The Oregon Legislature is in session and the only bills I can find that concern motorcycles really do not impact a sidecar rig. I found three senate bills and two house bills that list "lane splitting" by two-wheeled motorcycles. Such bills are introduced at nearly every session but go no where. Another senate bill would require 24 hour headlight use by all vehicles, but since that is already required for motorcycles it is of no concern to sidecarists.
I just find it amazing that such a common sense traffic flow improvement law such as lane splitting is not nationwide. I remember lane splitting in stopped traffic in CA back in the early 1980s when I was stationed there. But I suppose it just shows how little money the MC community has to throw at state politicians.
Only thing I'll say about lane splitting is that it's a good thing if one is an experienced rider. I and a friend were sitting at a stop light a few years back with his broke down motorcycle on my trailer. A young kid tried splitting lanes and clipped the mirror of the car at the front of the line and went down just as the light turned green. Pretty slow maneuver and he looked OK. I didn't have a lot of choice but to make our turn and continue to get Jack's bike where it would be repaired. Sure gave us a topic for conversation though.
Perspective from a Californian commuter: I miss the days when you could lane split through miles of rush-hour commuter traffic. Some of the interactions with the other riders you would meet coming through the traffic were just unforgettable. These days there is hardly any traffic, lane splitting is easy but you never really meet anyone 😐
I hope Oregon does make some progress soon. In CA they teach responsible and judicious lane splitting and part of the CMSP, which is the CA version of MSF. It makes riding much safer, and I kinda feel it's part of MC culture.
Back in the Dream Time I commuted between Riverside and Long Beach, CA (50 mi each way) on a Yamaha SR500. Depending on traffic I saved 30-90 mins. average per trip. I noticed that traffic turned to stop-and-go farther and farther out from LB as time passed. I also averaged 2-3 bad scares a week. We ended up moving into LB.
Since the only running bike we have now is a sidecar rig lane splitting legislation doesn't really affect me.
Arizona finally made some progress in this area:
https://ridermagazine.com/2022/04/06/arizona-passes-lane-filtering-law/
Still more restrictive than California, but at least you can pull up to the front of the line of cars at a stop light.
Funny, this passed just a few months before my swapping my 2 wheel Africa Twin to a Hacked Africa Twin, so of little to no use to me, at the moment.
I don't understand why motorists get upset about lane filtering. What am I missing ?
I can think of a few reasons motorists would be upset about lane splitting.
Motorists are not accustomed to having to share part of the lane with another vehicle. Driving on or lapping over the lane divider is a failure to yield in most states.
Another vehicle suddenly appearing very close beside your car can cause an unpredictable reaction by the car driver. The driver may swerve to avoid what he/she believes to be a pending collision with the 2-wheeler.
Drivers on multiple lane roads in slow traffic believe they have no reason to be watching the rear view mirrors for passing vehicles in the 3-5 ft space between them and the car/truck beside them.
I have survived many years of riding 2-wheelers, sidecar rigs, and driving 4-wheel vehicles. The standards for vision, hearing, mental and physical condition for obtaining an operator license are not very rigorous. Then add to those conditions persons on prescription and non-prescription drugs and alcohol which affect reaction time and mental acuity and it is a wonder any of us have survived being on the roads with normal space between vehicles.
I guess I can't understand people getting upset because I have lived in England for a good part of my life, nobody could care less there. Having read the above post it seems like drivers in much of North America are merchant bankers. 🙂
Quote from Deleted user on February 23, 2021, 1:00 pmOnly thing I'll say about lane splitting is that it's a good thing if one is an experienced rider. I and a friend were sitting at a stop light a few years back with his broke down motorcycle on my trailer. A young kid tried splitting lanes and clipped the mirror of the car at the front of the line and went down just as the light turned green. Pretty slow maneuver and he looked OK. I didn't have a lot of choice but to make our turn and continue to get Jack's bike where it would be repaired. Sure gave us a topic for conversation though.
I'm surprised to see this thread ressurected. The above story by "deleted user" was my post back when they still counted for something....
Its a Good thread. I was able to contribute to the new Law in California that made Lane Splitting Legal instead of a gray area. Did a lot of reading on it and learned a lot. I commuted from Sacramento (lincoln)to Mtn View every day (168 miles each way) in a Cage it took about five hours. On the Motorcycle it was a 2.5 hr trip. Last trip to Cali was very frustrating because it scares the hell outta people when you lane split with a Sidecar (LOL)
Quote from Tim Lankins on November 27, 2023, 12:53 pm... Last trip to Cali was very frustrating because it scares the hell outta people when you lane split with a Sidecar (LOL)...
That is a fact! We just got lane splitting, or at least a form of it, legal, here in AZ. Have tried it a time or two on a road that stops up for 12 miles or so. People are definitely not used to it, yet, let alone with a sidecar! They will be, eventually!
I grew up on the Southern California freeways, so lane splitting is just second nature. I had a work situation where the small company I worked for got bought out and they moved the office from Glendale down to Irvine. I lived in eastern Ventura County so getting all the way down to Irvine every day was a nightmare. It was a 90 mile commute the cut diagonally across the whole of the Los Angeles basin. I had a Honda 750 VFR at the time and I tried using it to split lanes and knock off almost a third of the time spent in the commute. The problem was that to properly (safely) split lanes on the freeway, you have to concentrate on all of those cars you are about to split through. You need to look into their side rear view mirrors to catch if they might be looking to merge to the other lane and cross in front of you. You also pick up on little things like how they position themselves in the lane and if you can detect and "shows" that would indicate they might be about to cut you off. By the time I got to the other end of the commute, I was mentally drained and I found it was just easier to sit in my truck and turn my brain off like all of those other idiots around me.
I see a lot of really stupid guys splitting lanes mostly going too fast and with traffic moving too fast for safe splitting. The slower the traffic goes, the less space they put between themselves and the vehicle in front of them making sudden lane changes hard to accomplish. As the traffic speeds up the increased spacing allows for more quick lane changes. For that reason alone I won't split at speeds over around 35 mph. It is common for people to try to squeeze you out to prevent you from splitting and you can't let that get you worked up, you just have to be patient and you will get an opening. When I'm in a cage in traffic and I see a bike splitting coming up behind me, I will move as far over as safe to give additional room for the bike. It is often appreciated that you were aware that they were there and the riders will often give a little wave.
Splitting in a sidecar?? Dang, ya'll must have some really wide lanes!
Lane splitting with a sidecar is why they invented the optional machine gun mount. 🙂
Hold my keyboard and watch this! 🙃
Montana legalized lane splitting a few years ago. There was no effort to educate the public that I ever saw and I doubt 10% of the drivers or riders are aware of the change in the law. I've never seen anyone do any lane splitting, but where I live there is not enough traffic to make it necessary.
