Overtaking in the blackwall tunnel.

[SoulKiss]

Originally Posted by Stuuk1

Its not a road with small differences, its a road with alot of difference to your usual roads. Its a road barely wide enough to fit two cars next to each other as another user have already stated.

You didn't see some of the roads on AR08 then did you...

Or head down to Cornwall, there are roads there that make the Blackwall Tunnel look like the M25 - and done be misled by the "hedges" - they are just drystone walls with bushes growing out of them, but high enough to effectively act like the walls of said tunnel.

Oh and I have been through the Blackwall many time, often in a convoy with a few other .orgers.

and did you filter on these roads...?

[SoulKiss]

Originally Posted by Stuuk1

and did you filter on these roads...?

Well only the Londoners did...

Was easy to spot us from the rest - especially when we came to a set of lights on a crossroads or queues of traffic...

I suppose I should go and have an off now that I have confessed...

Originally Posted by Stuuk1

Its not a road with small differences, its a road with alot of difference to your usual roads. Its a road barely wide enough to fit two cars next to each other as another user have already stated.

So, like The Strand with walls then. Or like the Limehouse Link with narrower tunnels. Or like the Kingsway tunnel with an extra lane. Or like a longer version of the tunnel under hyde park corner. 4 roads with only 1 major difference each.

Yet you still believe it is safe to dodge in and out of the cars, and dont say that its not 'dodging in and out of cars' because it is.

That sounds a pretty fair assessment of what filtering is to me.

I know its wrong, 90% of the people agree in this thread that it is wrong and most importantly, you know its wrong. So why do it?

Really? I had no idea I thought it was wrong. Thanks so much for educating me on my opinion about something, this is clearly where the confusion has come from. And here was me assuming that my opinion was that it's perfectly possible to filter in a way that doesn't inconvenience or intimidate any other road user, and that therefore filtering in the tunnel can be done safely.

You don't seem to be able to get past the idea that filtering is something purposefully designed to put me in danger and annoy other people. That's simply not the case. If I thought it was dangerous to filter in any particular situation I wouldn't do it. I just don't believe that you can say categorically that every time you go through the Blackwall Tunnel, or for that matter any stretch of road, that it's always dangerous to filter and therefore you deserve harm to come to you and damage to your bike.

I've been through there with breaks in the traffic and everyone doing around 25 MPH. The cars are staggered, so there is plenty of room for me to pass without affecting anyone's progress so I ride through at 30. And yes, I'm changing lanes and "dodging in and out of cars" as I do so. I don't understand why you assume that to be dangerous? Is it simply because there are road markings telling you it's dangerous, or is it because you have made an assessment based on your experience and decided for yourself? If it's the first, congratulations you are a law abiding citizen. Well done, pat on the back. I'm not a law abiding citizen and therefore make my own mind up about what's dangerous. If it's the latter, it's entirely possible that my experience or my observation differs from yours, and my assessment is therefore also different.

I'm not trying to convince you or anyone else to ride in a way you aren't comfortable with. All I wish is that you'd retract your first statement which wishes harm on another rider simply for doing something you wouldn't do yourself.

Doesn't the Blackwall tunnel have double solid white lines all the way through it?If that is the case crossing the double whites to filter/overtake/undertake is very very risky. As the title suggests "Overtaking" which is a different kettle of fish entirely providing you are already in the outside lane.

Originally Posted by Dicky Ticker

Doesn't the Blackwall tunnel have double solid white lines all the way through it?If that is the case crossing the double whites to filter/overtake/undertake is very very risky. As the title suggests "Overtaking" which is a different kettle of fish entirely providing you are already in the outside lane.

Yes it does. Do you mean risky danger wise or risky license wise? I know several places in this country where there are double whites, and yet on a motorcycle with the correct observation it is perfectly safe to cross them without causing anyone any problem or putting yourself in danger. As I've said several times in this thread, I wouldn't do it if it were dangerous. I simply don't believe that it is.

This was me several years ago,I was driving a 44ton artic through south to north in the inside lane going up the Limehouse Link,signalled my intention before the slip,checked the mirrors and saw a bike changing from the inside to the outside lane.He then tried to undertake me on the slip but as I had already checked my nearside mirror before my manoeuvre I did not see him and crushed the bike and him against the nearside kerb. He came off and the bike went under the trailer,luckily for him he didn't.He was prosecuted for dangerous driving and had a hefty insurance bill.
The whole thing was on CCTV and I was exhonourated of any blame,Just be very careful as other drivers may not expect vehicles to change lanes over solid double whites
You can consider this a licence risk or a health risk--whatever

Originally Posted by Dicky Ticker

This was me several years ago,I was driving a 44ton artic through south to north in the inside lane going up the Limehouse Link,signalled my intention before the slip,checked the mirrors and saw a bike changing from the inside to the outside lane.He then tried to undertake me on the slip but as I had already checked my nearside mirror before my manoeuvre I did not see him and crushed the bike and him against the nearside kerb. He came off and the bike went under the trailer,luckily for him he didn't.He was prosecuted for dangerous driving and had a hefty insurance bill.
The whole thing was on CCTV and I was exhonourated of any blame,Just be very careful as other drivers may not expect vehicles to change lanes over solid double whites
You can consider this a licence risk or a health risk--whatever

So you're saying he came underneath you when you were indicating left, correct? This is one of the many instances when I wouldn't filter. As I've consistently said: I make judgement calls based on all the information I have at hand. Part of that information is road markings, part of it is the behaviour and signals of other road users. And just for the record, there aren't any white lines there telling him it's naughty to do what he did. He made a judgement call and it was the wrong one.

Can I just point out, just because I filter when it isn't necessarily legal to do so does NOT mean that I ride my bike in an unsafe manner or that I am reckless with my riding.

As for being careful as other road users may not expect you to cross double whites: I always ride with the understanding that the rest of the traffic may be totally unaware of where I am at any given point, and am therefore wary of other road users whether the road has double whites or not. The presence of double white lines, for me, is a signal that the road may present unusual hazards. As long as you are aware of what the hazards are and have taken steps to deal with those hazards, I still maintain that it is perfectly possible to filter safely in some places where white lines are present.

[Stu]

Originally Posted by Stuuk1

90% of the people agree in this thread that it is wrong

Really? I'm not so sure in fact reading the contributors to date I reckon that (being as generous to you as I can) :-

1. Stuuk1 Agrees
2. thulfi Agrees
3. Red Herring Disagrees
4. Paul1984 Agrees
5. Sid Squid Disagrees
6. Miss_Undaztood Agrees
7. ranathari Agrees
8. Stu Disagrees
9. arenalife Disagrees
10. busasean Disagrees
11. Sosha Non committal
12. Owenski Disagrees
13. punyXpress Non committal
14. Dicky Ticker Disagrees
15. Ed Non committal
16. Daimo Disagrees
17. mustnt grumble Agrees
18. maxinc Agrees
19. Bear Disagrees
20. Speedy Agrees

Agrees 8 Disagrees 9 Non committal 3
My profuse Apologies if I've misinterpreted anyone's vote.

Stuuk1, I hope you are better at judging other people's riding than statistics.

Personally bro I reckon Sosha disagrees: she says the white lines are a really narrow filter lane, but I'll go with it being roughly 50:50!