Motorcycle Lane Sharing and Filtering

This just in from RideToWork.org:

Motorcycle and Scooter lane sharing and traffic filtering is widely practiced (and formally permitted or tacitly tolerated) in most of the world because it is a natural way to increase road-space utilization and personal mobility efficiency. Linked here is an important new five page paper by San Francisco-based transportation safety specialist (and rider) Steve Guderian. It succinctly grounds the assertion that lane sharing and filtering lowers accident rates which cause rider deaths and injuries.

The significant safety benefits of lane sharing and filtering have long been intuitively known by experienced riders. But getting non-riding political leaders -- and the American public -- to accept this has been impossible (except in California).

Shifting economic, social and cultural factors are providing new opportunities for riders to advocate change. For example, to reduce urban congestion, save energy and lower accident rates any municipal government could legalize lane sharing and filtering on all of the local roads and streets within it's boundaries. Wouldn’t that be nice in your city?

We hope you'll download and read this helpful new paper on lane sharing and filtering. Additional resources for advocates are available at www.ridetowork.org, including an Oregon State study of Lane Sharing.

• Lane sharing enhances rider safety (.pdf)
• Oregon state study on Lane Sharing (.pdf)