Commuting in very heavy traffic: Lane splitting: Comments?

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Comments

  • Onan
    Onan Posts: 321
    A guy in front of me today proved my contention that much of the stuff that happens to people on these forums is no accident, and is just plain meanness on the part of some drivers.

    I was filtering, just as the OP described, and a guy who I was coming up behind must have seen me, because as I satrted to drift right in the lane to pass him, he drifted right to block me. I then drifted left to undertake, since he'd left a good half a lane open at that point, and he cut back accross to block me again.

    He was clearly just intent on keeping me in the que. Miserable bastard.
    Drink poison. Wrestle snakes.
  • Onan
    Onan Posts: 321
    I'm still really bad at reading traffic. I think I'm doing roundabouts wrong every time. I've never driven a car, which I think puts me at a disdvantage.

    I pretty much just say a little prayer every time, and hope everybody is nice enough not to kill me. As it happens, when I observe drivers on roundabouts, they seem to be employing similar tactics, so maybe I'm no worse off than anybody else.
    Drink poison. Wrestle snakes.
  • jeepie
    jeepie Posts: 497
    Yeah - Onan. I think you are right. I couldn't be sure, but I felt this enormous Range Rover sport was moving across the lanes purely to block me! So frustrating!

    Anyway - I've got some more tips now, so will employ them tonight.
  • rhext
    rhext Posts: 1,639
    Onan wrote:
    ........He was clearly just intent on keeping me in the que. Miserable bastard.

    I've had that happen too. Couldn't quite believe it at the time. No matter, in heavy traffic they can't keep you back for long, and I find overtaking a car so much more satisfying if I know its pissing the driver off
  • Sewinman
    Sewinman Posts: 2,131
    It may be legal to draft inbetween lanes of stationary traffic but it hurts a lot when doors are opened and you ride into them....particularly in clipless.
  • chaley
    chaley Posts: 100
    The only time I'll had an off when filtering was with a motorbike, he looked in his mirror saw me going down the middle and thought he'd join in, shame he pulled out straight into the side of me, a big bang and both bikes went over and I stopped on top of him. You would think that motorbike riders would look and see, I think some are worse than Volvo drivers!
    Chaley
    2009 langster

    Blasphemy is the only victimless crime
  • gtvlusso
    gtvlusso Posts: 5,112
    chaley wrote:
    The only time I'll had an off when filtering was with a motorbike, he looked in his mirror saw me going down the middle and thought he'd join in, shame he pulled out straight into the side of me, a big bang and both bikes went over and I stopped on top of him. You would think that motorbike riders would look and see, I think some are worse than Volvo drivers!
    Chaley

    Volvo drivers would not unscrew your head and sh1t down your throat if you had an incident with them.......motorcyclists will do that....
  • always_tyred
    always_tyred Posts: 4,965
    Sewinman wrote:
    It may be legal to draft inbetween lanes of stationary traffic but it hurts a lot when doors are opened and you ride into them....particularly in clipless.

    Being doored is a lot less likely between lanes of traffic than in many bike lanes (i.e. alongside parked cars). The big danger is being squeezed, left hooked or right hooked.
  • jeepie
    jeepie Posts: 497
    Any tips about avoiding getting squeezed? Do you guys ride with a helmet LED so you can shine this through the window of the car? In the case I had with a Range Rover Sport it had very tinted windows too so no eye contact poss....

    In the case I described I think that I can continue lane splitting. But need to watch out for the points Always Tyred mentioned.....
  • _Brun_
    _Brun_ Posts: 1,740
    Jeepie wrote:
    Any tips about avoiding getting squeezed?
    Hit every car on the rear wing as you pass. It may take some practise before you can do this comfortably to both lanes.
  • osxboy
    osxboy Posts: 4
    I occasionally get blocked by a car who just doesn't want to let me past. My main route home allows me to jump onto a cycle lane and then hop off again in front of said car so that when he reaches the next set of lights he's got to wait.

    Usually they shout "use the f***ing cycle lane" to which I reply "I did thanks", that and smiling at them seems to irritate them the most.
  • always_tyred
    always_tyred Posts: 4,965
    Jeepie wrote:
    Any tips about avoiding getting squeezed? Do you guys ride with a helmet LED so you can shine this through the window of the car? In the case I had with a Range Rover Sport it had very tinted windows too so no eye contact poss....

    In the case I described I think that I can continue lane splitting. But need to watch out for the points Always Tyred mentioned.....

    There's no magic formula I'm afraid. Use every tool you have available - don't go too fast, use the motorists' mirrors to see if you can get a sense of what they are going to do, or if they've seen you (useful property of light is that it goes in straight lines), remember that they probably haven't seen you and that its unreasonable to expect them to expect a random cyclist to be coming through in between the lanes, look ahead and try to note drivers who are moving from side to side to see ahead or to try to change lanes.

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