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FOR. Don't like it? Get a motorcycle.

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Riding and lane-splitting furthers my pro-environmentalist and motor-enthusiast interests.

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Ditto comment 1. I just don't know how it is supposed to be kept safe for the cycle riders.

I'd rather see cycle riders get their own lanes, then they wouldn't have to split - how wide are lanes in CA? Is there an extra 5 feet (Cars only need around 10) in the ROW?

Any planners out there?

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I'm strongly FOR motorcycle lane splitting.

I'm not sure about the net reduction in pollution though, since there are such loose regulations on the emissions from motorcycles. I'm also strongly FOR better emissions standards for motorcycles, which would make lane splitting that much more beneficial to everybody (yes, even you guys stuck in your cars, because it we weren't splitting, we'd be in that many more cars stuck on the highways with you, and everybody would be going that much slower).

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"I'm not sure about the net reduction in pollution though, since there are such loose regulations on the emissions from motorcycles."
I have to comment on that.
Emissions are typically measured in Parts Per Million. So for a given sample of exhaust, how many pollutants are in it? This isn't total output of pollutants. So, take a 600cc bike engine. Even at 14000rpm the cfm of exhaust its outputting is about 130cubic feet per minute, at a more reasonable cruising rpm, say 5000, cfm is 45. Output from a 5 liter car engine at 3000rpm is 220cfm. So even if the PPM emissions of the bike are twice that of a car engine, the actual pollution output is still much less.

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FOR. This has worked in Europe for years and applies to when I ride a bicycle or a motorcyle. Fastest way around town hands down.

What does the speed buy you? Less emissions. Why? Because the motorcycle is not sitting there idling. Even if the motorcycle and the car had the same engine, the motorcycle would be more efficient because it is always moving. Not wasting in traffic.

However, there would be a serious culture problem in the US (outside of CA). People don't like motorcycles splitting the lanes. In Europe, many drivers will actually move aside to make room.

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From a legal perspective, I see no problem with lane splitting. When I am on my bicycle I ride in and out of traffic at will, without regards to the rules.

As a motorcycle rider, however, I would never utilize lane splitting. Its so incredibly dangerous that I am not willing to risk it. In heavy traffic situations, however, I do use my shorter length and higher maneuverability to my advantage without 'lane splitting'.

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I'm totally for it. I don't ride a lot (and didn't ride in California the three years I lived there), but in California traffic, riding a motorcycle would be impossible without lane splitting. And, like it or not, CHP wants it and it ain't going anywhere.

That said, there are some really stupid people that are reckless about it (usually on crotch rockets). I also know several people who've had rearview mirrors knocked off because of lane splitters apathy (usually on cruisers). I've never heard of a lane splitter giving their info to the person who's mirror they broke, either.

I'm cool with lane splitting, but I'm not cool with careless jackasses.

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FOR. Even though it is illegal in AZ. I was stationed in CA for a couple of years. Ther lanes there aren't any wider than the ones for AZ. The people who are against splitting are likely the ones who get buzzed by an idiot on a motorcycle going 20+ what the rest of traffic is doing, which is illegal ANYWHERE and contributes to anti-motorcycle legislation and road-ragers opening their doors on the motorcyclist. Some bikes like my ZR7 are air cooled. Moving helps keep the engine in one piece by not onverheating. I can go on, but I'll leave with: driving anything is a privilege. Abuse it, LOSE it!

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ME (#5). You math is all correct, and your assumptions are conservative (other than the 5l "typical car" engine displacement), but the emissions reductions afforded by a catalytic converter are measured in terms of orders of magnitude, so the factor of 2 you calculated is vastly eclipsed.

I don't know where you live, but where the air is fairly clean it is easy to smell when a motorcycle (or a car built in the 60's) drives by, even among heavy traffic. Small engines notwithstanding they leave more soot and VOCs in the air than a whole street full of cat-equipped cars.

I should also say that in CA I think there are some emissions regs for motorcycles, but I don't know the details.

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Personally, I think it's a dangerous thing to do on a motorcycle.

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Against: All it takes is one collision and all traffic gets snarled even more, causing more idling and pollution. I think the safety benefits of not having lane splitting outweigh the modest environmental benefits that might occur with it.

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AGAINST. I am a cyclist, and while I wear very bright clothing motorists still have problems "seeing" me. Considering how EVERY motorcycle rider I know complains about people not seeing them, yet wears black at the same I can't imagine this would be such a great idea.

Now, on military bases riders are required to wear bright colors or use brightly colored reflective bands. This makes them *much* easier to see. So, for me to like this, I would suggest:

1. They wear brighter colors to be seen. Yes, suck it up.
2. A speed-differential cap. If the traffic is going at 15mph, then they shouldn't be allowed to exceed their speed by 10-15mph. This would give people a chance to see them before the typical "ooh, their moving faster in *that* lane" lane change.
3. Widely publicizing that this is a LEGAL maneuver, and post signs letting those from out-of-town know that this comes up. I visit San Diego and wouldn't have known about this, nor expected it.

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FOR. But then, I'm a motorcyclist living in California. As has been noted, it's common everywhere else in the world, but in most of the US, there's a sense that it's "unfair", that bikes are "cutting to the head of the line". But drivers don't realize that the bike isn't actually _taking_ a place in the line. There's also the issue of air-cooled bikes overheating without any air movement over the cooling fins.

The fuel savings are obvious. I don't know about the emissions standards, but most newer bikes have catalytic converters now. In any event, for a given trip, the engine of a lane-splitting motorcycle will be running for a shorter time than a car engine would be, which will also reduce total emissions.

In stop and go traffic, it's actually safer for motorcyclists to split lanes than to stay in line and possibly be sandwiched between a stopped car and a moving one that's about to rear-end it. Splitting impacts (which are rare) tend to be glancing blows. It's been my experience that a fair percentage of drivers will move over to make more room for splitting bikes, particularly between the #1 and #2 lanes.

I absolutely agree that the only time splitting is appropriate is when traffic is stopped or nearly so (say, less than 15 mph). Faster than that, and gaps open up between vehicles, making sudden lane changes much more likely and splitting much more hazardous.

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GoodCheer, motorcycles sold in CA are required to have a catalytic converter. Most other states don't have that particular requirement yet but will likely follow.

StudentDriver, I agree with you on your guidelines. I employed splitting lanes just 5 to 10 mph over stop and go San Diego traffic so I could get off the freeway as soon as possible. Soon as traffic moved back to 25 - 30 mph, I got back into "proper lanes".

I am completely against splitting the lanes at 80 mph while traffic is going 60+.

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For. Primarily because there are no good reasons to make it illegal. The safety issue comes close but I have to veto. If it comes down to safety, cars and trucks should be illegal as they cause a supreme majority of traffic incidents and congestion.
On the emissions of motorcycles, I believe all bikes sold in the last couple years have been required to be sold with catalytic converters. The problem is, they're often not have them once they're sold so people dump them. Regulations are coming into line w/ the rest of the automotive world tho.

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I've been riding a 250cc Kawasaki in San Diego for two years and lane splitting is one of several reasons that I decided to get a motorcycle to begin with. Not only that, during my research I found out that Southern California motorcyclists have a lower percentage of rear end collisions than either Texas or Florida (which have similar riding seasons and don't allow splitting). Lane splitting is both safer and faster. For the record, the only people that have tried to "squeeze" me have been from Texas. Take that for what you will, but most people move over when they see that you can't get by.

GoodCheer, any NEW bike sold in CA has to abide by it's tougher emissions standards. The extra emissions equipment on my motorcycle actually knocks my already middling performance down by another horsepower. This is why some people remove it. But I know people that have done the same thing with their cars.

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