MA lane-splitting Bill

[chr|s sedition]

FYI

_________
There is a bill pending in the Massachusetts legislature to allow
motorcycle operators to, "Overtake and pass slowed or stopped vehicles
by use of a breakdown and/or access lane, at a speed not to exceed
twenty miles per hour;", as long as they yield to emergency and disabled
vehicles.

It is known as: AN ACT RELATIVE TO SEASONAL TRAFFIC RELIEF FOR
MOTORCYCLE OPERATORS, House Bill 2017, and can be found at:
http://www.mass.gov/legis/bills/house/ht02/ht02017.htm

I wish I had known about this earlier, there was a hearing held on this
bill on Tuesday.

It may be too late, but if you're a Massachusetts motorcyclist, and
you're interested in this bill, contact your state Representative and
Senator to let them know how you feel about it.

[OreoGaborio]

[breakdirt916]

They mention breakdown or access lanes, but does it also apply to riding between lanes?

Nevertheless, I remember going over the Mass Ave bridge, in the breakdown lane, when the whole thing was a parking lot due to traffic. Bearing in mind that I was going pretty slow (slipping the clutch in 1st), it made things easy for me, and the only reaction I got from a cage was when a jetta full of girls wanted to "scream for the motorcycle".

[babo]

Here's a list of local reps:

http://www.mass.gov/legis/citytown.htm

Certainly couldn't hurt to start barraging these guys with emails showing support of this bill.

This could be sweet.

btw - what's an "access lane"? Is that one that you make on your own?

[akira700]

about time...
if you live in the city its a neccessity !
I'll be calling my rep ASAP.

[mikem317]

Nothing about riding on the lines in the bill. "Access lanes" and breakdown lanes, and such. Not sure if I'd want to ride in breakdown lanes though, too much debris in there.

[Awesome]

I use the breakdown and access lanes all the time and have never had any sort of problem. the levret connector for example, i save myself a half hour everytime I use it.

[MnM]

man that would be cool if it passes

especially going down to the cape during heavy traffic

[hooligan]

in mass & nh, passing cars in traffic, is illegal (breakdown lane & lane splitting). it is not always strictly enforced in traffic. but when it is, the fine is for EACH car the officer observes you passing. so it can add up real quick. and/or they can slap you with illegal use of the breakdown lane if you are using the breakdown lane to pass. so be careful and take a second to look around before you decide to cut thru traffic. most cops are understanding, but some not so much.

[Jaynnus]

breakdown lane is the right shoulder, access lane is the right shoulder (highway only).

[babo]

I've been corresponding with Rep. Anne Gobi regarding the status of the bill, and what "concerned citizens" can do in order for it to pass.

Here's what I have so far:

"The bill in question, House Bill 2017, had a public hearing by the Joint Committee on Transportation this past Tuesday June 14th. The bill has not had an executive session yet and probably will not for a few months, as the committees go through the hearing process for all of the bills. If you have any additional questions please do not hesitate to contact me."





The danger is that the bill could get "tabled", which means it goes into the circular file.

I believe that at some point, it’s going to be necessary to call your reps, and start sending emails....maybe not now, but soon.

As soon as I get more info from her, I'll pass it on.

[ancosta]

I am still a MA resident so I'll be in touch with my local politico on this...thanks for sharing.

As an aside I split lanes last night on 93S in hard bumper to bumper, e.g. 5 mph crawl for miles. It was the first time I split lanes and figured I'd give it a shot knowing it was literally a 1hr proposition if I didn't. I got a many dirty looks, a few middle fingers, a honked horn and 2 SUVs playing chicken with me in about 3 minutes timeframe. I wouldn't have done it if the traffic wasn't in near gridlock for so many miles. Having seen the outcome I'll try the breakdown lane next time.

[babo]

I've been lane slow-speed lane splitting for years in Boston (the cops don't seem to care much, plus how are they going to catch you?).

For me, though, breakdown lane riding is a no-no, particularly on roads patrolled by the State cops.

It's relatively easy to hide lane splitting from the cops if you are spotted, because you can just weave into a spot, and make pretend you've been there all along. Hopefully you see the cop before he sees you!

That's not easy to do when you’re riding in the break-down lane. Also, cops sit and wait for people to jump in the breakdown lane (i.e. Rt 128N from Rt. 9 to where the its legal to do so, Rt. 3 toward the Cape rotary, Rt. 1 Norwood.... These cops sit and wait for this type of action.


Close to 50 % of all bike accident are due a car veering into the path of a bike (the “I didn’t see him excuse”).
One of the primary benefits of legislation like this one is to force cage drivers to become more aware of bike riders. Cage drivers need to be more aware that they are sharing the road with bikers.

It’s a safety issue foremost. The added benifit is that you dont roast the nads, and maybe get where you were going a little quicker

[iThrowPeople]

so what ever happened to this?

[breakdirt916]

ahh, the memories...I still remember *carefully* splitting on the MA-ave bridge...now that I'm in CA and do it everyday, I do wish the rest of the states would somehow adapt it...the rest of the world does!

[golden chicken]

so what ever happened to this?

I'm gonna guess nothing, since it's now 8 years later and still illegal.

[Drewski]

Wirelessly posted

ahh, the memories...I still remember *carefully* splitting on the MA-ave bridge...now that I'm in CA and do it everyday, I do wish the rest of the states would somehow adapt it...the rest of the world does!

Ahhh.....the memories is right. Only $3.02 for a gallon of regular?????

[SwiftTone]

ahh, the memories...I still remember *carefully* splitting on the MA-ave bridge...now that I'm in CA and do it everyday, I do wish the rest of the states would somehow adapt it...the rest of the world does!

Dude, I remember that bike! Wow that was a long time ago!

[breakdirt916]

haha, yeah...and somehow I still remember the time othersean took us out on our first NESR group ride...and we completely squided around running red lights and passing between two cars...craziness

and when I was in undergrad, I used to park my Ninja 600R at the bike racks on campus (since they were off-limits to Boston meter maids)...and I put the bike wheel IN the rack

[Garandman]

I came back from the Cape a few times and tons of bikes went up the middle and no one seemed to have a problem with it. Never done it since but this is setup not real lane-split friendly.

[reks95]

Definitely have to trade the panniers for a top box.
Apparently a 1050's bars are 2 inches wider than an 800. Still:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6zl30xZaTE

[Dave603]

Its already legal in all 50 states... just don't get caught

But seriously i agree with you after riding in CA myself I think riding around anywhere else is just frustrating. Most of the time when I am passing people I'm already past them before they even knew i was next to them anyways (which i suppose poses a danger as well). But riding in CA i was blown away at how cages would move out of the way for me or even pull over on the side of the road to let me go by!! They are really bike friendly, too bad the rest of the country couldn't be the same way!!

[golden chicken]

I feel like a lot of NH and VT drivers will pull out of the way to let us pass, whereas MA drivers might intentionally try to block/hit you.

[Jim]

Even if it passes, I'll still be opening my car doors to lane splitters.

It's dangerous and should never be done. Don't like sitting in traffic? Too bad, Take your car.

[tsorfas]

Even if it passes, I'll still be opening my car doors to lane splitters.

It's dangerous and should never be done. Don't like sitting in traffic? Too bad, Take your car.

Racing is dangerous but that hasn't stopped you from pursuing your career in motorcycle demolition derby.