Damn.....putting CA down is pretty popular on this site. The traffic (ok, and the air) can be bad. Other than that (and I was born in OK and grew up in NM) it ain't so bad. Yeah, lane splitting makes up for the bad traffic.

 

Pretty much what I said....no?

 

Pretty much, but you didn't have pictures

 

Since I have lived here for 52 years(all my life)I take full advantage of this "compensation"!
Now if they would just make riding on the shoulder legal when traffic is stopped on a two lane road!

 

I've seen plenty of people doing it.(passing on the shoulder) and riding in the "bike" lane.

 

Yea, I was born here and lived in SoCal all my life too. I've lived in other states when I was in the service, and a company I worked for sent me to Virginia and Alabama for a year each. With the exception of there being way too many people, I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. Lane splitting makes the too many people thing way more bearable on the freeways out here.

 

Watch out on San Diego. SDPD was writing tickets for it. Some thing about not driving in the center part of the lane. They even went to the CHP and questioned why the CHP wasn't writing tickets for it.[8D]

 

Good video, Anubisss--I especially like when they showed a motorcycle for the first time against a backdrop of "menacing" music. Cracked me up!!!

 

Done inteligently lane splitting is safe ... i rarely do it at over 30 mph or in moving traffic ... its also a good case for loud pipes ... I look to see if cage drivers have seen me as i go ... i can see them looking 5 -6 cars ahead in stationary traffic.

In Europe lane splitting is encouraged ... the traffic moves out of your way ... its great. I was following a car in France recently at 90ish when he pulled over and waved to let me between him and the cars he was overtaking ... so i thought wtf and went through at over a ton ... not something i'd do everyday but I had a big grin as I blasted through.

I dunno if its still the same back in New Zealand but cages used to open their doors to try and stop you getting to the front at traffic lights when I lived there 20yr ago ... there were a few with dents the shape of my boot afterwards.

 

In CA it's how you reduce a two hour rush hour commute to under 30 minutes.