Lane splitting

[jnva]

@Tim Kelley 30702 wrote:

Just curious about your setup–is that an electric bike? At :07 it sounds like you can hear a motor winding up. And what are using to record the video? The vertical positioning makes me think iphone.

Yes, electric bike. You can hear the motor as its accelerating but it’s pretty quiet otherwise. Camera is just iPhone mounted in a topeak waterproof case on the handlebar. Trying to justify buying a gopro or similar camera but iPhone seems to be working good enough.

[UrbanEngineer]

On L street, the left most lane has many left turn only lanes. If your plan is to go straight, don’t ride there. If you plan on turning left and you see that the 2nd most lane is also a left turn lane, I wouldn’t trust it, because many drivers go straight from the left turn only lane and will pancake you. Wish I had time to do a study on the number of cars in the left turn only lane at 18th and L that go straight. Here it’s especially dangerous because there are two left turn lanes.

My advice about lane splitting. Don’t do it. Just because you can fit, doesn’t mean you should. More of a courtesy issue than a legal issue in my mind. Everybody else is waiting, who am I to skip the queue and go to the front. Lane splitting also tends to place you within the crosswalks while you wait at the light (or not wait, depending on your scofflawiness), which is not a place for vehicles. You’re better off just riding with the traffic and queueing up with them at the lights.

[jnva]

@UrbanEngineer 30753 wrote:

On L street, the left most lane has many left turn only lanes. If your plan is to go straight, don’t ride there. If you plan on turning left and you see that the 2nd most lane is also a left turn lane, I wouldn’t trust it, because many drivers go straight from the left turn only lane and will pancake you. Wish I had time to do a study on the number of cars in the left turn only lane at 18th and L that go straight. Here it’s especially dangerous because there are two left turn lanes.

My advice about lane splitting. Don’t do it. Just because you can fit, doesn’t mean you should. More of a courtesy issue than a legal issue in my mind. Everybody else is waiting, who am I to skip the queue and go to the front. Lane splitting also tends to place you within the crosswalks while you wait at the light (or not wait, depending on your scofflawiness), which is not a place for vehicles. You’re better off just riding with the traffic and queueing up with them at the lights.

Then I might as well drive a car if I’m going to be sitting in traffic. Might as well be comfy with the radio on and texting at the same time too. Nobody except for the idiot beemer drivers like the one above, ever passes me after I filter through to the front of the queue.

Thanks for the input, I actually expected more people to say don’t split lanes, but this is my way of staying sane in traffic that is insane. I swore to myself I would never get stuck in another DC traffic jam after spending 9 hours in my car during snowmageddon.

[Rod Smith]

@jnva 30564 wrote:

So is it legal to travel between lanes of traffic that are NOT moving?

I do this all the time, and the other day I passed a MPD car stuck in traffic. Just wondering if I can be ticketed for doing this.

Not if he’s stuck in traffic!

Splitting lanes is illegal but passing on the right is more dangerous.

[Rod Smith]

A motorized bike splitting lanes? NO, I do not approve. I hope you get caught.

[jnva]

@Rod Smith 30849 wrote:

A motorized bike splitting lanes? NO, I do not approve. I hope you get caught.

Thanks! Remember karma is a bitch!

[jnva]

@Rod Smith 30849 wrote:

A motorized bike splitting lanes? NO, I do not approve. I hope you get caught.

By the way, why did you delete your original post that was kind of nice and replace it with a hate filled negative post? And why do you want me to get caught?

[Rod Smith]

The first comment was written before I realized you were on an E-bike.

[jnva]

@Rod Smith 30859 wrote:

The first comment was written before I realized you were on an E-bike.

Yes that’s obvious. What I really want to know is why that changed your mind. Clearly you don’t like ebikes and that’s fine with me, but I own several road bikes too and ride them regularly. My ebike is my car replacement. Really don’t understand why people hate ebikes so much. It has literally changed my life for the better. Just my opinion though. Maybe you had a run in with some douchebag on an ebike? I really am interested…

[dasgeh]

@jnva 30861 wrote:

Yes that’s obvious. What I really want to know is why that changed your mind. Clearly you don’t like ebikes and that’s fine with me, but I own several road bikes too and ride them regularly. My ebike is my car replacement. Really don’t understand why people hate ebikes so much. It has literally changed my life for the better. Just my opinion though. Maybe you had a run in with some douchebag on an ebike? I really am interested…

I second this. My ebike has kept me biking into my 8th month of pregnancy. I wouldn’t have made it 3 months on my regular bike because exertion makes me sick. I would argue that I’m one of the safest cyclists on the road/trail (in part because I’m super conservative biking for two, in part because the ebike takes away the incentive to keep momentum).

[jnva]

And by the way, I’m not referring to the “scooter” ebikes with the useless pedals that are there just comply with federal law. I mean a bike you can actually pedal without motor assist. I have put nearly 5000 commuting miles on my ebike this year. There’s no way I could do that without some assist.

[jnva]

@Rod Smith 30849 wrote:

A motorized bike splitting lanes? NO, I do not approve. I hope you get caught.

Still waiting to hear why you disapprove and want me to get caught.

Also, what is worse – splitting lanes or running red lights? I never run red lights, but cyclists running red lights on M and L is way more common than me getting right hooked by beemers.

[jnva]

Which is worse? From my commute this morning:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNT0Uc854sw&feature=youtube_gdata_player

[DaveK]

Sometimes you feel like lane splitting, sometimes you don’t.

Almond Joy’s got nuts, Mounds don’t.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MOJAxformw&feature=related

[jnva]

They both have that nasty coconut taste though. Neither.

[Author]

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