Hogs! ... Rant

I commute through town every day … some parts are duel carriageway and the traffic is as good as stationary … now on a bike this isn’t really a problem … I have a lane all to myself .. i.e. the middle bit where I filter through all that horrid congestion!

All is well with the world … but every now and then I get a filter hogger … A hogger is some dude on a bike who crawls through the middle, and holds me up … I had a right one today, I came up behind him and made myself known … he saw me in his mirrors, but refused to get out of my way … he was filtering at er … dunno - seemed like 1mph more than the cars and stopping if there was anything smaller than bus room between two cars … I continued to make myself and my frustration known - he kept looking in his mirrors … but yet he still refused to pull over …

I eventually ripped past in the smallest of small gaps coz he was being so inconsiderate and there was no way I was going to follow him for the next 4 miles …

Now I am not saying filtering at speed is big or clever … but virtually not filtering at all and not getting out of the way of somone who wants to is not clever either - a sin in fact …

Does anyone else get this?!?! Do I need to fit an airhorn, or better still a {Dr Evil on} LAZER BEAM {/Dr Evil} to the front of my bike?!!?

Sorry just had to vent!!

on the way out of gosport and fareham by any chance!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GUNS NEED TO BE LEGALISED!!!!!!

I get this quite often on my commute to work if I choose to use the motorway. Also when I go to the Soho meet on a Friday. I tend to look for a break between the 1st and 2nd lane to get passed them.

At the end of the day I have the mind set that there is a chance that the rider could be a newbie and not really up to date with the "rules of the road".

I used to ride about 9 years ago and filtered no problem.

Just bought a new bike, and filtered for the first time in years - what actually is the rules on this these days?

Originally Posted by Manguish

I used to ride about 9 years ago and filtered no problem.

Just bought a new bike, and filtered for the first time in years - what actually is the rules on this these days?

Simple really. If your filtering through traffic, keep an eye on your mirrors for other bikers who are travelling faster than you are. You'll know because one time you check your mirrors and no one is there, the next he / she is. When there is a gap in the traffic pull in and let the biker pass.

Told you it was simple

Originally Posted by socommk23

on the way out of gosport and fareham by any chance!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GUNS NEED TO BE LEGALISED!!!!!!

Going into Fareham from the motorway, then down that bit near the speed camera ... its along that bit I ripped past whilst he gingerly negotiated the roundabout

Originally Posted by BigApe

Simple really. If your filtering through traffic, keep an eye on your mirrors for other bikers who are travelling faster than you are. You'll know because one time you check your mirrors and no one is there, the next he / she is. When there is a gap in the traffic pull in and let the biker pass.

Told you it was simple

Indeed, its pretty easy!! You could see him nervously looking behind at me, and me 'pushing' him was making him uneasy ... why not just pull over for 0.5 seconds and let me slide past?!?!? That way everyone is happy!!!

Sometimes you get the ones that never check their mirrors, that's irritating too, but at least you know they are just myopically focused ahead, not knowingly getting in your way ...

9 times out of 10, soon after you get behind someone they will pull over and let you past quickly, but its this last 10% that wind me up ... its just inconsiderate and increasing the danger from both riders perspective ... i.e. I am pushing them along, perhaps making them go faster than they want and it means I am closer to them than I'd like really and can't see as far ahead as I would usually ... and then have to make a bit of a tight move to finally bully my way past ...

Filtering is an dangerous art, but I have been doing the same commute for 9? years now, I am a bit complacent and I am sure it'll bite me in the @ss one day ... but until then get out'a me way hogs!!!

I don't understand people who don't get out of the way, cos there's nothing more irritating than having someone behind who's plainly getting irritated themselves - whether in the car or on the bike.

[Stu]

Originally Posted by BigApe

Simple really. If your filtering through traffic, keep an eye on your mirrors for other bikers who are travelling faster than you are. You'll know because one time you check your mirrors and no one is there, the next he / she is. When there is a gap in the traffic pull in and let the biker pass.

Told you it was simple

As above, If they catch up to you, then they are faster than you = let them past . If you catch up to someone = you are faster than them (so hope they get out your way)