Just a short post to say thank to all the truck drivers southbound on A1(M)yesterday afternoon. Some moron in the Highways repair section had left the signs up telling everybody that lane 1 was closed about 2 miles before Blythe. Well, it wasn’t and it didn’t take long for 3 to 4 miles of standing / crawling traffic to build up. For a change I was on my bike rather than on lots of wheels and as you know bikes and riders tend to filter through traffic.
It was really nice to find that without exception HGV’s pulled over to give me a bit more room. Shame the same cannot be said about car drivers, especially the two who put in their best efforts to stop me getting past at all.
I tried aknowledging everybodies efforts at the time, but there are times that riding with one hand on the bars in heavy traffic is not the cleverest thing to do! Anyway, thanks again.
yes mate,unfortuately we had a biker who lost control off his bike and came off it and hit a truck on the M8 east bound at j21,sorry to say it was fatal 
geebee45:
I tried aknowledging everybodies efforts at the time, but there are times that riding with one hand on the bars in heavy traffic is not the cleverest thing to do!
The French bikers wave a leg in that situation 
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Simon:
geebee45:
I tried aknowledging everybodies efforts at the time, but there are times that riding with one hand on the bars in heavy traffic is not the cleverest thing to do!The French bikers wave a leg in that situation
That is so they can shake their onions down their legs 
geebee45:
It was really nice to find that without exception HGV’s pulled over to give me a bit more room. Shame the same cannot be said about car drivers, especially the two who put in their best efforts to stop me getting past at all.
Do you know it is illegal to weave in and out of traffic like this? Not to mention dangerous - both to you and the vehicles around you.
While I wouldn’t actually move over to block a motorcycle from getting through, I certainly won’t move out of their way.
Fish
Fish:
geebee45:
It was really nice to find that without exception HGV’s pulled over to give me a bit more room. Shame the same cannot be said about car drivers, especially the two who put in their best efforts to stop me getting past at all.Do you know it is illegal to weave in and out of traffic like this? Not to mention dangerous - both to you and the vehicles around you.
While I wouldn’t actually move over to block a motorcycle from getting through, I certainly won’t move out of their way.
Fish
Im afraid you are very wrong there Fish 
It is called filtering and is encouraged both by the instructors and the examiners of motorcycles. If you sit behind a queue of traffic, you will fail the motorcycle test for not making good progress.
Filtering in London is dangerous because all the drivers think it is fun to try to knock all riders off 
I am not talking courier riders either
You do not have to move over but deliberatly blocking the road is driving without due care and attention and dangerous as well.
They have even had to put an advert on TV about stupid drivers blocking the road even when an ambulance is trying to get past a queue
Very angry about last comment
Fish:
geebee45:
It was really nice to find that without exception HGV’s pulled over to give me a bit more room. Shame the same cannot be said about car drivers, especially the two who put in their best efforts to stop me getting past at all.Do you know it is illegal to weave in and out of traffic like this? Not to mention dangerous - both to you and the vehicles around you.
While I wouldn’t actually move over to block a motorcycle from getting through, I certainly won’t move out of their way.
Fish
illegal my arse who told you that load of pony and trap 
dont ya just love merchant bankers who drive Metros 
Wheel Nut:
It is called filtering and is encouraged both by the instructors and the examiners of motorcycles. If you sit behind a queue of traffic, you will fail the motorcycle test for not making good progress.
Only if the traffic is stationary. If it’s moving then what you’re doing ceases to be filtering and becomes undertaking which is very definitely illegal.
Paul
Why not let other pass if its OK to do so. Checking your mirrors and easing to the left or right to make things safer for another raod user isn’t too much to ask.
Whilst going up and down the A34 around Oxford on my bike, I do use the opportunity to get through the traffic, and whilst it may not be strickly legal, you will find most police riders and other profesionals doing so, as when on a bike you get a very good view of whats happening and can soon detect when someone is moving, or drifting in your direction, and you can take the appropriate course of action.
People who don’t move/help, I guess are the same people who block off lane two 3 miles before it reduces because they don’t like the fact that other road users can filter and play nicely! And, probably the same people who didn’t share their sweets as children
Why the animosity toward motor cyclists? Truckers & motor cyclists rarely compete for the same roadspace. They come past and disappear into the distance, rarely to ever be seen again.
When was the last time any of us can say that they were held up by a motor cyclist - and I’m not including the kiddy numpties that scream about on Chicken-Chasers.
The only occasion that I can think of where I deliberately held back a couple of motor cyclists was on the A34 near Oxford. Slow moving traffic with another truck on my offside, and two bikers looking to come through the middle.
What they couldn’t see was that I was about to overtake a couple of pedal cyclists.
So, right indicator and close the door on them. As I passed the cyclists the Bikers could see the reason why I had moved over.
I then moved back to the left and let them through. Both waved a thanks.
Another time, M1 North near Luton. A miserable wet Winters’ evening and I wanted to pull into lane 2. Coming up behind was a motor cycle with room to move into lane 3. Just as we were both about to move out a lane, the lane 3 traffic started braking.
Knowing that, had I been that motor cyclist, I wouldn’t have been very keen to join lane 3 at that moment, I cancelled my indicator and the motor cyclist stayed alongside me.
After a couple of minutes, and as the congestion in lane 3 cleared, he pulled ahead and out and waved a thanks. He was probably grateful to be safely surrounded by heavies than risk having the to join the idiots contemplating playing ‘bumper cars’.
What did it cost me? Nothing.
We moan about car drivers clogging up the transport network, but when people choose a more eco-friendly mode - we moan about that as well. 
And commuting by motor bike is not all fun. In the Winter it is cold and wet. In the Summer the protective gear is hot and sweaty, and few employers provide showers and adequate changing facilities. Been there. Done that. 