Is motorcycle filtering legal in Switzerland??

[Biker 1]

I ask PH advice as follows:

I was riding my bike between the M26 & J6 of the M25 earlier today. As usual, the traffic ground to a halt shortly after Clacket Lane services, & then proceeded at some 10 to 20mph. I filtered between the traffic in lanes 3 & 4, & generally speaking, drivers were very courteous, seeing me in their mirrors & giving me sufficient space to filter. I am sure I was riding both legally & safely.
Except for some fking wker in a large Audi(??) estate car in lane 4, with Swiss plates & steering on the left. He basically almost squeezed me into a van in lane 3. I was about a third of the way past him, he could clearly see me in his door mirror, & it looked like he was intentionally blocking me off. I sounded the horn, then he did(!!!). I somehow managed to get through the decreasing gap, & after signalling to him 'you are number 1', was on my way.

Presumably filtering is not the done thing in Switzerland? Perhaps it is illegal there? Or are the Swiss just a bunch of fking tt morons??

[Riley Blue]

If you'd asked your question of Google you'd have quickly found the answer: 'No'.

[Bristol spark]

I believe its frowned upon at least in Germany.

I remember being in a traffic jam, and wondering why some bikers in front were queuing up rather than filtering to the front.

[Biker 1]

Riley Blue said:

If you'd asked your question of Google you'd have quickly found the answer: 'No'.

I prefer PH to Google any day - defo more believable.

I guess that answers the question then - he was still a fking for almost deliberately killing me though.

[turbopowerv10]

It certainly is not, I have the 300 franc fine to prove it, nor are loud exhausts and they sure as hell take a dim view on a UK reg (or and reg) bike making progress! Fines are astronomical there, I should know I spend 3 days a week there!

[Biker 1]

turbopowerv10 said:

It certainly is not, I have the 300 franc fine to prove it, nor are loud exhausts and they sure as hell take a dim view on a UK reg (or and reg) bike making progress! Fines are astronomical there, I should know I spend 3 days a week there!

Wow!! I guess that's why this wker cut me up then! Seems a bit OTT, considering he's in a foreign country. I've driven in several foreign countries, & have seen some very 'odd' driving habits, but have respected even some downright suicidal manoeuvres, as I am not familiar with local laws etc. 'When in Rome...'

[Carlson W6]

Let's take the fact that the tosspot was in a foreign country and isn't familiar with the law here
Out of the equation for a moment.

I am focussing purely on his decision to try and uphold what he thinks is the law by putting a bikers health or even
life in danger.

People like this should be banned and made to retest like any other dangerous drivers yet we see these jobsworths again and again driving on our roads.

[HairyMaclary]

Could it be that he was simply driving a left hooker? You could have been in his blindspot?

I appreciate that this logical suggestion doesn't fit with your crazy swiss nutter tried to kill you thinking.

[Biker 1]

HairyMaclary said:

Could it be that he was simply driving a left hooker? You could have been in his blindspot?

I appreciate that this logical suggestion doesn't fit with your crazy swiss nutter tried to kill you thinking.

Being a 'left hooker' in lane 4, & I was filtering between lanes 3 & 4, should have given him even more scope to see me. So the crazy Swiss nutter wker holds, as there would have been LESS blind spot.

[Dog Star]

In a similar vein I've encountered German registered bikes fairly often in the UK sitting in traffic jams where I just ride on through.

As to the OPs Swiss Audi - exactly the actions I'd expect from the Swiss.

[EU_Foreigner]

In CH, everyone is a local policeman and upholds the law.

However, it is one of the weirdest laws in the UK that filtering is allowed though, never understood that being so dangerous.

[Biker 1]

EU_Foreigner said:

In CH, everyone is a local policeman and upholds the law.

However, it is one of the weirdest laws in the UK that filtering is allowed though, never understood that being so dangerous.

Its one of the best reasons to have a bike!!

[Mr GrimNasty]

Biker 1 said:

EU_Foreigner said:

In CH, everyone is a local policeman and upholds the law.

However, it is one of the weirdest laws in the UK that filtering is allowed though, never understood that being so dangerous.

Its one of the best reasons to have a bike!!

I agree it is the main advantage, I also agree it should be illegal, too many abuse it and it is fundamentally dangerous, and puts an impossible onus on other vehicles to observe the impossible.

[CABC]

EU_Foreigner said:

In CH, everyone is a local policeman and upholds the law.

for a supposedly wealthy bunch they're quite frustrated. makes their day pointing out someone else's wrongs.

[Biker 1]

Mr GrimNasty said:

I agree it is the main advantage, I also agree it should be illegal, too many abuse it and it is fundamentally dangerous, and puts an impossible onus on other vehicles to observe the impossible.

I guess we ain't going to agree on that one, & I suspect many others too!!
'Observe the impossible'??? There is very little problem if drivers just stay in lane during traffic jams on motorways, & use indicators when they need to change lanes. It's not rocket science....

[cmaguire]

Biker 1 said:

I guess we ain't going to agree on that one, & I suspect many others too!!
'Observe the impossible'??? There is very little problem if drivers just stay in lane during traffic jams on motorways, & use indicators when they need to change lanes. It's not rocket science....

And use their mirrors.
Beyond the scope of most car drivers however.

[sjtscott]

I have ridden in Swiss towns on my bike like I was in UK/London - I got no end of 'complaints' honks of the horn shouting etc so yes filtering clearly isn't allowed. Nothing unsafe or dangerous at all in my riding and all within the speed limit too.
On the motorway I had one woman aim her car at me and I wasn't going that fast or doing anything wrong either.
Ultimately the full love was felt after my motorcycling mates and myself were relieved of 300 Swiss Francs (deposit) each by the police from the nearest ATM, for a small but perfectly safe tunnel overtaking (call it potentially filtering) infringement. To clarify the lovely armed policemen (who was in an unmarked BMW E30 3 series touring) said if it had been dangerous it would have been 900 Swiss Francs each! The summons in German arrived home about two weeks after we did with unsurprisingly nothing left to pay.

Switzerland is the odd one out in Europe over filtering, though I believe Germany also frowns on it - not that its stopped me filtering in Germany on my bike either. Every other country I've had the pleasure of visiting so far seems to have no issues with motorbikes.

As lovely as the country, roads and scenery are in Switzerland I use it to quickly pass through (in a 100% law abiding way) to somewhere else now on a matter of principle.

Its 100% legal in the UK and the onus is on the Biker to filter safely - ultimately the bikers have more to lose.

[Rovinghawk]

EU_Foreigner said:

filtering is allowed though, never understood that being so dangerous.

It's safe provided the car drivers use the mirrors before changing lanes. Many vehicles deliberately/courteously move to give me room; I do the same for bikes when I'm in a car.

The few idiots filtering dangerously on bikes soon learn Darwin's law.

[Rangeroverover]

From the reaction I get, filtering seems to be unknown in Exeter, many bikes sitting in traffic pretending to be cars, when I use my bike I regularly get beige people with twin overhead national trust stickers hooting at me if I dare to filter past them in stationary traffic.

Those rare ones in Exeter that do filter through to the front at traffic lights just sit there and don't observe the London etiquette of moving accross to allow bikes behind to get through

[Carlson W6]

For those that wish filtering on a motorcycle was illegal.

Be careful what you wish for-

Imagine if every motorcycle started taking up the same space as a car in traffic jams
and the effect that would have on congestion.