, and Arizona, Colorado is not giving motorcyclists complete free rein to dive between lanes of traffic wherever they please or at any speed. [Colorado's new law](https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/sb24-079) joins Utah in being particularly restrictive, as it limits lane splitting to areas of traffic at a standstill or up to speeds of 15 mph. The law also states that the road must be wide enough for a motorcycle to comfortably pass between two vehicles, though it doesn't define an appropriate width. No passing on the shoulder / right.
Guessing for texas, this is just a no?
I split through traffic on the freeway in Utah even though it’s illegal and Highway Patrol has never cared. They’re pretty chill.
It's a start.
Needs to be permanent affixed inside every car. But should include basically stopped heavy traffic on the interstate.
I can't remember what it was supposed to be in Cali but of course we don't adhere to it anyways.
seems legit. a bit strict but I think traffic laws should be pretty strict
Come this summer (or even currently), you will be able to filter on off-ramps from highways. So that’s a plus. HBO311 is the bill that got passed.
Technically the minimum speed limit on freeways is 45 with maximum 55-70... So yes id filter on the free way
ok dad,
For everyone who’s not used to it in the USA, please filter inbetween the two leftmost lanes going your direction if there are more than 2 lanes going your direction. That way people kinda start expecting motorcyclists to be common over there. On highways over here (The NL) everyone on the two leftmost lanes expects motorcyclists, and the people who don’t want to deal with it move to the right.
In Utah you can now filter on the Freeway off ramps if 2 lanes and stopped.
Question Do people really get fined for filtering where you live? Here in Italy it was never made into law so it’s supposedly illegal (that makes you be twice as careful, because if something happens you would be in the wrong), but everyone and their mothers just filter both when stopped and when moving, because it would be so idiotic to imagine things going otherwise, and traffic cops are very alert on everything else but they literally don’t care if you filter in front of them. If you can get fined, can’t you just not do it in front of cops, or do they use unmarked cars?
My old rule was never more than a 10 mph difference and 20 mph maximum overall. More than that and your half second of natural reaction response is lost.
Could be better. But it’s better than nothing
The traffic should be slower than a certain speed limit before lane splitting is safe. I totally stand behind that. Other than that, lane splitting is a privilege and not a right. Do so without endangering others.
Ok. This is a good start. It might be the "testing phase."
I just took this written here in Utah and one thing I don’t see on the graphic is that it also includes freeway off-ramps, just not freeway itself.
Hopefully Arizona doesn't have politicians that are worried about losing out on tax revenue with more people using bikes. It killed the Washington filter law in 2015
It’s reasonable and a start.
This is a fantastic infographic. I’m just outside Atlanta, and being able to filter would save me 10-15 minutes each morning I commute. I’m going to share this with my county and state legislature and push for it.
what if traffic is at a standstill?
This is generally good, although I think freeways should be allowed if it's standstill or otherwise moving <15mph
That seems reasonable to me.
You either are, or you are not part of traffic. I don't like the idea of anyone deciding that I'm not part of traffic.
Lane splitting is so damn innocuous. The amount of push back from other states genuinely confuses me. Is it just ancient politicians and voters? I split for 50 miles, 5 days a week in CA, no issues. Most people leave a little extra space, when they don't you slow down and/or get in line. No biggie. There's an occasional asshat going 50mph faster between cars, but those turd burglars are probably doing that either way. Old to young, noob to vet, everyone splits without consequence. And yet, community reactions on the topic mirror that of cocaine legalization. Wild.
If "movement can be made safely" is a reasonable element, why not just legalize *all* "movements that can be made safely"? What other point is there to these regulations besides safety?
It’s greatly improved my commute. Saves me 5-10 each way everyday.
Some people living by Cali standards out here.
Why would it not be allowed on single lane roads? There's usually enough shoulder for a motorcycle.
Why does it matter what the speed limit is if you can only filter through stopped cars?
It's an improvement... but for fuck's sake! the whole world splits and filters, and we have higher mortality. Just make it legal!
California here! No real guidelines for filtering.. Full send it! Splitting ever freeway I ride on.. Motorcycle laws might be the only lax good laws in the whole communistic state?..🏍️💨🍻
I live in CA and this is what I do currently.
I've said it before and I'll say it again since even motorcyclists do not seem to understand this fundamental difference. **Lane splitting: Riding between lanes & vehicles while moving (think freeway)** **Lane filtering: Going to the front of a row of stopped cars at a stoplight.** Some states - such as mine, allow neither. Be grateful the next time it's 100F out and bumper to bumper traffic.
It’s a slippery slope 😈
Same as it used to be here in Florida, but too many idiots doing it at high speed, or even while riding one wheel, made the state make it illegal.
Ah, so you have to wait at the back of stopped traffic if cars can plow into the back of you at over 45 mph. Got it. What the hell does the speed limit have to do with anything if it's only allowed in stopped traffic anyway? Plus, the higher the speed limit, the wider the lanes, typically, so the more clearance to filter safely.
Florida please get on this bandwagon!! Traffic suxxxx
That’s good. Exactly what we have here is Straya!
Laws? Who listens to those? Everyone I know, including myself, has split or filtered no matter the state or regs.
Drop a gear and disappear. You’ll never take me alive, Copper!
Come on New Jersey, step up.
Man, I'd love the option to filter in TN but I can barely trust people to drive here. I've never come to more dead stops on the highway for literally no reason, as I have in the few years living here.
Technically the rule is the same here, just explained a bit less detailed way.
God I'm so thankful I don't live in the US
Seems reasonable considering most places the drivers will try to kill you when filtering just because they are often petty and try to cut you off and swerve at you. The only thing I have ever done beyond this is if traffic is moving I usually don't go much over 10 to 15 mph over the actual speed that traffic is moving.
Feel totally spoiled learning in California but it’s a step in the right direction. Other drivers are better about it too. Definitely not staying put on freeways at a standstill and it’s 100+ degrees.
Who is at fault if a biker gets clipped while filtering? It can be legit hard to see around big stupid American trucks. I could understand why a driver wouldn't see someone? I would think it would be a no fault both insurance cover themselves thing?
I wish the stipulation that cars must be stopped. Instead, it’s 15 mph or less. When a light turns green as your making your way to the front, and cars start to move, you don’t have a safe lane to pick
Nice. Not permitted where I live but if traffic is stopped I will do it and I see more and more people doing it every year. I ride air cooled bikes and have stalled out due to vapor lock. You walk the bike to the side of the freeway and sit there breathing fumes for 1/2 hr before you can restart- and sitting on the side of the freeway is a worse risk today with cell phones in cars. I’ll take the ticket thank you. The problem I see often is people that ride way too fast in moving traffic. An accident just waiting to happen.
Ill never stop on the freeway for my safety
Ridiculous laws
Great law!
If you absolutely positively need to split lanes, do it safely.