Texas Considering Lane Sharing

[Burnszilla]

http://thekneeslider.com/archives/2009/03/12/texas-considers-allowing-lane-splitting/
Hope it passes for you guys.

[Manfred]

It's currently not illegal in Texas - it's simply not addressed in our laws. I agree with allowing bikes to filter between cars at a traffic light, but I ain't in favor of lane sharing the way the Italians do it: 100 mph between traffic lanes that are moving at 80 mph. Freaked me out and I was in a cage.

[haughty]

Personally , I believe it would be a dangerous setup. If you have ever clipped someone when they came up at 40 above the speed limit, the chances they would make it are small. Although this did not happen to me, it did to a driver - yes in a foreign country and the mind reels from seeing a crotch rocket wizzing threading the beast - so to speak.
There, the guy opened his door and the motorcyclist ( ok it was a 175cc bike- but its the same) hit it... He was out and we never knew what finally happened... He got 15000 Nira for his troubles and probably croaked sometime later..

Just having others imitate that - and having lesser riding skills make the possibility of more crosses on the side of the road much more likely..

Not trying to dismiss or even diss another's opinion, but I have been to too many funerals in the past year...

Would I attempt to do the threading? No, have I? Yeh... and since I have grown older.. I relish seeing the kids, so its a mute point for me now.

[henzilla]

http://thekneeslider.com/archives/2009/03/12/texas-considers-allowing-lane-splitting/
Hope it passes for you guys.

I am in Long Beach w/o a bike:banghead ...anyways only here a few days for daughters wedding:thumb

It works well out here, have done it on a bike a few years back...the lanes are wide and people are used to it...mostly...
my sister came running in to tell me some crazy person on a bike came by her door on the 405,she too is from TX. I just think Texas is not ready nor are the roads it would be used on...a narrow three laned I-45 in Houston/Dallas or I-35 thru Austin and San Antonio come to mind. Having had doors opened when even thinking of filtering past stalled lane blocking vehicles,the mentality of "I can't do it,so you are not" scares the jeebers out of me. Having, commuted in three of the four major cities in TX, and getting bumped in two of them just makes me even more wary.

Seeing the less skilled riders pissing off the rest of the population by adding lane splitting to their repetoire will surely get a black mark against all of us...my opinion anyways

[limecreek]

:thumb

I split anytime multi lane traffic grinds to a hault and I do it for my own personal safety. Too many times have I had the latte sipping, cell phone talking, distracted driver skid behind me when they realized a little too late that traffice was slowing or stopping.

Back in 2000 as the traffic was slowing from 60 mph to 10 mph on I-35, I heard skidding and looked in my rear view mirror just in time to see a car plow into the back of my new Accord at 40 mph. It totaled the car and ended up involving 4 other cars in a chain reaction crash. To this very day I still have neck problems from the accident.

I remember the first time I split in Texas. Traffic was slowing and a guy in a pick-up behind me starts skidding and without hesistation I was the heck out of there up between the lanes and have been splitting ever since.

It has risks, sure, but the advantages out weigh the risks.

Texans need to get behind this initiative and get it to a vote.

[Easy]

I am in Long Beach w/o a bike:banghead ...anyways only here a few days for daughters wedding:thumb

It works well out here, have done it on a bike a few years back...the lanes are wide and people are used to it...mostly...
my sister came running in to tell me some crazy person on a bike came by her door on the 405,she too is from TX. I just think Texas is not ready nor are the roads it would be used on...a narrow three laned I-45 in Houston/Dallas or I-35 thru Austin and San Antonio come to mind. Having had doors opened when even thinking of filtering past stalled lane blocking vehicles,the mentality of "I can't do it,so you are not" scares the jeebers out of me. Having, commuted in three of the four major cities in TX, and getting bumped in two of them just makes me even more wary.

Seeing the less skilled riders pissing off the rest of the population by adding lane splitting to their repetoire will surely get a black mark against all of us...my opinion anyways


Well put.

If enacted it could draw more negative attention to 99%ers.

The Texas Transportation Code currently states you must pass at a safe distance. A Trooper could easily argue two inches is not safe.

Easy :german