(Moron lane splitting?)

In my experience people generally are OK at driving and riding. Those that aren’t all that good at it are often accommodated by those who are better, and I’ve seen examples of this where riders are splitting maybe where they shouldn’t.

Highways

(click on the image for a larger version)

Here we have a heavily used section of highway in the area. I’ve marked six different areas where it looks like lane splitting is possible but not necessarily advisable (or even legal?).

• #1 is a pretty good candidate for splitting, as it’s two lanes traveling in the same direction. The dashed lines between the lanes are the common ~10 foot long lines with about 30 feet between them. Nothing strange here! It’s highlighted green as it’s a reasonable option.
• #2 has lines that are cloer to three feet long. They’re clearly shorter than standard dashes between lanes (like in #1). They also usually indicate something is happening or about to happen with one of the lanes they divide. Since Minnesota’s law says that splitting is permissible “between lanes of moving or stationary vehicles headed in the same direction of travel” and one of those lanes is an exit lane, this is probably a bad place to split. Highlighted red for a reason!
• #3 and #6 are similarly bad spots. Both have the obvious shortened dashes indicating something is happening with a lane fairly quickly.l The lane left of #3 is ending (you can see it in the photo!), and the lane to the right of #6 (ignoring the fact that it’s actually closed with construction barrels) is an acceleration/entrance lane. Both are highlighted in red to indicate a no-go line for splitting.
• #4 looks a lot like #1. It’s a standard lane divider between lanes going the same direction, so easily fits the meaning of the statute. It’s highlighted green to split as appropriate!
• #5 sort of looks like it’s between a pair of lanes traveling the same direction and certainly, for a while at least, that’s true. However, the shortened dashes clearly indicate something’s up. In this specific case, the lane to the right of #5 becomes an exit-only lane. Splitting at this point (where the lane has short dashes) is definitely a bad idea. Marked red as appropriate!

I have personally seen riders attempting to “split” traffic on #3, #5, and #6 in what can definitively be called “moron lanesplitting.” They surprised the drivers they were passing, and they make every rider look bad when they do that.

I’ve also seen “splitting” on the solid yellow and white lines near #3 and #6. That’s not splitting. That’s just riding like an idiot and breaking the law. (Don’t ride on the damn shoulders!)

Surface streets and construction

(click on the image for a larger version)

Looking at the lanes coming towards us, #1 looks it’s between a pair of lanes moving in the same direction. No drama there!

#2 might be similar, but lane markings aren’t clear and there’s been some recent construction there that has obscured some of the markings. That’s probably a legal place to split, but given there’s other things going on in the area, you might want to be more vigilant and deliberate (and predictable!) if you decide to do so.

Looking at the other half of the photo, #3 is pretty clearly normal. However, #4 starts to be questionable in terms of safety, as there’s a “lane ends” sign there (orange construction version) indicating a traffic change. It’s still probably legal, but at that point you might want to have already folded back into traffic. Finally #5 is past the “lane ends” sign; at that point you should already have merged with the sole remaining lane.

Remember, lane splitting at this point is still new, and drivers and motorcyclists are still figuring things out. Riding in a predictable way that doesn’t surprise others near you on the road is to your benefit. A surprised driver (or rider) is often angrier than one who isn’t surprised, and that can have a direct impact on your health and safety.

Splitting safely also requires you plan ahead by looking ahead and paying attention to the various signals (e.g., type of lane striping) around you.

Stay safe!