Sign this U.S. lane splitting petition on Whitehouse.gov!

SAFE lane splitting is a practice that I am very passionate about supporting. It gives motorcycle drivers a greater safety advantage as well as provide incentive for an increased motorcycle presence and reduced car presence on public roads, which reduces traffic and carbon emissions. When visiting California a few years ago I had loved the ability on surface streets to pull up to the front of the line at traffic lights, both protecting me from potential rear-end collisions and allowing me to arrive at my destination quicker. I really believe that SAFE lane splitting legislation is something that any experienced rider should support

Jesse in Atlanta

Federal Motorcycle Lane Splitting Petition - please sign and share!
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/allow-motorcycle-lane-sharing-all-public-roads/qP86QbjN
From the petition:
"Lane splitting is something the rest of the world allows. In areas with congested traffic, it allows motorcycle riders to use the space in between 2 lanes of cars traveling in the same direction to advance through traffic. This act reduces car traffic because of the space a motorcycle takes up behind a car. Currently the State of California is the only place where such action is legal. We petition to make lane splitting a nationally recognized act, and to follow similar guide lines that the State of California has set forth."

I signed.

I am not sure how much I would do this but I do want the option.

SteveO

Thank you!

Jesse

Signed!

I'm from Illinois but have lived in California for 18 years now, and I really think lane-splitting has helped me in a few cases.  Sometimes the car behind you is coming up fast on you and I can just get inbetween the cars and just go.  It also reduces traffic congestion IMO.  We don't take up space on the interstate and it is very busy here in Silicon Valley.  Sometimes in a car it can take 1 1/2 hours to go 18 miles to work.

I also like the fact we can do U-turns at stop lights here as well.  We weren't allowed to do that in Illinois when I lived there.  The down side to the bay area is that there are so many drivers who came here from countries where they didn't/couldn't drive, so there are a large % of drivers who are very bad drivers.  But lane-splitting should be allowed in all places IMO.  If I couldn't split lanes I don't know if I would ride my bike in traffic out here at all and would probably sell it.  A car is much more comfortable when it is hot or raining.

Having lived 40 years outside of US----lane splitting fine....but in US low skill of US riders could get them in trouble------my experience in US outside of CA----bike gets around and some idiot in pick up may try to shoot you or run you down.

Lane splitting not legal in Germany----but done, gets a little tense when Benz or BMW driver opens door to block you, when Autobahn stopped (stau)

Lane splitting not allowed here although I am familiar being originally from the UK.
You have my support, good luck with your petition.

I just signed it now. I probably will never use it here in MN but don't mind if others do. It's up to the riders.

Just signed this petition. I do not agree that we don't have the skills to use this freedom.
I moved to California 20 years ago and this and U-turn freedoms are fantastic. MANY countries allow and encourage "filtering".
If you like being surrounded by SUV's/cars/trucks at intersections, don't sign.
If you like waiting in stopped highway traffic, don't sign.
If you want to improve traffic flow, sign this petition.

I posted this on another site. (but with just a little more added to it here)

I am regarding this only as it may apply in the USA.

Without specific speeds determined or assigned, the following definitions are as I use them in following discussion.

For the sake of clarity, I think filtering could be defined as moving up >through< traffic that is stopped or moving at very low speeds.

Lane splitting may be defined as moving up >through< the general mass of traffic that is flowing, but is below the posted speed limit.

And >through< meaning; between the vehicles in their respective lanes.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
I don't think that all states, perhaps not many, actually have car pool lanes. Never seen nor heard of them here in Michigan.

Again, I would say that I think that filtering would be safer and make more sense than also allowing lane splitting since filtering is just moving up through stopped or nearly stopped traffic and should always be below a certain speed.

The biggest hurdle to overcome would be getting the general driving public aware of the practice. The close second to that would be getting them to accept it. One could almost guarantee conflicts initially. Information takes a while to be widely disseminated, acquired and understood. Those more inclined to road rage or aggressive drivers may feel threatened, affronted or cheated by others getting ahead of them. It's just nasty human nature... but it does and would happen.

It would be that way until the general driving public accepted that "that is just the way it is" in the same way that the California driving public knows and has become accustomed to it in their state. Change for the (true) good can happen, but it often starts off messy. The first thing then would be to determine that over the long term if it would be worth implementing.

Still, even now I think it is up to the states individually to determine their traffic laws. We do not need big government in on this. If you want it, push and petition for it in your state in the same way helmet laws are pushed for. (or against as the case may be.) If you would like to see it in other states then you could encourage them to do so, but if they don't want it, then it should not be forced upon them and against the will of the people of their state. California decided for themselves to allow it.... big government did not come in and make them do it or stop them from doing it and other states have allowed things like right turn on red light, turns at red light onto a one-way and certain kinds of U-turns etc... if nothing else than by precedent, other states should be allowed to change their traffic laws to include filtering and/or lane splitting as they see fit.

In this case I think the petition to the Whitehouse idea is well-intentioned but misguided. Besides it would be a heck of a lot easier to get one state at a time to change than trying to get the nation as a whole to move all at once on something. (little bites are easier to chew through.... and more effective at encouraging change elsewhere once momentum is built.)
JMHO

Hi All,
I have to agree with "bandito2"...  And also with "JG" to some extent...  on my one short visit to California, I was introduced to the lane splitting idea during some of my travels between Camp Pendleton and San Diego.  Honestly, it was a bit of a scare (to me) when someone came "whizzing" by and I wasn't expecting it; can see where some folks might get more than a little upset.  That, plus I don't believe I'll ever have enough experience to be trying it.

As a side note though, I was impressed by the CHiP motorcycle cop who flew by me as I was in the middle of five lanes of moderately heavy traffic headed north...  he worked his way clear to the RH lane in able to locate open spots that put him clear back in the LH lane to nail the one he was after...  then managed to route them both clear back over to the RH shoulder.  First time I'd ever witnessed anything like that.

Drivers get used to 'bikes filtering quickly and everyone wins when traffic flows.
I don't get the "big government" thing. It's very clear to many of us that there are banks, insurance companies, military contractors, and oil companies that are bigger than our government but don't get nearly enough negative comments from us guys.

We can boycott most big companies if we don't like them. The laws that big government make are hard to boycott without going to jail or getting fined.

WE vote in all elected officials. Look who actually owns someone before voting and we'll get more representative officials. I don't understand when someone votes based on a philosophical position instead of capabilities to lead, for example. I don't care what a person does with their personal time, only what they support in office. Get the job done for the largest group of people, NOT for a small group of powerful people. It's a democracy not a theocracy or oligarchy.