[NormanB]

I resurrect an old thread (circa Apr 2004) from a UK biking forum. If you do not like profanity then you will not want to follow the link I provide. I must admit leaving aside some of the language, I found it quite amusing, particularly the bit about Burgmans.

http://www.visordown.com/forums/showthread.php?t=156737&page=1&pp=15&highlight=Burgman

 

[DonRich90]

I resurrect an old thread (circa Apr 2004) from a UK biking forum. If you do not like profanity then you will not want to follow the link I provide. I must admit leaving aside some of the language, I found it quite amusing, particularly the bit about Burgmans.

http://www.visordown.com/forums/showthread.php?t=156737&page=1&pp=15&highlight=Burgman

Love the Brit sense of humor! :lol: Norm, what the h_ _ l is "undertake"?Can you translate ?
Don

 

[NormanB]

Love the Brit sense of humor! :lol: Norm, what the h_ _ l is "undertake"?Can you translate ?
Don

Hi Don

Well I certainly do not want to translate it all (even I have trouble with the more street idiom!).

In the USA you can generally pass a vehicle either on its left or right without committing a traffic offence (or so I understand).

In UK we can only pass (overtake) on the vehicles right flank (remember we drive on the correct side of the road! :wink: - the left that is) The exception is in traffic where traffic is queuing or slow moving. Therefore if we acted illegally on the highway and passed on the other vehicles left flank- it is colloquially known, not as overtaking but rather as 'undertaking' - quite apt really because as this is an illegal move here it is unexpected behaviour too and the vehicle that is in the process of being undertaken could move to the left and quite reasonably not expect another vehicle there. There are other exceptions but the above will suffice.

Have I confused you?

If the same law applied in the States then you would only be allowed to overtake on the other vehicles right flank.

I would appreciate your view on the merits of either system. In the UK one of the biggest frustrations are lane hoggers, our code says you should move over to the left lane once you have completed an overtaking move. Congestion blows a bit of a hole in that but, some people have their minds in neutral and stay in lane for no good reason and hold up following traffic - those foolish/daring enough/frustrated enough will then undertake.

 

[billmeek]

If the same law applied in the States then you would only be allowed to overtake on the other vehicles right flank.

That would be on the left flank for the US.

I would appreciate your view on the merits of either system. In the UK one of the biggest frustrations are lane hoggers, our code says you should move over to the left lane once you have completed an overtaking move. Congestion blows a bit of a hole in that but, some people have their minds in neutral and stay in lane for no good reason and hold up following traffic - those foolish/daring enough/frustrated enough will then undertake.

This is one of my biggest gripes about other drivers. Slower traffic is supposed to keep right. Even were posted it is usually ignored and I've never heard of it being enforced. My step father always drove in the left lane of the interstate at or just below the posted speed. His reasoning was that he was doing the speed limit and going fast enough for the 'fast lanes'. He preferred the left lanes because they are normally in better repair than the right. Which has some basis in fact since the semi trucks usually drive in the right lane and take a toll on the pavement. I believe the real reason he preffered the left lanes is it required less work driving there... less merging traffic.

The 'no undertaking' law would be a great idea only if the law requiring you to move back to the 'slow lane' were enforced / followed by drivers.

 

[pauljo]

Norman,

In the USA, where we drive on the correct side of the road (the right side :wink: ), we do have laws against overtaking on the right. However, we also have some of those "driving challenged" individuals who will drift along in the fast lane at speeds more appropriate to a handicapped turtle. So, that law is frequently broken. When I do pass on the right, it is with a twist of the throttle - I do not hang out alongside a person who is obviously not up to the task of driving in the first place.

The biggest danger here is from the impatient fools who dart back and forth from lane to lane in a relentless quest to gain a few car lengths. If you leave a reasonable following distance they are going to slide into it. And for all their effort, I doubt that they reach their destination two minutes earlier. (They can also be identified by their tendency to tailgate, and their frequent waving with their middle finger extended.) :evil:

 

[NormanB]

If the same law applied in the States then you would only be allowed to overtake on the other vehicles right flank.

That would be on the left flank for the US.

Whoops - sorry slip of the fingers/brain/whatever - its late here - I am off right now to do a bit of 'Eygptian PT' !

 

[Bleeder]

Yes yes yes lane hogging is a problem the world over, is it not? The only possible exception would be Germany, but perhaps I've just been lucky there. Or maybe it's a cultural thing -"Vee haff ordahs and our ordahs must be OBEYED".

Anyway, there is no reasoning with them, really, they are simply living monuments to the invincible power of stupidity.

Just to clarify, here in CA Lane splitting is legal if done safely, but passing on the shoulder is strictly forbidden, at any speed. In other words, in congestion you can pass BETWEEN cars but not OUTSIDE of them, and that goes for either the outside shoulder (slow lane side) or the inside shoulder (fast lane) in the case of a "divided" freeway.

Have I confused YOU? LOL!!

In city traffic, all bets are off and the differences between "filtering" and "lane splitting" are academic as a practical matter since shoulders don't exist. Passing is allowed on either side of any vehicle, regardless of it's lane position provided it's sanely executed. I've found this to be the case in London as well, or maybe I have just been acting in splendid ignorance.



Peace.

 

[Monterey10]

A most spirited column

It's great reading a bit with some passion to it.

 

[wasions]

<<sigh>>

My (ulp) wife usually drives in the inside lane. True, she generally drives 13 over - no - she drives 68 mph, whether the speed limit is 50 or 75. I've not been able to cure her. But then, she never gets tickets/has wrecks (like SOME people I am). She says the headlights bother her in her wing mirrors if she drives in the outside lane. (And I say, "Adjust yer stupid mirs!")

If you see her, either goin' like a bat, or crawlin' like a snail (depending, as I said, upon the speed limit), please cut her some slack and don't shoot. She really is a swell person otherwise. :roll:

Steve

 

[pauljo]

If you see her, either goin' like a bat, or crawlin' like a snail (depending, as I said, upon the speed limit), please cut her some slack and don't shoot. She really is a swell person otherwise. :roll:

Steve

Yes, good point. Many of the folks I mentally cuss at when I ride or drive are probably swell people otherwise.... It's just so hard to keep that in mind sometimes... :?

 

[billmeek]

Time for me to admit my evil cage driver side:

When driving was a part of my job, I used to be of those (jerks in a cage) that when I come up behind someone going slow in the fast lane, I'd stay behind them. I'd flash my brights once or twice to let them know I'm there and give them a chance to move over. If they ignored that, I'd flash the bright lights a few times. If still being ignored (or they did't wanna move to the right), I turned on the brights and moved to the left side of the lane to put my headlights in their left mirror followed by honking the horn once. If they STILL refused to get over (or possibly they were partially deaf and blind), I'd lay on the horn. If that failed, I began wishing I still went armed to the teeth and ended up passing them on the right side. I then got in front of THEM and slowed down. :twisted:

 

[NormanB]

Yes yes yes lane hogging is a problem the world over, is it not? The only possible exception would be Germany, but perhaps I've just been lucky there. Or maybe it's a cultural thing -"Vee haff ordahs and our ordahs must be OBEYED".

Anyway, there is no reasoning with them, really, they are simply living monuments to the invincible power of stupidity.

Just to clarify, here in CA Lane splitting is legal if done safely, but passing on the shoulder is strictly forbidden, at any speed. In other words, in congestion you can pass BETWEEN cars but not OUTSIDE of them, and that goes for either the outside shoulder (slow lane side) or the inside shoulder (fast lane) in the case of a "divided" freeway.

Have I confused YOU? LOL!!

In city traffic, all bets are off and the differences between "filtering" and "lane splitting" are academic as a practical matter since shoulders don't exist. Passing is allowed on either side of any vehicle, regardless of it's lane position provided it's sanely executed. I've found this to be the case in London as well, or maybe I have just been acting in splendid ignorance.



Peace.

Hi Bleeder

1. Yes they have good lane discipline in Germany. I did find it quite disconcerting (after being constrained to sub 100mph regimes) on the 2 lane autobahns to find myself in the 'overtaking' lane doing 125 mph to look in my rear mirror and see a 'sub orbital' vehicle approaching like FAST and having to move over to allow them to ease past in the 150mph region. Although this pains me to say it the French are much better at lane discipline too (standfast city traffic - and Paris worthy of a special mention).

2. I am easily confused so no special efforts or recognition can be awarded for keeping me in that state :lol:.

3. You were not acting in ignorance in London (well in your example anyway - I don't know what else you get up to :wink: ), for the most part it is congested so it would be a legal move anyway, when not congested mostly the lanes are marked 'directionally' (to position for a destination) so then you are essentially on a different route.

Have fun