Not technology exactly, but a good bit of forward vision.
rossco


Lane Filtering Trial Sydney CBD 1st March to 30th April
February 4, 2013

Motorcyclists will be allowed to lane filter in the northern part of Sydney’s CBD from 1 March to 30 April as part of a trial to measure potential safety benefits and reduced congestion.

It will be legal for motorcyclists to use the filtering technique while the Centre for Road Safety tests whether traffic flow improves without jeopardising safety.

Lane filtering manoeuvres are against the law in NSW, however there will be an exemption for motorcyclists in the trial area – allowing them to filter only past stationary vehicles at intersections.

Monitoring will start on 1 February for comparison purposes, with the findings to be presented in late 2013.

The NSW Police Force CBD Motorcycle Response Team, recently funded by Transport for NSW, would be policing the trial area to ensure road rules are being followed by all motorists.

The trial area is in the northern part of Sydney CBD, bordered by Circular Quay, George Street and Hickson Road in the north, Hickson Road and Sussex Street in the west, Market Street and St James’s Road in the south and Macquarie Street in the east.

Motorcyclists are not allowed to lane filter on the Cahill Expressway, Western Distributor and Bradfield Highway (Sydney Harbour Bridge).

Map of the lane filtering trial zone.
Lane filtering for motorcyclists during the trial

Motorcycle lane filtering includes:

Motorcycles moving between stationary vehicles at intersections.
Motorcycles travelling within the lane, on the lane line and/or into the adjacent lane when filtering.

When lane filtering, motorcycle riders must follow the following conditions:

Motorcyclists are not allowed to travel through moving traffic (lane splitting).
Riders must not overtake to the left of a vehicle which is in the left-hand lane.
When traffic is queued at intersections, riders must stop at the intersection behind the stop-line.
Riders must not filter in ‘bus only’ lanes.

When lane filtering, it is also recommended that riders take extra care:

In turning lanes.
Near buses, trucks, cyclists and pedestrians.
Adjacent to parked vehicles.
Moving from traffic lights.
Merging back into traffic.

Motorcycle riders will be exempt from the following road rules in order to allow them to filter within the trial area between 1 March 2013 and 30 April 2013:

Drivers/riders on a multi-lane road must travel entirely within a single lane (rule 146a).
Drivers/riders must travel within a single line of traffic on a road without marked lanes (rule 146b).
Drivers/riders on a multi-lane road must not move from one marked lane into another marked lane by crossing a continuous line separating the lanes (rule 147).

You just KNOW what my question is......

Use a hacksaw

No!
( I'd forget to put my feet down at the next set of lights)

Ok so he we have a governmental decree that says we are embracing the Asian way of riding, allowing lane splitting. Do I hear a resounding chorus of well done?, Actually I probably do, but to anyone who has spent time in Asia and watched the traffic, they don't record the traffic prangs or deaths, so many on the road doing crazy by our standards is not what we should look forward to.

Lane splitting or filtering is allowed in the UK. If you take an advanced riding course here you are encouraged to utilise the advantages of being on a bike, such as filtering to the front of a queue at say traffic lights.

Having said that, it needs to be done with caution, as you are not supposed to do it between moving traffic.

There is also the opportunity to ensure you are not stuck in the danger zone at the back of stationary traffic where you are vulnerable to being shunted from vehicles failing to stop in time.

Mike

In The Netherlands this is already allowed by law.
Motorcycles can bypass a traffic jam with a maximum speed difference of appr.10
KMP.

You should ride between the leftmost lane and the lane next to that lane
This is working fine, except when there are foreigner in the queue.
They tend to "squeeze" you.

For me the 50km (35 km highway) ride to work is 1 hour by car, 25 minutes by
motor

personally I think it is a good idea for quicker traffic to precede the flow of cars but some cars get really pissed here and the "squeeze" is a real possibility....of course you do have the fringe element of cyclists motored and otherwise who stuff things up for everyone by disregarding all the rules....I certainly feel very prone sitting at the end of a line of cars when every clown is on their phone or SMSing while driving...on the other hand I feel very comfortable leaving them all behind at every set of lights....

And this just in. Grabbed the article from Motorworks who grabbed it elsewhere.

FILTERING

No news on the sydney trial yet.

Fingers crossed

Damn right I say. If I had traffic here, I'd filter.

In your neck of the woods, any 3 cars going the same direction at the same is consided Peak hour.

I'm guessing the term "filtering" means splitting lanes between the cars?
I have many years of experience doing this in California.....the only place I know about where it is not specifically prohibited.
(No law against it, No law allowing it).
It was an essential part of my life for many years.......I think I got knocked off twice in those years by an errant driver making an immediate lane change. Usually, if your overtake speed is prudent, when the guy ahead makes the "instant un signaled lane change.......your speed is such that you just hit him in the left rear 1/4 panel, drop the bike and stand up. (a bit more difficult when riding 2 up with full panniers)
I found a couple of facts useful:
#1 Do not go so much faster than whatever speed the cars are going so as you don't have sufficient time to scope out the short skirts/long legs of the bird in the car on your left as you go by. Use that as your speed gauge. If you have time as you go by to get a good view.....then your overall overtaking speed is not too excessive. If you're passing by sooo quickly that you're missing the occasional "Good sight" then you're going too fast and are headed for a crash.
#2 You need a high beam headlamp ON that is 3 times brighter than the sun......so the occasional "rabbit lane changer" ahead of you has a chance anyway of catching at least a glimpse of your oncoming overtake, before you get there.......especially important when travelling west in the early morn with the sun behind you. 10,000 watts or so should be barely sufficient.
Sure wish we could get away with that here in Arizona, but it's frowned upon here.
I can tell you that after doing it for a couple of hours say......60 miles through clogged Friday afternoon traffic.......you'll be ready for more than one of those tall "Fosters" brewskis. (Not for the faint of heart)
Good Luck, ibj...

On my way through Lewisham towards Central London this morning, I was in the van at the lights, a R1200 filters through to stop in front of me, lights green and he pulls away and stands it up on the back wheel, seemed very little effort to do.Pity, I had no camera.
That is one big bike.

Here and the UK, filtering is passing between cars that are stopped or at a very slow crawl.
Splitting is travelling between cars at any other speed.
Splitting will never be allowed in Australia.

I actually watched two bikes collide while both were filtering in multi lane traffic. One decided the gap between the other lane was bigger and crossed over while another bike was already using that......lets call it a lane.
One bike (Harley) hit the back wheel of the other bike. Fortunately both stayed upright.

Hopefully they see reason and allow filtering.
Bikes can already use bus lanes.

Fingers still crossed.

ungaas wrote:On my way through Lewisham towards Central London this morning, I was in the van at the lights, a R1200 filters through to stop in front of me, lights green and he pulls away and stands it up on the back wheel, seemed very little effort to do.Pity, I had no camera.
That is one big bike.

I grew up in Forest Hill, and now ride a 2010 BMW R1200RT-P. They're deceptive, because although they look huge, they're actually slim bikes underneath, and handle as such.

There is one rider who splits lanes at well over 70mph, the traffic going out of London on the A2 is heavy, whenever he goes past the van rocks from the air movement I also crap myself with fright.
I do not want to be around if something were to go wrong, it would put me off from biking.
A good turn of speed, has a time and place though. -o:

I remember when working at Honda Australia I used to ride 40km to work and at one stage a youngster on a Kawasaki 250 screamer used compast me on the back wheel and or going like the clappers probably partly because I was riding a Z1300 and he was showing off.
Saw this for about 5-6 weeks and then one day there he was in the middle of the road bike in a heap of bits and some car driver that probably would get the blame for changing lanes on him so I stopped and told the guy in the car involved how the idiot used to ride and lrft my name and address but never saw the rider or driver again so I don't know the outcome.