I have ridden bikes for 15yrs and have commuted into W.London from Surrey each morning for the past 6 yrs to avoid the M3, M25 & M4 congestion.
During my commute I 'filter' down the middle of lanes 2 & 3 of the motorway to make progress and when in town I always find my way to the front of the queue by squeezign down the middle. This is generally accepted as OK in the UK and even the Highway code allows it providing it is done safely.

Question,
I am moving back to Canada next summer, if I ride like this in Canada (Vancouver, BC to be exact) will I get abuse from car drivers?
I remember once in North Van traffic was at a standstill and I filtered all the way to the front only to find some pr1ck in his car deliberately move over so that I could not squeeze through, needless to say his wing mirror didn't stay on for long.
Is filtering still a no no or have times moved on?

Cheers

I can only speak as a passenger (I don't drive) but I'd say that, if you do in Canada what you're doing in the UK, you're heading for the hospital. From what I have seen, particularly on the highways, frequent unannounced lane changing is standard practice, as is undertaking.

I expect it's illegal. For years I travelled around the US and Canada with a motorcycle fanatic (not by bike) everywhere we went he'd recite the lane splitting law. In most jurisdictions a bike is not allowed to go between lanes of cars (thus negating the advantage of a bike) although in a few it's allowed if the speed of the cars is less than some figure or the ratio of the speed of the bike and the cars is less or more than some other figure. Note that I'm not saying that illegality is a sound reason for not doing something just that one should be aware of the potential penalty.

My boss, who rides, says its illegal, and most of the bikes here are too fat to filter anyway, plus the average car driver is so oblivious to the presence of bikes that you would probably end up in hospital.

He doesnt know anyone whos been ticketed for it, but on the other hand he (and I) have never seen anyone doing it. Ive seen a few bikes on the road still in December which surprised me as there is grit down in places already. Perhaps they have a death wish?

Asked my Canuck hubby as he is a biker as well, here and in Canada. Illegal in Ottawa, Greenwood, NS and in Cold Lake, Alberta. As for the US rarely see it done on US highways and byways.

I have never ridden a motorcyle except as a passenger. But I've been given to understand by those who do that in the eyes of the law a motorcycle is a vehicle just like a car and is treated that way by the authorities.

So no filtering allowed, also it is considered illegal for two motorcycles to ride side by side in the same lane.

I could be entirely wrong on this point but the above posts seem to back it up.

Cheers
Steve

illegal! oh my God what a PITA. What is the point in having a bike if you can't make progress?
I take your point about Canadian car drivers not being "bike aware" I remember having some close calls in Vancouver.

At least here in the UK we have some quite graphic TV commercials warning car drivers (and bikers) to watch out for the car that didn't see you. In fact I'd go as far to say that UK drivers are quite courteous to me on the roads, they go out of their way to move aside and let me through each morning.

I tell you, Vancouver drivers better start using their mirrors in the summer or they'll get a size 11 dent in their door <just kidding>

Thats in Ontario, I dont know about BC. Exceeding the speed limit is also illegal, and Im sure you would never do that on a bike either

Bikes here are a seasonal affectation anyway in most of canada.

Whats the point? Well how else does a grown man justify a leather clothing fetish in public?
Trafic where I am moves along OK so there is nothing to be gained by Filtering anyway.

Its pricks like you who give motorcyclists a bad name..

I also ride a motorcycle and one day whilst in my car I did not see a motorcyclist filtering along side of me....By "mistake" i moved slightly to the right making it impossible for him to pass...i also recieved a dent to the side of my car.....

needless to say i managed to track his bike down and guess what it didn't stay on its stand for much longer....

a lot more damaged cost than my small dent

Shut up you knob cheese, did you not see the word "deliberate" & "kidding" in my post?
As a fellow biker you should have carried out a blind spot check before moving across in his path...no excuses.

Nice

Davie,
I don't doubt your a motorcyclist...but you've also shown yourself to be a comlete horses arse with that last posting.

Any and I mean Any motorcyclist would have noticed the bike ....do yourself a favour stick to cars/trucks/prams whatever suits you best......prat

A graphic always helps.

Sorry, maybe I was too harsh
His tone just aggravated me as I was trained by a Police Class 1 Advanced rider and I am also a IAM observer teaching fellow bikers how to pass their Advanced Motorists Advanced Driving Test.

Just as a warning, don't go damaging peoples vehicles over here, even if they are in the wrong.

First as any three year old can tell you, two wrongs don't make a right, and second, and probably more important, you have no idea what sort of psycho you are winding up and what sort of weapon they may have in their glove box...or they might just accidentally run over you in their F150 and say they never saw you.

There is enough trouble out there without going looking for it.