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Why not make the shoulder legal for motorcycles?

pannayar

pannayar

e^ipi+1=0
Joined
Jun 11, 2004
Location
The Pale Blue Dot
Moto(s)
SV650s ('02)
This thread/video claiming lane splitting is safer brings me to ask something I have always wondered.

Why not make the shoulder legal for motorcycles?

My thinking is that cars should not use the shoulder because an emergency vehicle (ambulance etc) may need to use it. There could be other purposes (pulling over on a breakdown) but that seems to be the main one to me. Motorcycles can always easily move out of the way from the shoulder (and it may decrease the dangers/stress for riders from heavy California traffic lane splitting), so why not?
 
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russ69 said:
It's the gutter lane, not the right place to be...very dangerous. Cars don't even look before they just crank it hard into that space. It's not where you want to be...ever.
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Yep. And it's not engineered for travel. If you make it legal then all the rules about building roads have to change.
 
Same reasons that cars aren't allowed. And I can't even imagine how fast some of our brethren would go in that lane, knowing that it was clear. They would be spooking people all over the place. Bicycles aren't even allowed to use it, technically. Although I doubt any normal cop would write them for using the space.
 
Have you ever looked at the amount of debris in the emergency/breakdown lanes? It's not a place I would like to travel. Lane splitting is good enough for me.
 
clutchslip said:
Same reasons that cars aren't allowed. And I can't even imagine how fast some of our brethren would go in that lane, knowing that it was clear. They would be spooking people all over the place. Bicycles aren't even allowed to use it, technically. Although I doubt any normal cop would write them for using the space.
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I am guessing you mean freeway?
 
The main reasons have been mentioned. It's for emergency vehicles, stranded motorists and it's a gutter lane.

Where does the shit that flies out of or off of vehicles end up? The shoulder. Tire carcases, wheels, bumpers, ladders, boxes, mattresses, dead vehicles and trailers, etc all end up on the shoulder or the center medium. That's no place to be riding. Also it would create a huge problem in that most traffic exits or enters from the right. Motorists who occupy the right most lane are not expecting traffic to their right.

Emergency vehicles, stranded motorists and debris. :thumbup
 
Because it's not about us passing them safely it's about us passing them period that they have an issue with. They want every one to sit in traffic and be miserable just like them.
 
DReg350 said:
The main reasons have been mentioned. It's for emergency vehicles, stranded motorists and it's a gutter lane.
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pretty much. there's a lot of debris in there too - i've seen abandoned bumpers and cars parts left there for later cleanup from accidents.

not the best of places. dirt, gravel, uneven roads.
 
Nothing safe about it. Passing on the right is generally a bad idea anyway (not always, just generally). Safer to split where people are (supposed to be) looking out for you. Nobody checks their right side mirror to see if someone is approaching from the shoulder.
 
It's been pretty well covered until the OP crafts a poll detailing all the reasons.
 
Wiki: "In some urban areas, shoulders are used as travel lanes during peak commuting hours."

Sure the debris/junk etc cannot be denied. But I am not sure if it is that bad to say that a 30 mph speed there (in bumper to bumper traffic) is really dangerous.

kaqrrm.jpg
 
Very bad idea as many have and will continue to point out.
 
I'd be worried about running over large pieces of debris. No thanks.
 
pannayar said:
Wiki: "In some urban areas, shoulders are used as travel lanes during peak commuting hours."

Sure the debris/junk etc cannot be denied. But I am not sure if it is that bad to say that a 30 mph speed there (in bumper to bumper traffic) is really dangerous.

kaqrrm.jpg
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Yeah, we have that on 580 in Oakland before the park st exit. I've done it in my car, but would not attempt on my motorcycle. You can hit something in a car and be a lot better off than hitting the same thing on a motorcycle.
 
I do it and I dont give a shit. Use common sense. I only used the shoulder if asshole will not let me split.
 
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