[net.cycle] Motorcycles driving between lanes -- legal?

davidl@tekig5.UUCP (David Levadie) (10/02/85)

-------
Some people deliberately try to kill motorcyclists who do this.  I heard
one story about someone whose truck-driver friend has deliberately
killed or injured more than one slot-riding motorcyclist...  On one occasion
he was driving in tandem with another truck, evidently driven by a friend
with similar tendencies, and when a motorcyclist rode into the slot between
them, they eased over towards each other until the slot, and the motorcyclist,
"just disappeared", in the words of the storyteller.  On another occasion,
the guy saw a biker coming up the slot in his rearview mirror, and opened
the door to his truck directly in the rider's face.

daw1@rduxb.UUCP (WILLIAMS) (10/02/85)

> -------
> Some people deliberately try to kill motorcyclists who do this.  I heard
> one story about someone whose truck-driver friend has deliberately
> killed or injured more than one slot-riding motorcyclist...  

	I'd never do that around a trucker. They are mostly a bunch
of strung-out scumbags who do lots of sick stuff for kicks on the
highways. They can all go to hell!


					Doug Williams
					AT&T Bell Labs
					Reading, PA
					mhuxt!rduxb!daw1

pchan@mnetor.UUCP (Peter Chan) (10/04/85)

In article <762@rduxb.UUCP> daw1@rduxb.UUCP (WILLIAMS) writes:
>> -------
>> Some people deliberately try to kill motorcyclists who do this.  I heard
>> one story about someone whose truck-driver friend has deliberately
>> killed or injured more than one slot-riding motorcyclist...  
>

It actually happened to me once, although I didn't hit them intentionally.
It was my first time driving in Europe during a visit.
Not very familiar with the ways in downtown (they called it 
"Centerville", I think) Paris, I hesitated at a stop light (in the left-most 
lane) finally, I made up my mind to make a left hand turn. However, there was
a biker, with his girlfriend, trying to past me in the left, the opposite
lane. The next thing I saw was watching 2 persons flying in front of my
eyes. The guy wasn't too hurt but the girl was injured pretty badly.
The police came, despite of all the communication problems, I finally
gave them my address and phone number in Canada. I have never received
any mail or call from them. Perhaps my insurance with the rental company
took car of it, perhaps they figured out it wasn't my fault.

Although I will not intentionally hit those bikers, I have no sympathy
with them. If they want to play nasty and if they are hurt, nobody is to
blame but themself.

Peter Chan

stv@qantel.UUCP (Steve Vance@ex2499) (10/05/85)

>What I want to know is this:  Is it legal (in California, or anywhere)
>for motorcycles to drive between lanes, or on the shoulders, when traffic
>is backed up?  

In Illinois, the law you are breaking when you do this is one that says
you can't pass a car on the right unless you have six feet of clearance.
This is what they get you for when you are caught going down the dotted
lines.  Of course, motorcyclists who do this are hard to catch, unless
the cop is also on a motorcycle.
-- 

Steve Vance
{dual,hplabs,ihnp4}!qantel!stv
dual!qantel!stv@berkeley
Qantel Corporation, Hayward, CA

9234dwz@houxf.UUCP (POND SCUM) (10/07/85)

As a rider of 20 years now, I definately wouldn't lane hop around slow 
& stopped cars here in the US(probably Canada too after reading Peter
Chans article). US drivers have little to no lane discipline, are totally
unaware of what's happening outside there 4000 lb "heaven" (again see
Peter Chans article). 
For 3 years I rode across London rush hour traffic & riding around & through
traffic was the only way to make decent time. Never once was I cut off, "not
seen" or otherwise placed at any major risk. However here in the states it's
a much different story, people don't even see other cars, trucks etc let
alone a bike. I was real surprised when I first found out that headlights
on bikes where permenantly ON. Now I know why.
Maybe we should carry small nuclear devices built into all bikes, THEN these
*ssholes in cars would realise that people get HURT when they smash into 
bikes.

Aside to Peter Chan, sorry if I appeared to come down heavily on you but the
attitude "that it's their fault" really bugs the sh*t out of me especially
when you probably put someone in the hospital, and do you KNOW for a fact that
they WERE breaking the law. THEY ARE PEOPLE ON THOSE BIKES !


    Dave Peak
    @  ihnp4!hotel!dxp

"All the net's a stage and all the men and women merely ham actors !"
- Rev Peak (apologies to Bill S.)

rfc@calmasd.UUCP (Robert Clayton) (10/10/85)

> >What I want to know is this:  Is it legal (in California, or anywhere)
> >for motorcycles to drive between lanes, or on the shoulders, when traffic
> >is backed up?  
> 
> In Illinois, the law you are breaking when you do this is one that says
> you can't pass a car on the right unless you have six feet of clearance.
> This is what they get you for when you are caught going down the dotted
> lines.  Of course, motorcyclists who do this are hard to catch, unless
> the cop is also on a motorcycle.
> -- 

A California cyclist once told me that in California it is not legal to
have more than two vehicles abreast in a single lane.  This is supposed
to allow two cyclist to ride abreast in the same lane, a site I often
see and have no problem with.  Many cyclists are interpreting this to
mean that they can pass cars *provided* they stay in the same lane.

On many of our skinny parking lots (freeways) you will see cyclists
running down the dotted line between the stopped cars during rush hour.
Said cyclist also said that sometimes they are ticketed for reckless
driving when they cross the dotted line because they often must weave
across the line to make their way between cars.

Another law that arrests them is the law of physics when a motorist
opens his door to see why the traffic stopped.

Bob Clayton
GE Calma San Diego R&D