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Lane filterers beware of dangers

Dangers of lane filtering
Beware of riding in the breakdown lane or highway verge

One of the dangers of lane filtering is that if you use the highway verge or breakdown lane – as is legal in Queensland – you could wind up with a tyre puncture.

The sides of the highways are littered with sharp objects – broken bottles, screws, nails and other items that have fallen out of cars and tradies’ utes.

One daily commuter wrote in suspecting something more malicious.

He told us that he ran into what “appeared to be an entire box of wallboard screws strategically emptied on the verge for some six or so car lengths, over the entire width of the verge”.

“I had nowhere to go so just slowed as quickly as I could without braking, in the hope that no screws would penetrate the tyres on my cruiser,” he says.

Dangers of lane filtering

“I pulled up at Springwood to inspect my tyres and found two screws in the rear.  Luckily, I have ‘Ride-On’ tyre sealant running in my tubed tyres, as the penetration could have caused a popped tube and potentially an accident.

“I checked the tyre and proceeded home safely. I got a new tube and the tyre fixed the following day and did not return to the verge of the highway again, until Monday this week, where, at the same point under the Gateway overpass, I decided to try the other side – the right-hand side.  To my astonishment, it was also littered with screws, the same ones as the other side.”

This led our rider to suspect foul play.

“Clearly, some bright spark (most likely a tradie) thought it was either funny, or, is cranky with motorcycles going traffic filtering and decided that he’d/she’d get one back for the car drivers,” he says.

“This is a dangerous and silly prank, and will have affected many motorcyclists and car drivers. It is becoming more and more evident that the car drivers (and it seems even more so of ute drivers in my opinion) are either ignorant to, or rebelling against the new filtering laws and and doing dangerous things to stop bikes doing so.”

The rider reports that since lane filtering was introduced he has encountered numerous times that drivers move over in front of him, jam on the brakes, swerve, “just plain make it difficult or to stop me from filtering lawfully” on his 150km daily commuting round trip.

Whether it’s paranoia or not, the emergency break-down lane or highway verge is a last resort for riders as it is often littered with dangerous objects to riders.

  1. After seeing a ladder fall of a ute the other day – I wouldn’t suspect carelessness rather intention.

  2. From my experience, I’ve SEEN cars look at you in their rear view mirror just to move and block you from lane filtering. This should be a fine if caught. Can come under the impending traffic offense.

  3. They actually had to make it illegal to have an unrestrained dog in the back of a ute
    they were falling or jumping out at such an alarming rate. personally i have been nearly speared by
    a tradie hitting the brakes behind me and loosing a badly secured load of steel rod, and
    decapitated by a piece of ply flying off the back of a truck like a giant ninja star. paranoia aside
    i think this was just slackness on someones behalf.
    If it was intentional it might just have been aimed at bicycle riders.
    In which case it’s ok [ we all hate them]

  4. Bit rough, by the sounds of things, up Qld way. But as Mark said I’m sure idiots that would do something as ignorant as deliberately placing screws/nails on the ground are too caught up matching handbag colours or something, and not reading credible bike sites.

    I’ve been appreciating the filtering trial in the ACT since it started. Only had one drama — a muppet in a white Lexus deliberately sought to pull across to block me legally filtering past. In minus 2 weather, just to rub it in! A blip of the throttle and some counter steering easily demonstrated the futility of that moronic move.

    Can’t avoid all the clowns on a power trip I suppose. Keep an eye out and you should hopefully be right.

    JFE

  5. Not so long ago here in Perth I was continually noticing drivers moving in to block motorcycles from moving up. Recently there has been a campaign encouraging drivers to make room so that bikes can move up- and I believe it is working. I am on the road most days of the week and am now seeing drivers notice me in their mirror and actually moving their vehicle even if they have stopped already. Of course there are the usual jealous idiots out there but mostly its been good.

  6. Be careful where you pull up when lane filtering at traffic lights. I stopped with my front wheel three or four hundred mils past the white line and it cost me $341.

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