Lane splitting is legal as of this past Tuesday

As of Tuesday, lane splitting and filtering became legal in Minnesota. I ride a bike that’s not exactly slim, though, so I was initially concerned about doing it safely. I’ve tried it a couple times (along with lane filtering) and so far it seems to have been working out OK, but there are some things that I think are important to keep in mind.

Notes on both splitting and filtering

Make sure you have room, and consider that you may need more room than you think. I encountered a situation filtering where my bike could fit between vehicles just fine, even though there was a city bus on my right that left me little room in that lane. What I failed to consider is that my bike’s mirrors are tall enough that they could hit the bus’s mirror. Those of you on Ninja 250s, Groms, or other shorter bikes probably won’t have to worry about that one much… but watch your heads. (Those of you with wide ape hangers take note!)

Notes on lane splitting

Minnesota’s law says motorcycles can split lanes when:

• they go no more than 15mph faster than the cars they’re passing; AND
• top speed does not exceed 25mph

I’ve found it very easy to get above that 25mph speed when splitting in slow moving highway or freeway traffic and not paying close attention to my speed. (I’ve done this on MN36 near Roseville and I694 near University Avenue and the MN252 exit.) Surprised motorists tend to be angry or upset motorists, and I had concerns about the sudden appearance of my bike between lanes surprising drivers. The limits on speed do seem to make it easy for everybody to figure out what’s going on, though, and I haven’t yet encountered anyone who wanted to play “traffic cop” or get all aggressive about blocking my progress between lanes.

There’s four major things I (try to) do that I think contribute to me being able to do this safely:

1. I am VERY focused on what’s going on around me. There’s very little margin for error, so watching for turn signals or other indicators that a car is going to switch lanes is extremely important.
2. I ride like I belong there. More specifically, I am assertive in placing myself specifically where I want to be when splitting. I have a hard time quantifying this, but I’ve seen anecdotal evidence where “passive” riding has looked ambiguous. I try to move deliberately and predictably, so people I’m sharing the road with don’t have to exert a lot of mental effort to figuring out what I’m trying to do.
3. My speed is very carefully controlled. I know what my bike sounds and feels like at various speeds and in different gears, so I don’t have to watch the speedometer too closely to make sure I’m not exceeding that 25mph speed cap. I also try to not make abrupt speed changes, to stay more predictable to those around me. Again, surprised motorists tend to be unhappy motorists.

The fourth thing deserves its own paragraph. I try to ride smart, not stupid. If splitting lanes seems like it could put me in danger, I don’t do it. Prime example: Yes, you could theoretically lane split between a pair of semis… but is that really a smart thing to do? Similarly, if there’s someone pulling a trailer who’s struggling to keep the trailer under control, is that really a vehicle you want to get close to? Remember, by definition splitting lanes means you’re reducing the potential number of escape paths you might otherwise have.

Notes on lane filtering

Filtering is moving between lanes of stopped cars, like at a red light. The first two items above (stay focused on what I’m doing and ride like I belong there) apply to filtering as well. Speed control requires less attention because I don’t have to monitor the speed of stopped cars and my max speed is 15mph anyway (actual speed is probably less than that). Riding smart applies, too.

Again, I haven’t encountered anyone (yet!) who seems to want to police me on filtering. I’m sure it’s a matter of time, and I hope my approach will be to remain calm, point them at the statute, and invite them to a motorcycle class.