Re: Motorcycle 'filtering'.
Posted: Thu Jul 25, 2013 10:11 pm
Very interesting points being shared here and thanks for taking so much time to discuss this... evidently again. Won't be long before I install a radar next to my satnav and spinning blades on my hub caps.
There appear to be unmet expectations on both sides and plenty of transference going on too in what appears to be an us and them argument. I expect everyone to stay the hell away from me when I'm driving and bikers expect me to know that at any given moment, they are going to squeeze between me and the car beside me. For me we are all us and the only people i refer to as being 'them', are the zombies who ride cycles in the dark while doing their best to camouflage themselves like ninja with human rights. No lights, reflective clothing and only one tiny Green council to save them. A book I once read was called "the other idiot" and it suggested treating other motorists as idiots who were likely to do something really daft at any moment. Not sure I wholly agree with it but it did teach me to be more cautious when driving. The 'Think Bike' campaign was great for when one could fill ones pipe at a junction without causing a queue of satnaving juggernauts to fill yer mirror or bikers with helmet cams to peer at you and shake their helmets in dismay.... Interesting visual image there.
T.C. Thanks for being so candid about your experiences and opinions. Some of what you have written does suggest a bias against car drivers and though I would hope no such thing exists, I am very aware of how such beliefs can impair judgements. Are you able to chat openly at work and do your colleague's views differ from your own? I have regular supervision so that I ensure my client's issues don't become my own. I'm still fairly sane and the unicorns don't trouble me any more.
I'm on page 70 of Mind Driving which deals with rules and regulations. (Is there something similar for bikers?) I'm all too aware that there are limits to rules and I agree with the statement made on page 70 that;
"...they impart to you only a very basic level of ability."
So sticking rigidly to rules is not a very down to earth approach to some things.
There seems to be a principle being argued that filtering is not illegal, which going purely by the rules it isn't but I think we all agree that rules require an amount of wisdom and ability when they leave the confines of a book and to err is human after all. If there isn't enough time and space between the err and the human.....refer to earlier formula.
That there are different rules for drivers and riders, is bound to lead to misunderstandings and conflict if not properly explained. I would really dislike being told things like "if you did that and hit a motorcyclist" because it's not teaching, it's warning. One relies on reasoned explanation and the other on remembering a threat. When were we as drivers formally taught that bikers could filter and how it works? As Mr CW has said, its probably a matter of motorists adapting due to increased traffic volumes. Are bikers taught to empathise with drivers while being instructed in the mystic art of filtering? Yes it's on websites and no doubt in books too but is it discussed such that everyone knows enough about using their mirrors and windows to their advantage? I would like to see more written about filtering in roadcraft for drivers etc. I bet advanced bikers make good advanced drivers.
Since starting this AD lark, I've heard no mention of positioning in a lane while queuing in traffic so that I can accommodate filtering bikers. Perhaps it's just something that I do when possible but I'd say its a good habit to have. I might use this subject as a suggestion for an article in the next IAM and Roadar newsletters and perhaps ask if I can ride on the back of someone's bike so I can experience it first-ish hand.
Glad this came up. Thanks all
/>end digression and get back to work
There appear to be unmet expectations on both sides and plenty of transference going on too in what appears to be an us and them argument. I expect everyone to stay the hell away from me when I'm driving and bikers expect me to know that at any given moment, they are going to squeeze between me and the car beside me. For me we are all us and the only people i refer to as being 'them', are the zombies who ride cycles in the dark while doing their best to camouflage themselves like ninja with human rights. No lights, reflective clothing and only one tiny Green council to save them. A book I once read was called "the other idiot" and it suggested treating other motorists as idiots who were likely to do something really daft at any moment. Not sure I wholly agree with it but it did teach me to be more cautious when driving. The 'Think Bike' campaign was great for when one could fill ones pipe at a junction without causing a queue of satnaving juggernauts to fill yer mirror or bikers with helmet cams to peer at you and shake their helmets in dismay.... Interesting visual image there.
T.C. Thanks for being so candid about your experiences and opinions. Some of what you have written does suggest a bias against car drivers and though I would hope no such thing exists, I am very aware of how such beliefs can impair judgements. Are you able to chat openly at work and do your colleague's views differ from your own? I have regular supervision so that I ensure my client's issues don't become my own. I'm still fairly sane and the unicorns don't trouble me any more.
I'm on page 70 of Mind Driving which deals with rules and regulations. (Is there something similar for bikers?) I'm all too aware that there are limits to rules and I agree with the statement made on page 70 that;
"...they impart to you only a very basic level of ability."
So sticking rigidly to rules is not a very down to earth approach to some things.
There seems to be a principle being argued that filtering is not illegal, which going purely by the rules it isn't but I think we all agree that rules require an amount of wisdom and ability when they leave the confines of a book and to err is human after all. If there isn't enough time and space between the err and the human.....refer to earlier formula.
That there are different rules for drivers and riders, is bound to lead to misunderstandings and conflict if not properly explained. I would really dislike being told things like "if you did that and hit a motorcyclist" because it's not teaching, it's warning. One relies on reasoned explanation and the other on remembering a threat. When were we as drivers formally taught that bikers could filter and how it works? As Mr CW has said, its probably a matter of motorists adapting due to increased traffic volumes. Are bikers taught to empathise with drivers while being instructed in the mystic art of filtering? Yes it's on websites and no doubt in books too but is it discussed such that everyone knows enough about using their mirrors and windows to their advantage? I would like to see more written about filtering in roadcraft for drivers etc. I bet advanced bikers make good advanced drivers.
Since starting this AD lark, I've heard no mention of positioning in a lane while queuing in traffic so that I can accommodate filtering bikers. Perhaps it's just something that I do when possible but I'd say its a good habit to have. I might use this subject as a suggestion for an article in the next IAM and Roadar newsletters and perhaps ask if I can ride on the back of someone's bike so I can experience it first-ish hand.
Glad this came up. Thanks all
/>end digression and get back to work