Filtering - how long does the line have to be?

[RabD]

Just out of interest, how long does the line of traffic have to be before you'll try and filter to the front? 5 cars? 10 cars? I tend to only try if the line's longer than 2 phases of the lights but I'm pretty inexperienced. Also, what's the fastest speed of traffic you'll try and filter through. For me it's about 15mph.

[Wasted Bullet]

If there is anything in front of me and space for me to filter I will.

[steven182]

do you just pull in front of the car at the front of the lights then? or next to them and overtake asap?

I don't have a clue about this filtering malarky always see bikers coming past me on motorway jams but not lights.

[Carl-H]

If the car I have been following is going slow I will filter infront even if its the only car there as it saves trying to overtake later on. Always filter past lorries/buses as I don't like the smell or not being able to see. My speed is always changing when I'm filtering but I don't like to look at the speedo much.

[NAS]

Wasted Bullet said:

If there is anything in front of me and space for me to filter I will.

I've adapted an Italian style of riding. Makes for good progress. Loud cans are essential though

[hornetrider]

1 car. Never understood anyone on a bike sitting in a queue, unless its some kind of pan European or Harley or whatever

[dave87]

Same as Hornet rider, but obviously depends on the conditions.

I'll usually filter to the front, unless prevented from doing so - in which case I'll settle for second

[steven182]

so you just filter straight in front of the car even if it is up to the line?

[hornetrider]

Yeah or just alongside, or inbetween if its more than one lane. Basically if there's an inch of space, you'd better believe I'm in it.

[Rawwr]

Couple of metres?

[m3psm]

A one car queue at 69mph gets "filtered".

Seriously though, if the cars are moving slower than the speed limit, i.e. 50 on a motorway, I will start filtering through until they get back up to 70 (ish)

There is no rule though. Only ever filter at speeds you feel comfortable with and in suituation you can handle.

Having a car turn into you at 70mph on the M25 tends to wake you up rather quickly or put you to sleep forever.

[UpTheIron]

Unless the vehicle in front is making progress more quickly than I am then it will get "filtered". One car, 10 cars, makes no difference.

Every day I start "filtering" on the M40 in Oxfordshire and don't stop until I get to Canary Wharf

[big_rob_sydney]

I'll filter every chance I get. I dont want to be stuck in traffic, and dont want to be at the tail of a queue of cars which might run into the back of me.

But I always try to get to the front of the queue and then move over to be deliberately in front of a car.

One too many times I've filtered to be in between cars, and some wr has taken off before the lights have turned green, and sometimes resulting in a dangerous situation. Get to the front, light turns green, and you're gone. Its safer for me as a rider, and it reduces traffic behind me as well, letting car drivers get to where they're going faster as well, whether they know that or not.

[Johnny]

As above. If it's in my way, it gets filtered.

Made very good progress from my mates place in Reading to work at LHR this morning using this technique

[The T Boy]

steven182 said:

so you just filter straight in front of the car even if it is up to the line?

Alongside it but slightly infront (if you see what I mean) and then go as soon as the lights start to change so I don't hold them up at all.

[catso]

NAS said:

Wasted Bullet said:

If there is anything in front of me and space for me to filter I will.

I've adapted an Italian style of riding. Makes for good progress. Loud cans are essential though

Indeed, what's the point of sitting in traffic?

biker who started out in Italy.....

Edited by catso on Thursday 22 May 16:09

[Hyperion]

By law you aren't supposed to cross over the white line, and you aren't supposed to go in front of the vehicle at the head of the queue.
Yeah right - I always filter to the head of the queue, and either slot in front of the other vehicles, or if there isn't enough room simply out accelerate them.

[GRynners]

What about when you're in in a set of lights through roadworks where the traffic becomes single lane? There are loads on tha A5 at the moment, and I tend to find a gap in the queue <before> the front of the traffic.

Reason being I've seen a couple of people go to filter to the front of the queue, and before they get there the lights have changed you've got nowhere to go other than the side of the car as it swings out round the cones...

[dern]

I'm not a massive fan of trying to filter to the front of a queue if I can't be sure that the light won't turn green before I get there. If I do know that it'll still be red when I get to either the front of the gap I'm aiming at then the length of the queue is immaterial.

[Hyperion]

dern said:

I'm not a massive fan of trying to filter to the front of a queue if I can't be sure that the light won't turn green before I get there. If I do know that it'll still be red when I get to either the front of the gap I'm aiming at then the length of the queue is immaterial.

Yeah - the light turning green while you're still filtering up the line can be a problem...to be honest I usually force myself into a gap (tut tut). In London most of the car drivers are used to it and will let you in because they know you wont be there for long.