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Car Pool Lane Wrecks

1K views 7 replies 7 participants last post by  ChikkenNoodul 
#1 ·
For the past couple of months, the morning traffic report has at lest one Motorcycle down in the carpool lane report.
The carpool lane should be the safe place as you don't have cars cutting you of making lane changes (except at the entry/exit spots).
I have to assume the riders are doing something stupid. Like the guys I saw last week on the 210 sharing the lane when traffic was moving about 45 mph.

These reports do not help my case with the wife at all.
 
#2 ·
Well,

I see lots of riders doing things I think are "pushing their luck." They "split" from the carpool lane by riding between the double-double yellow lines at all speeds. I have been run down by some heavy duty splitters. In fact, you have to check your mirror constantly before and while splitting.

Cars will move in and out of the carpool lane at any point - not just at the access areas. Whenever the regular lanes start to slow down - assume that someone (especially solo drivers!) will bolt into the carpool lane - that happens regularly.

I agree, I see a lot of "MC down in HOV lane" on the CHP incident reports. I guess it is mostly the riders "fault" for not anticipating the cagers bad behavior.

And then, many of the freeways in LA central are just too narrow to even consider "splitting." They are old, have bad surfaces, and just enough lane width to fit a car even though 25% of the traffic is 18 wheelers.
 
#3 ·
I agree with everything he said. That being said, I find splitting can be pretty safe in certain conditions. There are times that I'd rather traffic be near stopped allowing me to split than to have heavy traffic flowing at 70 with everyone zigging and zagging into any open spot they see (I'm usually in it)

I never split right before, during, or right after an access area unless traffic is dead stopped. Too many people making last minute decisions about jumping in or out of the HOV lane in those areas. And those narrow freeways, all it takes is once to have you trying to reroute 20miles around them onto a wider, safer freeway.

As to your question about why there seems to be so many accidents. I think you answered it pretty well. I've seen some really, really stupid squid stunts being pulled by riders that feel that just because they can go between the cars there's no reason they can't do it at full speed.

When I see one of them I just jump into a lane to let them go by and say a silent prayer that when they get splatted it happens somewhere else so it doesn't hold up my drive time. We Californians can be pretty evil sometimes :twisted:
 
#4 ·
Personally I am glad that splitting is illegal here. I dont need the temptation or the extra gray hairs from that. It would be nice when traffic is just stopped I guess though.
 
#5 ·
Fatstrat,
Don't get us wrong - splitting is a very good thing - but like all aspects of riding, must be done with all due considerations of safety and risk versus reward. I think it should be allowed everywhere. It is my feeling that California drivers are becoming used to bikers that are splitting - the commuter crowd is used to seeing and dealing with splitters in particular. I was on a commute (not my regular route) during rush hour in a really big crowd, and the drivers basically positioned themselves in their lanes to leave a wide path for bikes. Those who saw me coming would pull over further like as not. Pretty impressive.

That being said - for those places where it is not allowed and there is no "tradition" of bikes splitting, the dangers increase - particularly because of drivers who can't deal with somebody who has an advantage over them.

The best thing is to live and ride where you don't have to split - where would that be? (And where you can ride all year round....)
 
#6 ·
Fatstrat,
Don't get us wrong - splitting is a very good thing - but like all aspects of riding, must be done with all due considerations of safety and risk versus reward. I think it should be allowed everywhere. It is my feeling that California drivers are becoming used to bikers that are splitting....



Jeez, I must be from another planet.

I believe splitting to be inherently unsafe. I've personally been on the Ventura freeway when a uniformed cop biker comes up and tailgates me. I move over as far as possible and the cop passes me in my lane at 55 MPH - no lights, no siren. If I had a tire blow out, that cop would have been hamburger. Instant road debris or animal, same outcome.

Lane splitting when the cagers are stopped is one thing - anything else just seems suicidal.
 
#7 ·
Yeah, I'm constantly being tailed by a CHP Bike. Those guys are so damn fast when they split lanes. I move over and let him pass. Then I try to keep up with him with no such luck. In no time they're off with a 2 mile gap or so. Also realize they do this for a living. How they don't get hit amazes me. I wonder how many mirrors get taken out.
 
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