Motorbikers on the wrong side of the road.
Discussion
Evening all.
Driving around London I am amazed at the amount of motorbikers who bypass a traffic jam by riding onto my side of the road, towards me. I know everyone is in a rush these days but I was wondering;
If I hit one of these bikers head on, could I argue that it wasn't my fault because he/she was driving on the wrong side of the road?
I assume I'd be done for driving without due care and attention but some of these guys suddenly appear out from behind a bus/lorry/van and its surely only a matter of time before one if these bikers meet and untimely end?
What do you think?
Driving around London I am amazed at the amount of motorbikers who bypass a traffic jam by riding onto my side of the road, towards me. I know everyone is in a rush these days but I was wondering;
If I hit one of these bikers head on, could I argue that it wasn't my fault because he/she was driving on the wrong side of the road?
I assume I'd be done for driving without due care and attention but some of these guys suddenly appear out from behind a bus/lorry/van and its surely only a matter of time before one if these bikers meet and untimely end?
What do you think?
Wimsy76 said:
If I hit one of these bikers head on, could I argue that it wasn't my fault because he/she was driving on the wrong side of the road?
This sounds like your planning on hitting one.I dont and have never drove in london and im not a biker but have seen vids of them filtering as you describe.
I would give them plenty space and let them get on with it, as above a bike can fit in a smaller gap and is alot more nimble should things get tight.
At the end of the day the reason they do this is because of the volume of traffic, if they queued like everybody else it would just make your commute longer.
Move over let them past and relax.
I'm a biker, occasionally in central London rush hour. Some of them really do take the piss and force people over under the assumption that noone will want to hit them. I do it occasionally but not if its going to put everyone coming towards me into the either the kerb or my elbow. But then maybe my tolerances would change if I did it more often.
I think if you hit one it would end up costing you a f
k load of hassle and possibly heartache if you maimed or killed one.
It's not something I do when filtering (as you've described it) you'd be insane to play chicken however a filtering overtake done with space to fit back in is surely no problem for anyone.
k load of hassle and possibly heartache if you maimed or killed one.It's not something I do when filtering (as you've described it) you'd be insane to play chicken however a filtering overtake done with space to fit back in is surely no problem for anyone.
The average biker is counting on you to make progress in the same trajectory and speed as you were when they first saw you, if you continue in that manner, they will get out the way, do not drive towards them in a threatening manner or accelerate and it will work just fine and they won't inconvenience you.
Don't get me wrong, i've no intention of aiming for them or trying to hit them. It doesn't bother me when they are on my side and if they haven't seen me I've usually seen them, or vice versa.
Sadly I think these guys will probably get hit one day in the future, its just a matter of time.
Tbh its cyclists riding through red lights at crossroads that wind me up alot more than bikers.
Sadly I think these guys will probably get hit one day in the future, its just a matter of time.
Tbh its cyclists riding through red lights at crossroads that wind me up alot more than bikers.
Yesterday I was one of these bikers on your side of the road.
Heavy traffic in my direction, light traffic heading towards me. Most cars 99.999% either don't move at all, or they move away from me. Fine.
Don't be the who swerves towards me (yes! It really does happen!) unless you want a steel re-enforced size-9 through your headlamp.
Just sayin'.
Heavy traffic in my direction, light traffic heading towards me. Most cars 99.999% either don't move at all, or they move away from me. Fine.
Don't be the
who swerves towards me (yes! It really does happen!) unless you want a steel re-enforced size-9 through your headlamp. Just sayin'.
toxgobbler said:
The average biker is counting on you to make progress in the same trajectory and speed as you were when they first saw you, if you continue in that manner, they will get out the way, do not drive towards them in a threatening manner or accelerate and it will work just fine and they won't inconvenience you.
^100% correctTry living in the country near some tasty a and b roads. Any sunny day and the weekend warriors are out taking blind bends too fast on the wrong side. I have lost count of the close calls usually requiring me to dive to the other side of the road as a bike going fast leaned over has no way to avoid me.
Lots of motorcycle casualties so they dropped the limit to 50 which they all ignore.
London filtering ive never had any problems with its usually low speed and bikes can fit through surprisingly small gaps.
Lots of motorcycle casualties so they dropped the limit to 50 which they all ignore.
London filtering ive never had any problems with its usually low speed and bikes can fit through surprisingly small gaps.
Wimsy76 said:
Don't get me wrong, i've no intention of aiming for them or trying to hit them. It doesn't bother me when they are on my side and if they haven't seen me I've usually seen them, or vice versa.
Sadly I think these guys will probably get hit one day in the future, its just a matter of time.
Tbh its cyclists riding through red lights at crossroads that wind me up alot more than bikers.
Is that a quick back-pedal there...?Sadly I think these guys will probably get hit one day in the future, its just a matter of time.
Tbh its cyclists riding through red lights at crossroads that wind me up alot more than bikers.
See what I did there...?
I'm not in London, but I only filter like that if there's no oncoming traffic or if the oncoming traffics stopped dead.
London is a whole different ball game though.
It's not going to change, and trust me
they don't want to hit you. Just give
them an extra foot if you can, if you
can't then just hold your course and give them a high five as they go past.
London is a whole different ball game though.
It's not going to change, and trust me
they don't want to hit you. Just give
them an extra foot if you can, if you
can't then just hold your course and give them a high five as they go past.
Would you only want to charge them half the amount of road tax if they cant come into your lane? I'm fine with it, I'd hope that they've calculated the risk involved and determined they can do what they're about to do. There's nowt wrong if you spot it with giving them a bit of help and moving over
As a Police motorcyclist in London I will stop motorbikes that I feel are aggressively filtering normally these are the couriers. If you are hit whilst on the wrong side of the road it's your fault. I go to many accidents where solos are hit and knocked off from filtering to fast, trying to squeeze into a gap that's not there or filtering past a junction blind and being taken out.
Filtering is not illegal but you must do it safely and always look for a gap to aim for which is safe. Lets not open the solid white line debate. Filtering is not a necessary reason to cross the line !!
Filtering is not illegal but you must do it safely and always look for a gap to aim for which is safe. Lets not open the solid white line debate. Filtering is not a necessary reason to cross the line !!
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