Police and Filtering
 

After picking up a police tail this morning on the A19 from Selby it set me wondering.....

What is the laws view about filtering? Is it something you can be nicked for?

I just stuck to the speed limit and didn't overtake as it was quite busy.

Anyone here ever been done for it?

According to the instructor I was riding with, so long as you stay within our own lane (assuming it's a single lane heading your direction) and within the speed limits, overtaking is a matter of safety to both yourself and the person you are overtaking.

I've not really been riding long enough to find out the view from a policeman (or woman), but according to the instructor, filtering is legal (conditionally). My opinion is that they might consider it an unsafe move, and pull you for undue care, but that's at the discresion of the officer really. As I learnt doing my DAS test, all riding is discretionary (I received a minor fault for riding exactly as my instructor said - not more than 45mph through a particular series of bends in a national speed limit, the test examiner said I rolled off the throttle too soon & slowed down too much... and he would know, being in his CAR! rant over)

When riding round in central London it seems to be as long as your not doing something v. stupid they will leave you too it. They dont like you going into the cycling box tho.

Filtering (moving between, or down the outside of, lanes of stopped or slow moving traffic) is legal in the UK. There's a lot of grey area though.

There's no set speed above which it isn't safe to filter, though most people put it at 40mph or less. Also you might get pulled if you seem to be dangerous. Filtering round the wrong side of traffic islands, etc. will at the very least get you told off by a wagging finger.

Or the cycle lanes... though if the cycle lane has dotted (not solid) markings between it and the road, you can legally enter there and use it. Just so long as you don't take out a cyclist, which would then be seen by most courts as 100% your fault regardless.
I try to avoid the boxes in London but if there's a lot of bikes/other traffic I'll use it to assist with the government initiative on congestion reduction. If no bicycles are using it I'd say it's fair game, and in heavy traffic most coppers wouldn't mind, or at least couldn't be arsed/able to pull you for it .

I always use them (Providing I'm not within the timeframe displayed on the sign) I don't understand why car drivers don't.

Filyering is not illegal as long as you stay in the reals of UK traffic laws(white lines etc) However, the use of cycle lanes would imo, be wrong, as they are mainly near the kerb, and that would consitute passing on the left hand side of a vehicle, which is illegal(pedants, dont go there ok)

I have happily sat in the cycle box at the lights with police bikes besides me and nothing ever said.

But its true, if youa re sensible, then 9/10 times, out boys in blue will be kind.

i was passed ,on the m8 by two police riders filtering with jackets open flapping in the breeze and thir flip-face helmets flipped up ,doing the slalom between cars in gaps that looked a bit small for me on the sv never mind a pan euro .i was in a queue waiting for the turnoff 100 yds away ,not pushing up like a good boy and they breezed past ,so yes if their doing it in full uniform/livery it must b ok .btw i reckon if i was doing what they done i would have talked too as somebody said a bit of sense is required ,if its not dangerous its ok (i think) :wink:

If the police are in a car don't worry, how are they going to catch up with you? :D

I regularly filter in full view of the police. Even through gaps that are the other side of sensible. Just beause i'm hard like that. :lol:

But as long as you're not going for it looking over your shoulder at them, while covering your numberplate with your free hand, you should be fine.

I doubt that many police officers would be bothered to pull you for filtering in any kind of traffic. Providing you weren't speeding.

I was once going down the Old Kent Road towards E&Castle roundabout where you cannot overtake on outside and there's a bus lane on the inside lane and one lane for traffic - all bikes filter between the bus lane and the traffic lane. A guy got pulled by a police bike for that. But you'd have to be mad to wait a the back of all that traffic.

Im at work so I cant link the visordown thread where a police car turned round and caught up with someone.

Its extremely possible for police cars to do this - its called sirens and lights where everything usually gets out their way while youre struggling and get stopped by some muppet changing lanes without looking. :P :lol:

Oh and its possible for cars in central london to do it - had an altercation with someone once and thought Id got away until the lights on Gt Eastern Rd changed to red - and they stay red for ages. The car fortunately was going on the other road otherwise he would have been directly behind me at the lights. This has happened other times too in London. It is surprisingly easy if the lights go against you and for them. :D

I was following a police Pan into Brighton at the weekend - he was filtering and I followed him likewise. When he realised I was there he shot off down the white lines - I swear he was daring me to keep up!! I wimped out...

Going to Brighton on Saturday to go wandering around my old student haunts was a bit of a mistake though....

You took your test being followed by a car??

Surely not?

I did too and the car got stuck at lights and i was outta sight for a while in which time i made a mistake that would have cost me the test if i had been seen 8)

I was picked up for filtering past stationary traffic, when I was using some of the chevrons (open white line ones)

But yet was actively told to do it by BikeSafe instructors..

You weren't in Brighton with Sir Trev were you?

Nah this was in Folkestone! He was a right uppity young copper

'if you do that again i'll nick ya!' (in a squeaky voice, with his spotty little face)