To overtake or undertake ?

[400bhp]

One thing I find however, if cutting into a lane of traffic, say if the lights change and the queue moves...if undertaking then the car behind will almost always try to squeeze alongside and drive bumper-to-bumper, but if cutting in from the offside, it's far rarer for a car to try to undertake and squeeze you out

Agree

Defensive riding I guess-you've mentally overtaken, car drivers aren't used to being undertaken. Also a confidence thing going on.

 

[dondare]

I was overtaking a queue yesterday and a motorcyclist complained that I was in his way. He thought that I should be filtering, which in the circumstances would have been inadvisable.
I wasn't in his way, I was in front of him. Trouble is that for anyone with an engine, it means the same thing.

 

[Shut Up Legs]

If I need to pass a line of cars (and who wouldn't prefer to be in front of the exhaust pipes, rather than behind them?), then I always undertake. However, I generally do it slowly enough so that I can stop in time if a door opens in front of me. Of course, the above-mentioned kerb-hugging numpties can sometimes ruin that approach.

 

[slowmotion]

All the above, but at different times. The one rule I do stick to always is to never go up the inside of construction vehicles whether they are moving or stationary. In any circumstances at all. Likewise buses, unless the driver gives me eye contact and waves me on. Going up the inside anywhere with pedestrian railings, even in stationary traffic is a "do I feel immortal today" decision. Going down the outside is pretty much likewise. I don't think there can be hard and fast rules, just advice.

I think everybody, to a certain extent, trades risk against fun and that is very much a personal decision. It is certainly not heroic to be on an autopsy table.

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

Going up the inside anywhere with pedestrian railings, even in stationary traffic is a "do I feel immortal today" decision. Going down the outside is pretty much likewise. I don't think there can be hard and fast rules, just advice.

Quite.

I've seen a fair few rear-end shunts and not all at slow speeds (dozing drivers slamming into the back of traffic queues etc.). On balance, filtering or overtaking even if it's just to be alongside the last car in the line, provides some protection against being the filling in such a sandwich