Using the shoulder, what's the big deal?

So I'm riding down the interstate and a lane is shut down and it's stop and go. I decide to take the shoulder at about 20 mph, and this guy screams "get out of there mother*&^%$%!" I look in my rear view and he's got his middle finger out the window. I flip him off back, and another car honks like he's pissed too. WTF? why would anyone get pissed about my doing that? is it jealousy? really ticked me off, even if I may have been breaking the law my actions had absolutely no impact on anyone else. Let me know what I'm missing here

 

Well.... around here lane splitting isn't legal nor is it to travel in the shoulder, so... When bikers are seen doing the above they are usually lumped into the same group as those bikers who feel they can do whatever they want and don't follow the rules. Jealousy? Yep am sure that falls in there as well cause really who cares what they are doing, its harmless to the driver. I have seen cagers completely block the shoulder on a packed highway to prevent such action, still don't know why they care so much.

Around here I wouldn't do it, thats only because our drivers up here suck and they may just open a door on me or something. Plus you have the people jumping into the shoulder to see whats going on ahead of them and you know they aren't checking their mirrors for a bike before doing so.

 

Riding slowly on the shoulder in traffic jams and parking next to the soda machines at the grocery store are 2 advantanges to riding a bike. If a cop wants to tell me different that's fine, but it's not anyone else's damn business.

 

My thinking exactly.

The VFR is too precious to me to cook itself in stationary traffic and motorcycles using this advantage are helping traffic by not taking up space in the jam. My question is how fast you should travel at while using the shoulder, guess it depends on conditions eg road surfaces, visibility and available space but in the past when using this option in Jams have ridden carefully at 10 to 20mph but find myself yielding occasionally to other bikes coming through wanting to ride at 30 or more. ?

 

Ha ha I know what you're talking about, only thing was a cop did try to tell me different, like get back in lane over his bull horn when I passed him LOL

 

In most of Europe it's illegal to do that, heavy fine time if you get caught so i can understand why the guy was pissed off. Not sure what the laws are over in the US on this.

 

I don't one dosn't follow the other, remember in the '80's a wanker seeing me coming through on the shoulder in a traffic jam pulled over left to block me off, the car behind him seeing this drove forward and over to give me room to duck behind him and filter past both cars then move back over to the shoulder, the blocking wanker was left defused and impotent.... :biggrin:

 

What's the difference between a bike and a car? When you come down to it, both are motor vehicles. The rules of the road apply to both equally. Motorcycles don't have special rules because of their size. Many shoulders around here are wide enough where a car could pull the same stunt, but you just don't do it. I'd say that it is more of a courtesy issue. Personally though, I wouldn't do it because it is also a safety issue. I've got too much to lose if a disgruntled driver opened a door on me. In addition, I'd guess that I would be the one at fault.

 

I don't know about other places but here such an action is illegal. There is a particular exit off of one of the interstates that always backs up in the afternoons during peak traffic hours. The right-hand lane is an exit-only lane so everyone sitting in that line of traffic is waiting to exit. I've seen people jump over on the shoulder a half mile from the exit and go blowing by everyone else who is waiting properly. A bridge crosses the interstate and the police will frequently stop underneath where they can't be seen and ticket people who use the shoulder.

In my opinion it is just plain rude. Others are waiting in line and following the rules of the road to get to the exit and when someone decides that they are more important than others, or that their time is too valuable, and shouldn't have to wait it annoys the hell out of me.

Mind you, this is typically cars. Lane splitting is not legal in Tennessee so motorcycles are not exempt from the same laws as cars. It is no more legal for us to do that than it is for anyone else.

A funny story that happened once and then I'm off of this one: I was sitting in that line once and saw a car on the shoulder in my rear-view mirror. A girl came blasting past me on the shoulder and when she got where she could see under the bridge noticed a police car parked there. She immediately tried to get back into the lane of traffic but nobody would let her. In fact the cars she was trying to merge with ushered her right down to the waiting police officer. She gave everyone the finger, the police officer waved his thanks

 

After living in California 40+ years I diffently do miss the lane splitting, even though I didn't lane split 100% of the time I would use it during extreme traffic jams, up here in Washington you can go right to the front of the often congested ferry's legally which pisses the cagers off. As far as shoulder riding goes, I've been lucky where I have really never lived in a place with bumper to bumper traffic and I don't usually consider the option, but I have been guilty of it a couple of times coming out of Laguna Seca...

 

I totally disagree, Derstuka. Ive driven about 25,000 miles/year for the past 12 years due to my work, and it would never occur to me to be pissed off at a bike using the shoulder (that's not big enough for cars) to get through some of the traffic jams. Stop and go on a bike goes from just plain sucking to absolute misery in 100 degree weather, it's totally different from sitting in an air conditioned leather reclining seat.
And I don't see how that effects anyone in any way. I can slip back in between moving cars, picking my spot so noone would have to brake. As far as I'm concerned getting angry has everything to do with pettyness, jealousy and just plain being an ASSHOLE.

 

Everytime I have asked whether riding on the shoulder is illegal, I have not gotten a straight answer. I know around the San Jose, Ca. area, it is highly stressed that the shoulder is for emergency use only. Here in California, the shoulders are not constructed in the same manner as the traffic surface and in some cases is made of asphalt. The crap, rocks, nails that get pushed to the shoulder should also be factored in to the equation.

 

Think this thread has divided into those that regularly commute by motorcycle in heavy traffic and those that don't. If you do you'll do whatever you resonably can within safety to progress through stopped traffic and those that don't keep their basic car values while riding for pleasure.

It may be time for sit down and a beer and acknowledge the opinions on this subject are as divided as opinions on Gear Driven Cams....

 

Either I'm having a malfunction or Derstuka's comments have been removed, I hate that I missed them!

Being an emergency responder coming to the scene of accidents via the shoulder/emergency lane through heavy urban traffic I would have to stress that driving in these lanes is, in most jurisdictions, a crime. As far as it being a victimless crime, there is no such thing, there are only crimes that go unpunished. You may get away with it forever or you may end up as the victim of your own crime when you either recieve a fine or end up in an accident while traveling in an improper lane.

So, is it a big deal? In the grand scheme of things, probably not, but when you start picking and choosing the laws that you feel apply to you, don't start whining when it bites you in the butt.

And while I can't see what Derstuka said to you - if you just want people to blindly agree with you, you're probably on the wrong site-these folks have a mind of their own and are willing to share it.

 

Chesthing

I did get a chance to read Derstua's comment's before he deleted them and I don't think he was calling you personally a Ass, I think he was calling riders who ride on the shoulder assholes, during the rare times when I ride the shoulder in extreme circumstances I know it's illegal and pissing the cagers off. When you start a thread like this you can't be so thin skinned and take the comment's personally because it's one of those subjects where people are going to have different opinions...

 

I commute to work and ride about 8k a year. I've probably used the shoulders three or four times. They were all in the summer where the temp was above 110 and traffic was stopped on the interstate. One time I as I came up to the accident that was causing the back up a LEO waved me over and asked what I was doing. I shut the bike off and told him that it was either get out of the way or pass out from the heat. He said "Makes sense to me, be careful." I think most of us occasionally brake the law; be it speeding, pulling a weeelie, or improper parking. I'm not saying its right, and I'll take my lumps if I get caught, but I'm not going to pretend I never do anything wrong and point my finger at someone else.

OK, off the soap box. Ride safe and Have Fun.

Action

 

had to shorten your comments, but your right, But we "ALL" break the law one way or another like Speeding, wheelies, After market exhaust(fed law broken), or what not. I myself have been waved forward or asked why I was waiting back in the pack by CHP in Commiefornia. I usually reply with they won't let me split lanes & merge closer or act like there going to open the door on me & twice now they told me to use the shoulder albeit it was 100 degrees on the 15, but it made sense because it was a safety issue.

Being a trucker for years, don't give a flying "F" if bikes run up the emergency lane in traffic, but I do with cars & trucks, because they will try to squeeze in sooner or later causing more traffic grief & adding to the problem.

 

I have no big problem with riding the breakdown in gridlock. Riding the dotted lines between cars seems silly, but if people want to get pissed about you beating them in the traffic jam, that is their problem. I actually kind of smirk cause you know 50% of those people are thinking at that moment... "DAMN i wish I had a motorcycle!!!"


I have only done it a few times, but most people let me by no sweat, and those that dont get passed and a little rev as I do it

I am all for the law, but I agree with the above, when it is 95 or up, this guy is all for not passing out in his leathers!!!

 

Got to chime in on this one. I don't generally agree with shoulder riding but I have done it on occasion. As I see it the big difference between a bike and a car on the shoulder is that a bike can always make room for an emergency vehicle, the reason for the wide shoulders, and sometimes a car can't. I tend to be very carefull about speed and the width of the shoulder on the rare occasions I ride the shoulder. In general I don't think it is a good idea to p--s of the cagers no matter how petty their reasons for being p-----d.