F*%ing stupid Filterers! Giving the rest of us a bad name.

[SteveW]

I'm serial filterer. But once the traffic's flowing at 25mph or so I get back in line.
As for other bikers pushing on and weaving between lanes....It doesn't bother me at all.
I may think he's a bit of a knob, but he's not inconveniencing me.

[SteveR]

I'm serial filterer. But once the traffic's flowing at 25mph or so I get back in line.
As for other bikers pushing on and weaving between lanes....It doesn't bother me at all.
I may think he's a bit of a knob, but he's not inconveniencing me.

I kinda agree with my Namesake here... Although, I have had a knobhead cut me up when I was on a bike too... Suddenly realised that the gap he was aiming for, no longer existed, which was why I was bloody well waiting...!

[Shidosan]

Very GUILTY of quick filtering............
My mitigation circumstances are........

The actual practice of filtering will vary from rider to rider, there are no hard and fast rules on how you may go about it other than the need for you to stay safe and not ride dangerously or carelessly.

I was taught to try to take the line of least resistance (empty tarmac) while filtering, making reasonable progress while using maximum observational skills and regulate your speed so you do not need to keep stopping and put your foot down.

If I feel there is a need to filter the potential problems to look out for will be well known to anyone that filters on a regular basis. You need to consider a variety of hazards when filtering but it is essential to ride with a defensive mindset and actively expect the things to happen. If you observe and anticipate the problems, expecting something to happen, it will regulate your speed and the manner in which you filter.

Ride Safe

Shidosan

[FatFreddy]

I'm serial filterer. But once the traffic's flowing at 25mph or so I get back in line.
As for other bikers pushing on and weaving between lanes....It doesn't bother me at all.
I may think he's a bit of a knob, but he's not inconveniencing me.

I kinda agree with my Namesake here... Although, I have had a knobhead cut me up when I was on a bike too... Suddenly realised that the gap he was aiming for, no longer existed, which was why I was bloody well waiting...!

I get what yr saying, and tbh it's probably not worth getting angry about. It's not as if my righteous indignation will change anything, and I'm being a hypocrite anyway as I've been guilty of reckless behaviour plenty of times.
But I think he IS inconveniencing you.

1) a general perception we are all hooligans affects all sorts of things from legislation to how likely my Mrs is to give me a hard time about buying another bloody motorbike.

2) when it takes three hours to get home cos of the accident further up the motorway.

[FatFreddy]

Very GUILTY of quick filtering............
My mitigation circumstances are........

The actual practice of filtering will vary from rider to rider, there are no hard and fast rules on how you may go about it other than the need for you to stay safe and not ride dangerously or carelessly.

I was taught to try to take the line of least resistance (empty tarmac) while filtering, making reasonable progress while using maximum observational skills and regulate your speed so you do not need to keep stopping and put your foot down.

If I feel there is a need to filter the potential problems to look out for will be well known to anyone that filters on a regular basis. You need to consider a variety of hazards when filtering but it is essential to ride with a defensive mindset and actively expect the things to happen. If you observe and anticipate the problems, expecting something to happen, it will regulate your speed and the manner in which you filter.

Ride Safe

Shidosan

I'm not against filtering in any way. If yr just gonna sit in a queue, might as well sit in a car.
It's the manner of the filtering that wound me up. If you are putting others at risk from yr behaviour, have a word with yerself.

But I'm sounding a bit holier than thou here which is a bit disingenuous of me.

[Earwig]

Tips from IAM, based on Police Riders Handbook

If you can’t sit on your bike the right way round and wonder why your helmet’s visor looks like lining, feels solid and you can’t see through it, these tips on how to filter through traffic from the IAM Roadsmart team are for you…

Only filter when the surrounding traffic is moving at less than 20mph, and then only exceed that speed yourself by 10 to 15mph maximum (if safe and legal to do so)
Scan for side turnings and entrances to both sides of the road, and try to keep a car door’s width away from the vehicle you are passing
Obey all ‘keep left’ bollards and also be aware that temporarily stationary vehicles at traffic lights, pedestrian crossings etc. are not classed as parked for the purposes of solid white lines, and therefore you cannot cross a solid white line to filter
Can you see the driver’s face through the window or wing mirrors? Does he look like he’s about to pull out? Always look for evidence that the driver has seen you and comprehends that you are passing them
When filtering to the right side, consider using the ‘stepping stone’ method. Whilst you don’t actually have to move into the spaces, consider which one would be suitable
If you are filtering between lanes, you need to look out for other motorcycles which could possibly be changing lanes or approaching you from the rear
Filtering takes a lot of concentration, so make sure you take short breaks if you’re travelling for a long period of time
Ride at a speed that allows you to react to the movement of other road users and always have an escape route planned in your head
Filtering can sometimes come as a surprise to the person driving behind you, so remain courteous by giving a polite wave of the hand to the driver behind
Think of the size of the vehicle in front of you. Just because there’s a gap, it doesn’t mean you should move into it. For examples, HGVs will need more space and time to manoeuvre than a car would

And from Lancs Police

Filtering: Official line from Lancs Police
police motorbike with police line barriers 700px

We’ve been chatting to Lancashire Police again, this time asking for the official stance on filtering in the UK.

First and foremost, filtering is legal in the UK, no matter what car drivers think, shout or gesture to you as you do it.

But there are a couple of grey areas surrounding filtering, or lane splitting, and they revolve around due care and attention and, ultimately, dangerous driving.

Chief Inspector David Mangan, Lancashire Police, had his say on the subject:

“There is no law against safe filtering. Any offences will be driving without due care and attention where the standard or riding falls below that of a careful and competent rider or dangerous driving which is where the standard of riding fall far below the standard of a careful and competent rider.

“It is a subjective test based on the individual circumstances and can be affected by the speed of the rider, the speed of the cars being filtered through, road conditions; weather conditions any other hazards etc. This list is not exhaustive.”

So there you have it, if you’re filtering safely and you’re in control of your bike, you should be ok.

filtering safely on a motorbike

Is there a legal speed limit for Filtering?
For the majority of UK riders, nothing about that answer will surprise you, why would you filter if you can’t do it in a safe and controlled manner?

What may surprise some riders is the fact that speed isn’t mentioned once.

There is a general rule of thumb that lots of riders will tell you about where you can travel at 10mph more than stationary or slow moving traffic around you.

In Lancashire Police’s filtering video, they too mention that riders should filter at no more than 10mph more than the traffic around them.

So we asked CI Mangan whether there was a legal speed limit that riders should filter at.

CI Mangan said: [There is] No legal speed limit. It all depends on the circumstances.

“For example on a motorway where there is stationary traffic it would be reasonable to filter at a higher speed than through town whilst riding to the front of a traffic light queue.

“It’s a subjective test based on what a careful and competent rider would do.”

While we’ve got some answers to the big filtering debate, there remains a lack of absolute clarity about filtering and the speed at which you can do so.

The 10mph rule is a good one and if the police mention it in one of their safety videos, it’s good enough for us.

Ride Safe guys and gals

[FatFreddy]

Tips from IAM, based on Police Riders Handbook

If you can’t sit on your bike the right way round and wonder why your helmet’s visor looks like lining, feels solid and you can’t see through it, these tips on how to filter through traffic from the IAM Roadsmart team are for you…

Only filter when the surrounding traffic is moving at less than 20mph, and then only exceed that speed yourself by 10 to 15mph maximum (if safe and legal to do so)
Scan for side turnings and entrances to both sides of the road, and try to keep a car door’s width away from the vehicle you are passing
Obey all ‘keep left’ bollards and also be aware that temporarily stationary vehicles at traffic lights, pedestrian crossings etc. are not classed as parked for the purposes of solid white lines, and therefore you cannot cross a solid white line to filter
Can you see the driver’s face through the window or wing mirrors? Does he look like he’s about to pull out? Always look for evidence that the driver has seen you and comprehends that you are passing them
When filtering to the right side, consider using the ‘stepping stone’ method. Whilst you don’t actually have to move into the spaces, consider which one would be suitable
If you are filtering between lanes, you need to look out for other motorcycles which could possibly be changing lanes or approaching you from the rear
Filtering takes a lot of concentration, so make sure you take short breaks if you’re travelling for a long period of time
Ride at a speed that allows you to react to the movement of other road users and always have an escape route planned in your head
Filtering can sometimes come as a surprise to the person driving behind you, so remain courteous by giving a polite wave of the hand to the driver behind
Think of the size of the vehicle in front of you. Just because there’s a gap, it doesn’t mean you should move into it. For examples, HGVs will need more space and time to manoeuvre than a car would

And from Lancs Police

Filtering: Official line from Lancs Police
police motorbike with police line barriers 700px

We’ve been chatting to Lancashire Police again, this time asking for the official stance on filtering in the UK.

First and foremost, filtering is legal in the UK, no matter what car drivers think, shout or gesture to you as you do it.

But there are a couple of grey areas surrounding filtering, or lane splitting, and they revolve around due care and attention and, ultimately, dangerous driving.

Chief Inspector David Mangan, Lancashire Police, had his say on the subject:

“There is no law against safe filtering. Any offences will be driving without due care and attention where the standard or riding falls below that of a careful and competent rider or dangerous driving which is where the standard of riding fall far below the standard of a careful and competent rider.

“It is a subjective test based on the individual circumstances and can be affected by the speed of the rider, the speed of the cars being filtered through, road conditions; weather conditions any other hazards etc. This list is not exhaustive.”

So there you have it, if you’re filtering safely and you’re in control of your bike, you should be ok.

filtering safely on a motorbike

Is there a legal speed limit for Filtering?
For the majority of UK riders, nothing about that answer will surprise you, why would you filter if you can’t do it in a safe and controlled manner?

What may surprise some riders is the fact that speed isn’t mentioned once.

There is a general rule of thumb that lots of riders will tell you about where you can travel at 10mph more than stationary or slow moving traffic around you.

In Lancashire Police’s filtering video, they too mention that riders should filter at no more than 10mph more than the traffic around them.

So we asked CI Mangan whether there was a legal speed limit that riders should filter at.

CI Mangan said: [There is] No legal speed limit. It all depends on the circumstances.

“For example on a motorway where there is stationary traffic it would be reasonable to filter at a higher speed than through town whilst riding to the front of a traffic light queue.

“It’s a subjective test based on what a careful and competent rider would do.”

While we’ve got some answers to the big filtering debate, there remains a lack of absolute clarity about filtering and the speed at which you can do so.

The 10mph rule is a good one and if the police mention it in one of their safety videos, it’s good enough for us.

Ride Safe guys and gals

Yeah! What he said.....

[Magnon]

I used to commute into the West End from Reading. It is amazing how tuned in you become. Filtering at speed is not necessarily the issue - it’s more a case of assessing the type of traffic you are filtering through, often it’s very dense although moving at 40 mph there is no scope for drivers to change lane. On the other hand I have people fling open the passenger side door when stationary in the right hand lane.

Here in rural France filtering is not something you do on a daily basis. On the odd occassions that I’m in a big city (Bordeaux or Paris) the pace of the scooters filtering frightens the shit out of me!

[Cone]

I filter alot and certainly something on the above guidance reflects alot. I am seconded away from my main place of work at the moment so get mileage and time for driving so no need to use the bike for commuting.

However i did it the other day and the difference of how tired i was when i got in the office was substantial. The concentration of constantly checking for risks, assessing other peoples driving abilities and likelihoods they will do something stupid really wiped me out as i hadnt done it for a while. It really dawns on you when you're use to it how well you can mentally grade people as risks or not. I personally dont like the people who do an eractic move to give you more room. If there is enough room and safe to filter i will, People never seem to consider if i'm filtering in one lane another bike may be in another.

But I have no problem in filtering at 40mph if it is safe to do so. I draw the line at traffic moving at anything above as i look at it of risk verses benefit.

[DaveCon]

The three times I've been hit while commuting were when I was in a lane riding normally. Car drivers don't see us on bikes so move in to what they think is a gap. I actually feel safer when filtering. However when traffic speed gets above 30mph I drop in to a lane and stop filtering - I think 30 is fast enough to constitute moving freely.
One thing I'd add to the advice above is I always cover my brake and clutch, a bit like offroad style, just in case