I just heard on the radio that Virginia is trying to make it legal to ride 2 abreast in the same lane. While I'm all for looking at breasts, riding bikes side by side doesn't give me a warm and fuzzy. I think I'll stick with riding in a staggered pattern.

It is a good thing that they are thinking of loosening a traffic law rather than tightening one.

 

IMO the width of the lane (and shoulder) and who I'm riding with has a lot to do with how I feel about it. Lots of the roads I ride on are narrow with no shoulder, I wouldn't ride side by side on them even if I was the guy next to me.
I see pictures posted from California in the posts about lane splitting. The lanes there look a lot wider (at least 50%) than where I ride.

 

Now if more states legalize lane splitting that would be great.

 

Had no idea it wasn't legal there. Surprised we didn't get pulled over, then.

 

The proposed law is to allow 2 bikes to be side by side while waiting at traffic stop lights, stop signs or while waiting in backed up traffic. The reason for this proposed change is that there is a small town named Crewe in VA that is writting ticket for any bikeers that do any the above. This law would not allow you to ride side by side on the Highway.

 

That makes more since. Virginia tries to legislate everything you do in life.

 

I grew up in SoCal and have witnessed lane splitting. It was at least once a week that you'd see a rider down on the local news. The way these guys ride is nuts. And dont even start with its the cages fault. When you are riding between cars in traffic traveling 20-30 miles an hour faster than the flow, its "YOUR" fault when someone doesnt see you and changes lanes in front of you. As far as sharing a lane side by side, thats stupid as well. If you need to take evasive action for whatever reason...doesnt even have to be a stupid cager, can be something blowing onto the roadway etc...you've got nowhere to go when you have someone beside you. So lets here it from all the "I have excellent riding skills" guys who can split lanes safely haha. Its just stupid to put yourself in a position to have an accident that you can blame on the cager. Truth of the matter is that if you werent lane splitting, there wouldnt have been an accident. Just sayin

 

I do it all the time.... L.E.O.s do it to...I wont do it with a unsure or new rider.. it takes trust.. I dont split lanes though

 

The day is coming where everything we do down to the air we breath is going to be legislated...We may not be alive when it happens but it will the writting is on the wall.

 

Yep, Fairfax Motorcycle Police do it all the time. Even when turning of one street onto another. They look like they are in a Police motorcycle competition. But I would love it if they would relax the lane splitting for when traffic is traveling below a set speed like 15mph. Really sucks when you get stuck in stop and go traffic. In Germany I was pulled out of the traffic by two motorcycle police during a stau (traffic jam in Germany). They pulled the bikes out and we followed them to the next exit.