View Full Version : Filtering speeds / how fast do you go ?.
Has anyone seen people on bikes filtering on the M4 in my case but on any other motorways filtering at 70 MPH plus ?.
I normally try not to filter if the traffic is moving above 30 MPH (but thats me), but what about people filtering when there is fast moving traffic.
How fast do you filter ?.
Well apart from pointing out the obvious that it may not be safe and probably would be deemed illegal, its just unnecessary. How can one filter at the speed limit? I'm the same as you for motorway traffic. Only when it drops lower than 40 and traffic is backing up. If all moving steadily at 40 and I can see a long way forward, then I rarely filter (cause i'm beaming the slow coaches to get out of the frickin fast lane!).
Fallout
30-08-12, 06:25 AM
I filter at whatever speed allows me to react to a car suddenly changing lanes etc. Definitely much slower than 70mph!
Spank86
30-08-12, 06:55 AM
Depends on the day and how comfortable I feel.
I usually obey my rule that I won't filter at or near the speed limit however much I want to but I've been known to do it at 50 or below if theres a decent gap between cars.
Usually though it's 30 and down for safetys sake, even if I DO do it at higher speeds it's not for long.
Purity14
30-08-12, 07:49 AM
I filter all the time, I ride like rush hour isn't even happening.
PS, I've done the M4 a40 into London during rush hour too, wasn't as bad as the Arc de Triomphe
HTH
I'll filter at speeds anywhere up to about 40mph but usually keep between 20 and 30 depending on the situation.
yorkie_chris
30-08-12, 08:14 AM
Yeah don't see much point of filtering when traffic is moving at the speed limit if I'm just going somewhere, the risk vs reward equation of extra progress or chance of getting a pull doesn't work out for me.
dirtyred619
30-08-12, 08:58 AM
Can't say I've had to do too much filtering as yet but when I have I take it easy as I'm only too aware how oblivious other drivers can be sometimes.
But having said that, I was on the M6 the other day which was moving very slowly/stopped at points and was filtering through. All off a sudden the cars seem very aware that you are there, with alot off them very kindly moving over to try to block my progress!!
aaron020873
30-08-12, 09:34 AM
I don't use my bike for commuting so never actually had to filter other than just up to traffic lights, I do though use the motorway network a lot for my job and the speed that i see some people filter at makes me cringe, I personally would rather arrive safely than not at all.
Steve_God
30-08-12, 09:38 AM
Yeah don't see much point of filtering when traffic is moving at the speed limit if I'm just going somewhere, the risk vs reward equation of extra progress or chance of getting a pull doesn't work out for me.
^^ This.
I don't see the point of filtering above around 60mph, although I will happily filter below that depending on the conditions (I say happily, it will vary depending on weather conditions, traffic behaviour, my own mood, etc... - sometimes if the motorway is narrow, I'm tired, and the traffic is chopping and changing lanes coming up to a junction, I simply won't filter at all unless it gets to below 20mph)
SVforvictory
30-08-12, 09:50 AM
I usually only filter in first gear. If the traffic is moving fast enough to be in second or higher then I won't bother.
I use the London bus lanes and a holographic projection of agy ;)
Thunderace
30-08-12, 10:51 AM
Depends on the day and how comfortable I feel.
I usually obey my rule that I won't filter at or near the speed limit however much I want to but I've been known to do it at 50 or below if theres a decent gap between cars.
Usually though it's 30 and down for safetys sake, even if I DO do it at higher speeds it's not for long.
You liar! Last Sunday you were filtering at 90+ on the A3!:-$
Spank86
30-08-12, 10:59 AM
Thankyou for posting my speed in kph again but I still think you're exggerating slightly.
Like I said usually and not for long, and only in the interests of insanity and pratting about.
Balky001
30-08-12, 12:11 PM
In my A13 commuting days filtering did get a bit mental but I do enjoy a nice A road filtering session ocassionally at legal speeds
andrewsmith
30-08-12, 12:26 PM
Yeah don't see much point of filtering when traffic is moving at the speed limit if I'm just going somewhere, the risk vs reward equation of extra progress or chance of getting a pull doesn't work out for me.
This!
I have had to filter at 50+ on the M6 around the Liverpool, Manc, M62 debacle where road rules seem to be unheard of (that or be squashed)
Till now I considered myself as a guy who filters but I don't any more :) .
I filter only if cars are either completely stationery (in city) or moving bellow 10mph or so (basically almost not moving and this only on highways).
What scares me a lot is watching other guys filtering between two cars (next to each other) at 40mph in tunnels....I would need to have a new set of underpants ready to use to talk myself into this :D
yorkie_chris
30-08-12, 03:41 PM
That's safer than it looks. a) they can hear you b) they're less likely to pull into the side of the car than into you if you were just overtaking them normally and c) if they do start moving towards you just gas it.
Fair points, especially point b) makes a good sense. But still, I'm just a bit of a :smt061 for this. And I'm even glad for that :D:D
I more on edge with slow to stationary.
1 pedestrians suddenly appear.
2 when gaps appear drives randomly swop lanes
3 people hope out on the passenger side..
This
Like I said usually and not for long, and only in the interests of insanity and pratting about.
And This
That's safer than it looks. a) they can hear you b) they're less likely to pull into the side of the car than into you if you were just overtaking them normally and c) if they do start moving towards you just gas it.
Pretty much sums it up. It can be quite safe to pass between two cars traveling in a straight line. I usually don't filter at speeds over 50. I am careful when i do filter though. I never do more than 10-15 more than the speed of traffic.
Spank86
30-08-12, 05:14 PM
That's a good point, I've seen a lot of random and rapid swerving in 10mph traffic queues because the cars dive for gaps in faster moving lanes and know the other cars are goi slow enough to stop... As speeds get faster that behaviour diminishes and people tend to ease over.
oh hell. so if the traffic is, say 90 ish and its clear in the distance, i'll filter @100 + to get to the front.....
but i'v seen other people do this also...
Spank86
30-08-12, 05:20 PM
Could do.
Of course while the probability of accident may not increase as you would imagine, the scale of the consequences certainly does.
oh hell. so if the traffic is, say 90 ish and its clear in the distance, i'll filter @100 + to get to the front.....
but i'v seen other people do this also...
I think in that situation i will sit in the fast lane signaling to overtake and wait to clear the pack. Unless someone is really not getting out of the way. But be careful some of the ones that purposefully don't move over are the ones that swerve at you when you try to pass.
pie_master
30-08-12, 06:09 PM
For me it's 10-20mph tops, and only if traffic is stopped or crawling at or under 10mph. I have been known to go faster, but mainly on big wide roads / motorways.
Whatever speed you filter there is ALWAYS a bloke on a ratty bandit behind you who will go 15mph fatser :)
At the police Biks Safe they suggest fitering at a speed where you are moving no faster that a walking pace past the traffic, ie max around 3-5 mph faster than the traffice. This will enable you to react to any hazzards etc.
In town I will not filter untill the traffice speed has dropped to around 20mph.
I tend not to filter on other roads unless there is a long slow queue of traffic for some reason. I don't ride much on motorways, but would employ a similar tactid to town.
This is a usual filtering day for me
Qu2V81bjaCs
i filter at a speed where i am making good progress and the risk does not out weigh the reward. The speed depends on the environment in which you are attempting to filter through. If you have plenty of space, room and time to plan your gap you can filter at a good rate. Again, this is dependant on the speed/type and location of the road. On the motorway i generally keep with the flow, unless it drops below 40ish and i can safely make progress.
Overall i wouldn't exceed more than 15mph faster than the vehicles i am filtering past.
I usually filter when I'm in a hurry to be somewhere, which means I'm doing way more mph than I should. 100+mph wasn't unknown when I was commuting daily down the M1, M25 and M4 to work in rush hour and I only had two small incidents in 18 months
Sid Squid
30-08-12, 11:02 PM
Filtering speeds / how fast do you go?
How fast is the bike in question? That seems like a good speed.
andrewsmith
31-08-12, 07:12 AM
At the police Biks Safe they suggest fitering at a speed where you are moving no faster that a walking pace past the traffic, ie max around 3-5 mph faster than the traffice. This will enable you to react to any hazzards etc.
In town I will not filter untill the traffice speed has dropped to around 20mph.
I tend not to filter on other roads unless there is a long slow queue of traffic for some reason. I don't ride much on motorways, but would employ a similar tactid to town.
That seems an odd tact. When i did my iam few years back, it was actively encoraged by the police assesors (most do bits of bikesafe) and they were saying 30 to 40 mph max (case of you risk your licence above that) or what you are comfortable with
Owenski
31-08-12, 08:00 AM
I thought the IAM rule was based on 20-20. Ie you ride no faster than 20mph faster than the traffic you're filtering until the traffic you're filtering reaches 20mph (in which case you're now travelling at 40mph) and should then rejoin traffic.
The speed at which I'll decide to filter is directly related to the speed at which I think I need to be travelling. If I'm late and the M621 (2lanes) are doing 50 I'll tuck in between and carry on at what feels reasonable, similarly if I'm well ahead of time I'll stay in lane and follow suit.
Its the same on every road though, if I'm not in a hurry I wont cut to the front at a set of lights (unless its a huggggggeee que), but generally anything less than 10cars and ill stay in line... unless Im trying to get somewhere/save some time then I wont hesitate.
Guess my answer to the OP would be, for me its all relative to the day/situation.
So how do we feel about filtering between 2 trucks one going 55mph the other 57 mph on dual carriage ways?
Spank86
31-08-12, 08:50 AM
Best done fast.
andrewsmith
31-08-12, 10:16 AM
I thought the IAM rule was based on 20-20. Ie you ride no faster than 20mph faster than the traffic you're filtering until the traffic you're filtering reaches 20mph (in which case you're now travelling at 40mph) and should then rejoin traffic.
The speed at which I'll decide to filter is directly related to the speed at which I think I need to be travelling. If I'm late and the M621 (2lanes) are doing 50 I'll tuck in between and carry on at what feels reasonable, similarly if I'm well ahead of time I'll stay in lane and follow suit.
Its the same on every road though, if I'm not in a hurry I wont cut to the front at a set of lights (unless its a huggggggeee que), but generally anything less than 10cars and ill stay in line... unless Im trying to get somewhere/save some time then I wont hesitate.
Guess my answer to the OP would be, for me its all relative to the day/situation.
I can't remember exactly, but it was once the road speed (of the vehicles reaches and maintains) 40 mph you are to rejoin the traffic flow.
I know where you're coming from mate, but its a subjective issue and this can run until the cows come home (and Leeds win the Champions league)
So how do we feel about filtering between 2 trucks one going 55mph the other 57 mph on dual carriage ways?
Ive done it. But i dont like it and i avoid it now. For a couple of reasons. If they start to close the gap between them you have a much loooooooooooonger way to go to escape out the front. And in the past couple of years i have witnessed two lorry tyre blow outs. And all the time you see shredded lorry tyres on the side of the road. If one blew next to you and you were in between 2 lorrys where do you have to go except down and maybe under one of the lorrys? It would kill you instantly!
Balky001
31-08-12, 11:04 AM
Best done fast.
Agree, less time between the two the better. Obviously lots of other circumstances to consider but that goes with all filtering.
I found the most dangerous filtering was in slow to nearly stationary traffic (the commute) as people tend to look for gaps or are bored and distracted by phones/radio/watching the world go by/late for work. They are going slow so think they are safe whatever they do. Also you are passing loads of cars so need to read relatively lots of reactions in a few seconds
I've never had two cars come together door to door at 70mph on a dual carriageway/m-way and not leave enough room if there was room already. You know if someone is wandering in their lane during your approach and you generally have had plenty of time to observe compared with filtering past lines of very slow moving traffic.
Spank86
31-08-12, 11:21 AM
If one blew next to you and you were in between 2 lorrys where do you have to go except down and maybe under one of the lorrys? It would kill you instantly!
depends how quick you can stop.
the lorries can only move closer while they're travelling along road so if you're moving at a faster or slower speed they should collide infront or behind you.
Let me know how that works.
^^^^ LOL!
I must say that I liked Woogieuk's video, but why did he stop at 1.16 and 1.35?
Ah doesn't show it too well in the video but at 1:16 the car on the right was slowly creeping to the left and the gap was quite small so didnt want to clock his mirror and if you look at 1:35 my mirrors JUST miss the guy on the left.... Just realised that I shout at someone at 3:45 to "get the **** over" as they were hogging the lane...
depends how quick you can stop.
the lorries can only move closer while they're travelling along road so if you're moving at a faster or slower speed they should collide infront or behind you.
Let me know how that works.
This is true, and like i said i have done it. I do it all the time at slow speeds, but we are talking about the 55mph situation here. I still insist that if a lorry tyre blew up next to you it would knock you sideways into the other lorry. I mean you might be lucky, but have you seen a lorry blow out? And have you seen the results of anything vs a lorry?
On that note, a little tip for noobs here: If you are riding along a fast road and you start smelling burning rubber, it is likely a vehicle infront of you is having a tyre failure. Locked lorry wheel etc... Watch out. :)
Ill only do it now if I'm really really impatient or am on a complete loony ride. But if im on a loony ride i usually go nowhere near dual carriageway/motorway, Too many police!
Spank86
01-09-12, 11:17 AM
If you're directly beside the tyre when it blows I doubt it'll matter if you're filtering or not.
If you're not directly next to the tyre I'd rather be moving a lot quicker or slower than the lorry than holding position alongside it.
I certainly wouldnt want to be directly behind it unless the driver really knows what he's doing.
Ah doesn't show it too well in the video but at 1:16 the car on the right was slowly creeping to the left and the gap was quite small so didnt want to clock his mirror and if you look at 1:35 my mirrors JUST miss the guy on the left.... Just realised that I shout at someone at 3:45 to "get the **** over" as they were hogging the lane...
I see it now! :smt019
MisterTommyH
02-09-12, 06:20 PM
I was taught the 20+20 rule mentioned earlier and tend to stick to this.
So I'm never filtering when the traffic is going more than 20mph and I'm never going more than 20mph faster than the traffic I'm filtering through.
Doesn't seem very safe doing more than that to me, any faster and I wouldn't be confident that I'd be able to avoid any idiots that try to block my way :smt051
keith_d
02-09-12, 06:38 PM
I try to stick to around 30. My reasoning being that if a car does something stupid when I'm doing thirty, I've got a fair chance of either a) spotting it in time or b) surviving the collision.
One thing to watch for is when traffic first hits a queue. For some reason when they see a queue lots of drivers feel the need to change lanes, without looking or indicating! So, don't trust the buggers until they're nicely settled in their lanes.
Keith.
The A14 makes for some interesting filtering .esp 3 bikes .
Biker Biggles
02-09-12, 07:31 PM
I try to stick to around 30. My reasoning being that if a car does something stupid when I'm doing thirty, I've got a fair chance of either a) spotting it in time or b) surviving the collision.
One thing to watch for is when traffic first hits a queue. For some reason when they see a queue lots of drivers feel the need to change lanes, without looking or indicating! So, don't trust the buggers until they're nicely settled in their lanes.
Keith.
Agreed.If they are stationary you get good warning of lane changers,but its when they are slowing or speeding up after a q that they really dodge about.
Agreed.If they are stationary you get good warning of lane changers,but its when they are slowing or speeding up after a q that they really dodge about.
This is very good advice for newer or inexperienced riders. There's a lot more to (safe) filtering than meets the eye.
Great video Woogie - high quality bit of 'buh bye traffic' work :)
Judicious yet liberal horn pipping is one of my filtering favourites, especially in rush hour A406 traffic. Sure people occasionally get ****ed off, but at least they know you're there!
Specialone
03-09-12, 06:10 AM
Must admit I have filtered at fairly high speed while traffic has been moving around 30mph, it was a bit scary tbh.
On Thursday morning I was running a tad late for the ferry at Dover so was filtering like buggery where I needed to, so many stupid bitches (in one series bmws actually) sitting in lane 3 without anybody in front or the side of them.
Had one move over to let me and a car pass then pull back out even though there wasn't anybody in the middle lane and we'd pulled in just after her !!!
I got annoyed after a while tbh so undertook them, I know it's not cool but it was too frustrating to sit there.
Must admit I have filtered at fairly high speed while traffic has been moving around 30mph, it was a bit scary tbh.
On Thursday morning I was running a tad late for the ferry at Dover so was filtering like buggery where I needed to, so many stupid bitches (in one series bmws actually) sitting in lane 3 without anybody in front or the side of them.
Had one move over to let me and a car pass then pull back out even though there wasn't anybody in the middle lane and we'd pulled in just after her !!!
I got annoyed after a while tbh so undertook them, I know it's not cool but it was too frustrating to sit there.
If they were doing 80 + would you still undertake them ?..... buy the time you do you'll be doing 90 +ish ?.
sometimes and i do mean sometimes i'm undertaking all the time 2-3 lane at 70 + speeds...my bad.
Specialone
03-09-12, 06:40 AM
If they were doing 80 + would you still undertake them ?..... buy the time you do you'll be doing 90 +ish ?.
sometimes and i do mean sometimes i'm undertaking all the time 2-3 lane at 70 + speeds...my bad.
Yeah I would tbh, especially in a rush.
Whatever speed they are doing they should return to lane one or 2 if they are not overtaking, speed is irrelevant.
Yeah I would tbh, especially in a rush.
Whatever speed they are doing they should return to lane one or 2 if they are not overtaking, speed is irrelevant.
cool so it's not just me...
That seems an odd tact. When i did my iam few years back, it was actively encoraged by the police assesors (most do bits of bikesafe) and they were saying 30 to 40 mph max (case of you risk your licence above that) or what you are comfortable with
I'm doing another Bike Safe in a few weeks so will ask about this again. I seem to remember that they were talking about filtering in an urban 30mph limit where you should not be going too fast past the traffic anyway. Other speed limits my be more suited to the 20-20 mentioned here.
Judicious yet liberal horn pipping is one of my filtering favourites, especially in rush hour A406 traffic. Sure people occasionally get ****ed off, but at least they know you're there!
I've always considered using the horn. But I don't want to seem like a person and contribute to noise pollution. When do you usually do it/
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