So what is the right and wrong of nipping down the left when the traffic has stopped?

[Greenbank]

I am serial under-taker, over-taker and occasional lane-splitter. Filtering is expedient, gratifying, contagious and addictive. Just be careful not to mainline momentum at every opportunity.

Exactly. I do it on the assumption that, at the seriously nasty end of the scale I'll give up some or all of my momentum if there's a chance I could be seriously injured. This includes many of the scenarios described above such as cars turning out from, or in to, side roads (whether you've made eye contact or not). Gaps in the cars invite people to pull in/through. Don't rely on indicators being used or, if they are being used, whether they are truly indicating the driver's intentions.

On the less serious front, it's a calculated risk filtering up the inside of stationary/slow cars if you're within the door zone. I still do it and, to this day, I've managed to avoid it the one time someone did open the door on me (it was someone getting out of a cab where it was an unusual traffic jam). If you don't like doing it, or think it's too risky, then don't do it. I'll also make my decision based on what I know about the lights. If the lights have just changed to red as I approach then I'll happily undertake most things to get to the front. If I'm coming up to them and they've been red for a while then I'll maintain my position within the queue of traffic.

The driver is supposed to be responsible for making sure their passengers do not open the door onto anyone, but that doesn't work in practice, children and cab passengers especially.

It's your duty to do all you can not to hit anyone, this includes pedestrians that wander through stationary traffic (I'll give up some of my momentum if I'm undertaking a vehicle higher than a car, i.e. a bus or a van) if there's a chance there's a pedestrian crossing.

On the aggressive front I'm about middle of the road as far as Londinium cyclists are concerned. Every day I see other riders doing plenty of things that I'd never do (notwithstanding RLJing), and I'm sure someone would look at my riding style and tut furiously (still need to get the helmet cam out again). My motorbike filtering was far more aggressive. Looking back I'm surprised I never had any kind of an accident.

My only specific bits of advice would be (a) perform frequent "lifesaver" checks by looking over your shoulders (I'm constantly surprised how many people change road position without even looking, maybe they're relying purely on their hearing) and then ( indicating your intentions before you make a manouevre. Twice I've seen cyclists taken out by other cyclists, or filtering motorbikes, because they flit about weaving in and out of cars without looking.

 

[purplepolly]

It's your duty to do all you can not to hit anyone, this includes pedestrians that wander through stationary traffic (I'll give up some of my momentum if I'm undertaking a vehicle higher than a car, i.e. a bus or a van) if there's a chance there's a pedestrian crossing..

Which reminds me - I did once get hit on a pelican crossing by a cyclist who was filtering down the left, with dropped bars and looking down, and didn't see the red lights. As she was filtering down the side of a van and it was dark I couldn't see her. So be aware of legitimate crossing points if it's a long queue of traffic.

 

[Twanger]

I tried a lot of right filtering today. It certainly gets you places quicker. But there are some places where you just pootle. And down the left.

Purplepolly....anyone who filters looking down has gone outside the framework of safety I had in mind! On the left, I pootle. Only pootle. And I look up and around all the time!

 

[surfgurl]

I have a scenario that I would like your opinion on and also what you would have done in my position.
I live in a seaside town with one main access road. The road leads from a small roundabout on the edge of town to the M5 and is about a mile long, it is at national speed limit.
With summer rapidly drawing in the road is often busy into and out of town. Some of the traffic is local, but a lot is tourists including motorhomes and vehicles towing caravans. There is one left turn and no right hand turns. There is nothing down the road that any passengers would need to jump out for.
On this occasion a few weeks ago I was going out of town towards the M5. The vehicles going in my direction were stationary or moving very slowly.
I tried filtering carefully down the left, but there wasn't much room. I tried overtaking on the right hand side, but could only do this when the road was clear as the traffic on the other side was doing 40-60mph. I found myself mixing between the two and holding my position as a vehicle between the queue of cars.
Did I do the right thing? What should I have done? What would you do?

 

[Moose]

I very rarely filter on either side, but then again most of the time I don't encounter too much traffic. As I understand it, filtering is not illegal, but I was told when doing a CBT that you would be partially liable as you're effectively creating another 'lane' for yourself that doesn't exist. Not sure if this is true or not, just repeating what I was told. If it is true, would it be different for a bicycle and motorcycle?

 

[garrilla]

my only comment to add to all the common sense scribbled above is to filter slowly and ensure you can see the driver's face in their wing mirror as this means they can see you if they look

 

[grhm]

Surfgirl, sound like you did alright. If traffic is slow/stationary I too would filter forward - I prefer to filter on the right, but I'd go for the left if I thought it was safer - like when there is room on the left and 50-60mph traffic on the right.
I too would have stopped filtering if oncoming traffic meant it wasn't safe to do so.

As long as you ensure you will be able to get back into a position as a vehicle in the normal flow of traffic before overtaking a row of cars it's ok in my book. I'd consider it filtering incorrectly if I had to switch from left to right or vise-vesra by turning at (almost) right angles to the flow of traffic and squeezing between the front of one vehicle and the rear of another (if that makes sense).

 

[grhm]

my only comment to add to all the common sense scribbled above is to filter slowly and ensure you can see the driver's face in their wing mirror as this means they can see you if they look

+1 - An eminantly sensible bit of advise

 

[Black Sheep]

I'm never popular when I say things like this, but Twanger's comment sums up my feeling that there should be no excuses - if you use the road you should know the rules of it. IMHO people should need to retake their driving tests every ten years or so because rules change and they get into bad habits.

And folk moving to the UK (or driving in the UK whilst on holiday) should take a knock-down version of the test to ensure that they understand local laws. The same should be true for Brits going abroad too.

And relax...

i've never hired a car anywhere but in the UK and on a UK license, however I do remember each time we went to Jersey or Guernsey for family holidays and my dad collected the hire car they would hand him a piece of A4 to read that had a run down of the rules that differ from the uk, eg island speed limit of 35mph, yellow arrow means your coming to the end of the road, yellow line across means stop (they liked yellow paint) and my dad would have to sign to say he'd read it before they'd give him the keys

i can't imagine that hire companies don't do that in the UK because its their hassle and cost to repair a damaged car from someone not following the HC or chase up a speeding fine from someone who didn't know what the speed limit signs look like.

 

[Black Sheep]

And if it's a long queue beware of sideroads. Many drivers will kindly let a waiting car out in front of them or a car may turn right, through a gap in the queue, onto the side road.

yup, i nearly had an over the bonnet experience due to someone being let out to turn right,

i was in the rather wide cycle lane to the left of traffic flow, didn't realise the car had let her out until i had no room to brake and had to swerve round the front of the moving car which saw me at the last min

she was not a happy bunny, especially when i told her to look next time.

 

[Black Sheep]

I have a scenario that I would like your opinion on and also what you would have done in my position.
I live in a seaside town with one main access road. The road leads from a small roundabout on the edge of town to the M5 and is about a mile long, it is at national speed limit.
With summer rapidly drawing in the road is often busy into and out of town. Some of the traffic is local, but a lot is tourists including motorhomes and vehicles towing caravans. There is one left turn and no right hand turns. There is nothing down the road that any passengers would need to jump out for.
On this occasion a few weeks ago I was going out of town towards the M5. The vehicles going in my direction were stationary or moving very slowly.
I tried filtering carefully down the left, but there wasn't much room. I tried overtaking on the right hand side, but could only do this when the road was clear as the traffic on the other side was doing 40-60mph. I found myself mixing between the two and holding my position as a vehicle between the queue of cars.
Did I do the right thing? What should I have done? What would you do?

I have a similar situation but in a different scenario. most of my routes when going places involve going through coventry city centre, some of that is on single lane (each way) roads and some is on double lane (each way) roads. most of the time the traffic is flowing freely and i'll just take my place in it holding my position as a vehicle in the queue.

sometimes it becomes static, at which point i'll often go past on the right if there is space between the cars and the on-coming traffic - however there is only one set of traffic lights that i'll filter for - that is one that has a bus and bike only right turn and so i know i'll not be dropping in front of anyone.

i avoid going up the left as its more likely that someone will suddenly nip down the left hand street to try and weave round the traffic.

my feelings are that its better to wait with traffic (after all, don't we want to be considered part of traffic) than to be in danger.

if its safe to filter, feel free but bear in mind people don't mind motorbikes doing it because they know they'll not see the motorbike again, they object to cyclists doing it because they think they'll have to overtake you again / that you'll hold them up

 

[jimboalee]

I do some 'filtering' although it looks more like 'weaving' in and out of the traffic through Warwick.

I take an agressive stance. I select a highish gear - one on which I know I can accelerate quickishlike.
I stand up on the pedals and look round regularly. I use my head to give motorists gestures as to my intentions.

I stare at the motorists menacingly.