I’m on this side of the fence personally. Yes, many on the A13 are pretty good to bikers, they often nudge their car over to let you through (the odd cock in a white van excepted of course). Problem is, if you’re filtering between 2&3, and someone starts filtering between 1&2 a little ahead of you, those in the middle lane will often nudge to their right, giving you a a whole line of cars randomly moving over, reducing the filtering space used by everyone else.
Secondly, the outside lane on the A13 splits off to slips roads in a few places (at North Circular, Lodge Avenue etc), so if you’re filtering between 1&2 you have to contend with those moving left to pull off. Or the crazy bit before North Circular (Eastbound, opposite Sainsburys), where everyone uses the two left slip roads lanes as overtaking lanes for the gridlock in the right two lanes, before trying to shove their way back in. It’s messy and you really don’t want to be filtering in the middle of it.
Thirdly, you’ve got loads trying to join the A13 in the outside lane, who will instinctively try to floor it and go straight into middle lane. Plus a couple of awkward junctions and petrol stations where people/buses pull out really slowly, and others try to swerve into middle to avoid them. Again, messy, you don’t want to be filtering in the middle of it.
For these reasons, I always aim to get between lanes 2&3 and stay there. Yeah, you get the odd one filtering a bit slow, most will pull over though. They’re probably a bit new, not super confident, we were all in that position once. I don’t mind easing off now and again, I probably filter a bit quick anyway.
When I did my last CBT I checked this with instructor and she said that when filtering on 3 lanes then its fully legal to use both for filtering, just don’t use the LHS of lane 1 or RHS of lane 3.
I mostly use 2.5 apart from when you cruise up to someone sitting in the lane but not filtering, hence hoof round via 1.5.
If the person recording the video was doing 30mph, the other rider must have been doing close to 40mph which far is too quick to be filtering through slow heavy traffic - it doesn’t give me enough time to react and brake correctly, maybe someone on here will say they and have super quick reaction times, fair play to you but I wouldn’t risk it.
The other problem with filtering too quickly is that you don’t give drivers enough time to see you - I have on occasion driven down the A13 in this traffic and its not easy to spot motorbikes on certain parts of the road, especially if the car behind you is further out than you restricting your iew in the mirror, now imagine some cager who doesn’t actually pay attention to bikers.
Its simple - if a biker in front sees you in their mirror and doesnt move when you have spotted two oppurtunities that they could have then you move in between 1-2 and get past, then at the earlyist oppurtunity move back into 2-3 and give them the the five knuckle shuffle hand gesture so they know their a n0b - if they haven’t seen you within a half mile/mile then repeat the first manouvre but make sure they see you point to your mirror before the hand gesture!
Filtering is not illegal in any lane but filtering above the set speed limit is so if your on a motorway with a 40 sign lit up and your doing 50/60/70 you will get points!
See a bike behind you that wasn’t a moment ago means you move over - this is one of my biggest bug bears on the M25, especially with bikes that cant fit through gaps that normal bikes can and is another reason for making sure my exhaust is louder then theirs so if they don’t check their mirrors regularly they will hear something come up behind them and force them to look!
I’m not going to pretend I don’t use all available lanes, yes the first one is dodgier and isn’t my preference, but rider beware and all that. What I find completely INSANE are bikers filtering at london speeds when the traffic is stationary from an accident ahead. Passengers open doors to see what’s going on, mirrors aren’t set up for them to see behind, and they might not even be experienced enough to consider looking backwards before opening the door. Same for undertaking stationary single-lane traffic in town.
RE Arts point about letting someone infront, yup, but don’t be the second bike in the queue. If a car moves over for the first bike, there’s 50% they move back in not expecting another bike to be there.
In the event of a No2 be sure to have a change of underpants with you
BTW you need to be using all FIVE lanes, I’m including the oncoming lanes and the pavement here, to filter up or down that Lea Bridge Road - what a fricking nightmare that is
