Lane splitting legal in Australia?

[Philly]

Originally Posted by MadMel

They book you in Brisbane, and even set up traps for it. Indooroopilly just uphill of the police station is a favourite spot for them to set up, because you can't see them as you come over the hill. I've been pinched there. They also set up regularly coming down the hill from Chapel Hill, because traffic is backed up for 500m and again you can't see them until you come around the corner. There they bust you for taking the shoulder (guilty and apprehended) or splitting lanes. I've seen 5 bikes pulled over there at the same time.

I have been done twice for filtering on the Centenary Highway into Brisbane in as many years, it was a blitz both times and to put it bluntly the police take no prisoners, first time was only a fine, but the last time was a fine and two points. You also take your life in your hands on that same freeway as I have had as many drivers move towards the centre line to try and block your path or take you out as those who happily move over to let you flow through. It hasn't stopped me I am just more selective when and where I filter...

[MadMel]

Haha, I split on that motorway as well - sometimes I take Moggill Rd / Coronation Drive to work, sometimes the Centenary / Milton Road. I've been lucky so far on that one. And now I can pretty much guarantee that I'll get busted there on Monday.

[jimmytb]

What was the infringement when you got booked for lane splitting?
I read through the australian road rules a while ago and iirc its legal to pass someone in the same lane on the right of them, and on the left if they are stopped.

Its legal for a car to pass a cyclist in the same lane, when the car is putting the cyclist at risk so why cant a motorcycle pass a car when its the motorcyclist themselves at risk?

[MadMel]

I can't remember exactly what it was called... it was about $80 and no points. I do remember a cop telling me what you said (if you stay in the lane you're ok), but when I've gotten dinged I was pretty much riding down the dotted line between lanes. It might have been an illegal lane change ticket.

[Philly]

With the $80 fine I cannot remember the actual infringement, but the policeman was on the far left of me and I was (by that time) back in the outside lane, there is no way he could specifically charge me, so I assume it was a sort of 'catch all'. They hide on the bend on the same location each time (Tuesdays seem to be their favourite day) and have a spotter with a video camera on the overpass above. I was more pissed off with myself as I know when they are there and it is relatively easy to spot the cop on the overpass from a distance whilst staying in lane and thus behaving if the cop is there, but traffic was heavy and few cars stop/starting for no real reason when they could just have flowed, anyway I just plain forgot and they got me on camera in the middle of two lanes that were probably crawling at about 4kph. I did say I had to take evasive action due to a sudden braker in front, which was true, but they would not wear it. I just tend to avoid the centenary now as it is a favourite haunt for the police and easy bike pickings...

[Rhys12]

Interesting Update on this topic!

On the way to work this fine (horrible) morning in sydney. I spy a sneaky undercover cop turn on to moore park road a couple cars in front. Hes in a hotted up lime green holden with a few too many aerials.

So the traffic is jammed and normally I would lane filter all the way down the street, but I don’t cos I can see the cop watching me in his mirrors. So the traffic crawls along for about 1-2kms, i flagged down another bike who was lane filtering behind me and point out the cop too him so he jumps in my lane as well and then another bike flies past us and the cop up ahead. So the cop flicks his lights on for a few seconds and the bike doesn’t stop. Then the traffic moves along and I end up next to the cop in the lane next to him. He rolls his window down and says to me “don’t worry I got him on video so he’ll get a fine later. Lucky you spotted me early..” I was like, haha who me office? I wouldn’t lane split.... Then I asked him about them making it legal and he said its only gonna be legal for a few streets in the sydney CBD.

How shits that.

Moral of the story:
They'll get you on video.
And the new laws will only apply to a few streets in the busy CBD's.
And I'm still probably still going to risk it.

Cheers
Rhys

[MadMel]

Originally Posted by Rhys12

Moral of the story:
They'll get you on video.
And the new laws will only apply to a few streets in the busy CBD's.
And I'm still probably still going to risk it.

To me, $80 is a tax, not a fine. Inevitable.

[Tripod]

Amazingly, earlier last week I hit the intersection of Macquarie and Bridge and traffic was stalled...it was a stop-protest by cabbies due to the no stopping rule at the roundabout close to the opera house and all the fines being given out and traffic was totally gridlocked...anyways there was a bike cop at the intersection and he allowed me to go thru even though I said I'd be lane splitting...pretty cool if you ask me...big ups to that cop

[Dorzun]

I have been booked for it on the gore hill expressway but in saying that have had many a copper not even flinch, I recall a guy in a patrol car once saying to me "why was I sitting in the traffic and not splitting, I would" in the carpark they call the pacific highway trying to get out of chatswood one friday arvo.

I think it comes down to how they are doing on their quota and where on the natural prick scale they sit. Then you have the ones that are decent and turn a blind eye, luck of the draw it seems.

And I agree with the above, watched a kid trying to split all the way from wahroongah to lindifeld a few months back (I was in the cage) he bounced of I'd say at least twelve cars and nearly went under a few, oh and off course he had his diadora kevlar trackies, nike race slippers, and his adidas kevlar singlet under his cone of invincibility on.

I still do it all the time myself and will pay the fine if I have too. I just do it very carefully and with my eye's wide open waiting for "it" to happen.

[Moofy]

I "filter" all the time is its mostly just to get at the start if the traffic lights. Is that the same thing?

I also do it if the traffic has moving less than 20km/hr for awhile.

Never pulled up on it yet!


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