what's legal? - Motorcycling Matters

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Defensive Commuting Tony Clarke passes on some tips for riding in traffic The first thing I should say about these Masterclass articles is that any recommendations given are guidelines and cannot possibly apply in every situation: one or two people have told me that something I have suggested didn’t work for them on a specific occasion. That’s quite possible. I wasn’t there and so I can’t say why something I may have suggested didn’t work. The bottom line is that if it fits, wear it; if it doesn’t look or feel right for you – then don’t! There are all sorts of bikers – whether you commute or ride only for leisure, you want to get the most out of your ride and arrive in one piece. Any lapse in concentration or judgement can have serious consequences: the stark reality is that motorcyclists represent around three per cent of road traffic in Bedfordshire but over 20 per cent of the total numbers killed or seriously injured. Although my last Masterclass article looked at overtaking and filtering, defensive commuting takes filtering – between lanes and between opposing streams of traffic – to new and challenging levels. The first and most obvious thing to consider before changing position on the road is to be sure that the space we’re planning on moving into is clear. Most bike mirrors give an excellent view – of our hands, elbows or shoulders, so it is worth considering a final overshoulder check – unless you have added an extra mirror to help minimise (but not eliminate) your blind spot. 6 Good Filtering Note that the rider ahead is both conspicuous and filtering at about 10 mph faster than the speed of the traffic. He is clearly more experienced than the learner behind who is still accelerating while being far less conspicuous. No Room to Filter? Hang back – if we were in a car, we would leave a space big enough to enable us to see the rear wheels of the vehicle in front. Why would you want to leave less space when on a bike? This picture demonstrates how getting too close restricts our options. It also would mean that we are less visible to other drivers. Filter Swap Lane Filtering is a low-speed manoeuvre. There was a gap developing in the left-hand stream. Consider the possibility that other drivers will want to take advantage of such a gap and, sure enough, the driver of the Saxo did change lanes, with their indicator only visible after the position change started, implying that the move was made without checking that the road was free of a filtering motorcycle. Gaps in traffic frequently encourage car drivers to make abrupt lane changes and the experienced rider will be on high alert, contain the speed and still make good safe progress. www.bedfordshire-biker.org
Escape Routes Here we’re making progress – travelling at less than 15mph faster than the traffic on each side. Always plan an escape route. There’s one adjacent to the lorry ahead. And there’s a junction ahead on the left; if a gap opens in front of the lorry, consider the possible consequences. Be especially wary of the effects of wear and repairs to the road surface: most roads are laid in sections and the join deteriorates first making your wheels "tramline", which and can seriously affect your machine's stability. Mirrors Check Too Much Going On There are too many things happening here to warrant filtering to the front of this queue. Hang back! A new (there’s evidence of old hatchings) ghost junction allows more space. We can see brake lights ahead and two vehicles indicating right so they’ll position too close to the bollard to permit filtering. The taxi is positioned to carry straight on, as is the following car with fog lights on. Our primary concern is the lorry. Best advice is to be in front, behind, but NEVER alongside. Yes, we stayed back here! www.bedfordshire-biker.org MASTERCLASS You’ve seen the signs on lorries ... “If you can’t see my mirrors, I can’t see you!” Stay well back (and as the left indicator is activated, I’m not going anywhere on its nearside or offside!). Not only will you see more ahead, e.g. the car on the roundabout which will prevent us filtering past the lorry, but the driver will know you’re there. And I prefer to see the driver’s eyes in his mirrors! N.B. If the lorry has a foreign plate, chances are that it’s left-hand drive. If you pass, consider giving a whole clear lane’s width as the driver’s blind spot is huge! 7
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