In a growing number of jurisdictions, lane filtering has emerged as a legal practice for motorcyclists. This manoeuvre allows riders to navigate through slow-moving or stationary traffic at low speeds, often reaching the front of a congested queue. The potential benefits include improved travel time, increased distance from the platoon of vehicles (thus lessening side swipe type crashes from vehicles), and improved awareness and field of vision for riders. However, there are some cons that shouldn’t be ignored in the policy decision making:
Cons:
- Motorcyclists can be subject to the ‘first off the pack’ type crashes at traffic signals from both turning vehicles and late signal runners.
- They can be unexpected for vehicles entering the roadway from midblock access points (i.e. they are away from the platoon of traffic).
- A motorcyclist at the front of a queue is exposed to more rear-end type crashes.
Do the pros outweigh the cons?
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