a filtering question

[Jimmcc]

As I'm an IAM Senior Observer the comments more recently expressed are in my view correct, Filtering is legal and encouraged but where there are zig zags then you can filter up to the car nearest the crossing but must not overtake that vehicle for obvious reasons. Its actually quite rare to be able to pass moving vehicles moving towards the crossing but is often possible to pass them on the way out past the crossing. This is actually an overtake where filtering is done at a fixed speed where traffic is stopped or slow moving. Out accelarating another vehicle is considered more of an overtaking manouvre

Hence filtering at other times such as queues for roundabouts is ok but it's best to also stop between the 1st and 2nd car, that way when the first car moves off there is no race to get out first , and because you held back you are now clearly in the front spot then the second car has no option but to give way to you, this prevents road rage etc and its more relaxed and safe
Filtering speed is not really defined in the highway code but in stationary traffic if you are filtering at say 20mph this might be ok and if the traffic is moving at say 10mph then being 20mph quicker at 30mph would probably be too much even though its still the same 20mph differential but the traffic that you are passing is now capable of manourving across your path but also depends on other factors, eg rain, darkness, wide of lanes etc. However in an accident you will be likely to have a share of the blame becase you are unable to stop in the distance that you/is considered to be safe.

Regarding the police view, if you were filtering past traffic (say down rh side towards oncoming vehicles) in a hatched area that had a solid border, means that you are entering an area (criossing a solid line is an offence in this case) because you should only enter this area in an emergency and therefore you are in the wrong, but filtering down the left side or between traffic in this case would be fine and legal. Otherwise the filtering appears to be simply a case of being impatient and could be construed as "Careless" if stopped, and might even be done for "dangerous" if there was an accident as a result.

Confident, decisive and observant is the key to good filtering.

Jimmcc

[Wigan Chris]

i normally make a judgement call based on the size of any potetntial pedestrians about.
If they are small and would bounce, i say fair game, big grufters... i say give way

[StumpyFingers]

i normally make a judgement call based on the size of any potetntial pedestrians about.
If they are small and would bounce, i say fair game, big grufters... i say give way

I think along the same lines.
How much damage will the bike sustain if that lump of meat hit it?
if the answer is not much then if they fall over I am on an Adventure bike so over the top I go.

[Pussyhorse]

Problem is what to do when cars are stationary and queued up to and beyond the crossing.

Common sense says I stick my nose in front of the vehicle at the crossing, check the crossing is clear and pottle across.

What does the law say? I should wait until it all moves off?

[Lostboy]

That's a different scenario as the cars aren't stopped because of pedestrians on the crossing but because they have nowhere to go! As long as it's safe to cross (no pedestrians) then you can go.

There's a good deal of common sense that can and is applied by the boys in blue for situations like this!

[Dee Duble Yuh]

... I stick my nose in front of the vehicle at the crossing...

Doesn't that require you to overtake the vehicle nearest the crossing before you know that it's not waiting for a pedestrian? So if it is waiting for a pedestrian, you've broken the law already.

I believe the law makes no distinction about why the vehicles are stopped. You simply can't overtake.

[Pussyhorse]

Depends how you define overtake. You can stop level with the front of the first vehicle and see if the crossing is clear before proceeding across it.

[nelly]

hi to all,
it seems that everyone agrees on this one
the bike instructor i had was an ex police bike rider
and that was one of his little tips, not to filter in zig-zags
when traffic is sitting still

[jarl]

Epic bump....