Why motorcycle lane splitting actually eases traffic congestion

Battling agitated motorists while lane splitting on a motorcycle is something I’ve been battling with for nearly a decade.

For those who don’t know, the act consists of a motorcycle riding between lanes with cars on either side at a safe and low speed. It is also called 'lane filtering', with some motorists saying that the two terms have different meanings, which is a matter of semantics, but for the purposes of this article we will call it lane filtering.

However, lane filtering has long been a contentious issue, with numerous videos online showing cars blocking motorcycles from proceeding and even road raging against them. In a dashcam video of a motorcyclist colliding with a car while filtering, the comments seemingly proved our point.

“This behaviour shouldn’t be allowed. They should wait like everyone else,” said one user.

“They should just wait behind cars,” said another.

“I curse at them when they come up the side in between me and another car. It shouldn’t be allowed, just like cars, stay in your lane and wait like the rest of us.”

But is it even legal for motorcycles to lane filter? And how does it actually help ease traffic?

Yes, lane splitting/filtering is legal in Australia, but the laws surrounding it vary by state and territory.

New South Wales – Lane filtering is legal at speeds of 30km/h or less, for fully licensed riders only. Filtering is not allowed next to the kerb, parked vehicles, in school zones, between traffic flowing in the opposite direction, or when it is not considered safe to do so.

Victoria – Lane filtering is legal at speeds of 30km/h or less. Filtering is not allowed next to the kerb, between traffic flowing in the opposite direction, or when it is not considered safe to do so. VicRoads only specifies that it is illegal for learner riders.

Queensland – Lane filtering is legal at speeds of 30km/h or less, for fully licensed riders only. The only times you are not allowed to filter are during school-zone hours, when there is a ‘no filtering’ sign, between traffic flowing in the opposite direction, and when it is not considered safe to do so.

South Australia – Lane filtering is legal at speeds of 30km/h or less for fully licensed riders only. Filtering is not allowed next to the kerb, parked vehicles, in school zones, when traffic flows in the opposite direction, or when it is not considered safe to do so.

Western Australia – Lane filtering is legal at speeds of 30km/h or less. The WA government only specifies that Learners are not allowed to filter. You are also not allowed to filter in any of the many following rules: approaching or riding on a children’s crossing, marked foot crossing or pedestrian crossing, in a school zone or shared zone, the applicable speed limit is 40 km/h or below, between one or more heavy vehicles, the vehicles the rider is riding between are merging, no overtaking is allowed, in a roundabout, next to the kerb or edge of the road, or alongside parked cars, and when it is unsafe in the circumstances to lane filter.

Northern Territory – Lane filtering is legal at speeds of 30km/h or less for people who hold a full motorcycle licence. It is also not permitted if it is not safe to do so, such as next to a kerb or a parked car, or during school-zone times.

Australian Capital Territory – Lane filtering is legal at speeds of 30km/h or less for fully licensed riders only. Filtering is not allowed next to the kerb, parked vehicles, in school zones, when traffic flows in the opposite direction, or when it is not considered safe to do so.

Tasmania – Lane filtering is legal at speeds of 30km/h or less, for fully licensed riders only. Filtering is not allowed next to the kerb, parked vehicles, in school zones, when traffic flows in the opposite direction, or when it is not considered safe to do so.

While lane filtering can be seen as 'cutting in', it can actually help with the flow of traffic while in congestion. What needs to be considered is that, despite the small size of a motorcycle, when not lane flitering, they take up the same amount of space as a car in the lane.

One of the statements made was “While motorcycles are increasing in popularity, motorcyclists in the trial represented only 4 per cent of the total traffic, and with only around a quarter of lane filtering, only 1 per cent of total traffic reported participating in lane filtering-related manoeuvres. For this reason, the trial did not show a reduction in congestion for all traffic”.

“However, common sense says that removing some motorcycles from traffic queues may help to minimise queuing at busy intersections. As the number of motorcycles increases, it is more likely that overall congestion would be improved in time.”

The higher the number of motorcycles on the road, the more likely it is to see a decrease in traffic congestion.

What many drivers fail to realise is that motorcycles, even small-capacity ones, are extremely quick at accelerating. By the time a motorcycle makes it to the front of the traffic queue, there will be a large gap once the light turns green, and they accelerate.

There is also the safety implication, which the study touched on: “Almost half (48 per cent) of the motorcyclists surveyed indicated they felt safer when lane filtering, believing that lane filtering improved their safety by having greater control over their exposure to traffic, particularly vehicles following behind”.

According to various sources, rear-end accidents account for around 29 to 31 per cent of accidents. By lane filtering to the front of traffic, motorcyclists, who are vulnerable in terms of safety, can help eliminate the risk of being hit from behind without anywhere to avoid it.

With all of these things considered, among other studies around motorist and pedestrian studies, lane filtering became officially legal for New South Wales on 1 July 2014, which saw the rest of the country soon follow.

So the next time you see a motorcycle lane filtering, just know they’re not doing anything illegal, they’re easing traffic, and they’re just trying to stay safe. If you feel it's unjust to you, just know that if you can’t beat them, join them.

Zane Dobie comes from a background of motorcycle journalism, working for notable titles such as Australian Motorcycle News Magazine, Just Bikes and BikeReview. Despite his fresh age, Zane brings a lifetime of racing and hands-on experience. His passion now resides on four wheels as an avid car collector, restorer, drift car pilot and weekend go-kart racer.

Read more about Zane Dobie