No offence taken. I’m happy that at that particular point moving to 1/2 is the better option; and I see the regulars doing so also.
I enjoyed reading all your tips. Great advice, thanks.
I agree with the foreign number plates comment. After a while you tend to subconsciously categorise all road users by vehicle: type; brand; model; age; condition; number plate; etc.
I’d add to that: the closest I have come to being wiped out while filtering was on Avenue Road many years ago and I learnt my lesson. When you join a recently formed queue of traffic, it’s the drivers at the back that are the most impatient. They haven’t invested time in the queue yet and want to get out before they feel trapped. I was nearly wiped out by one of the tail-enders (a lovely Aston Martin) who decided to do an un-signalled u-turn as I filtered by on his right.
This impatience at the back of a queue also extends to multi-lane roads. The drivers at the back will always try to jump into the other lane that might be moving fractionally quicker.
Excellent advice from everyone!
My personal advice:
1 - Filter only slightly faster than the speed of traffic. Be prepared to stop.
2 - Look out for wheels turning
3 - Look out for drivers getting out of their cars to adjust a jacket or a tie (I’ve seen this)
4 - Filter with caution when there is a gap in one of the lanes that car from the opposite lane could change into.
5 - If you can, filter on a low gear to make drivers aware of your presence.
6 - Avoid staying in someone’s blind spot
Filtering will become more natural over time. Just do it at your own pace and gradually build up confidence!
This morning was a case of do as I say not as I do
approach to the blackwall tunnel northbound:
Rizzler gixxer (600?) undertaking all the cars in lane one in a hatched area bounded by a solid line, loudly
He the cuts into the filtering channel behind me - maybe 2 bikes back. You can hear him loudly revving, braking, revving, braking.
I get into tunnel, progress is fine. The gixxer is now behind me: rev, brake, rev, brake. I’m taking constant rear obs - I’ve no idea what this joker is doing next, how could I neither does he. Anyway I lose him by 10 cars or so near the end as he can’t time his gap. Then on exit, he’s right along side me. I’m doing 45 in a 30 so he’s made up quite some distance. As the slip road to E India dock road branches off the A12 he tries to push me off my bike - shouting at me “whats your problem? why are you looking in your mirrors at me”. I’ve seen red for a split second, swerve off the A12 to chase him down and find him at the lights. I’ve gone to get off the bike to send him into next week. Forgot to put the sidestand down. I caught it just in time but now I’ve f*&cked my wrist royally. To the extent (luckily) where all I can do is shout at the guy for being so reckless.
Anyway I’m now typing this one handed cos it’s sprained so badly, limping the bike in with what now feels like the heaviest clutch in the world, and not looking forward to catching the train until this is fixed up.
In the blackwall tunnel I should have just pulled in and let him past, and I definitely shouldn’t have chased him down.
Stay calm Ben, I’ve made a fool of myself and what did I prove?
On a Bike Safe course, we we taught not to filter if the traffic is doing 50mph. And when filtering, don’t do more than 20mph faster than the traffic. I think subsequently, they’ve taken the filtering speed down to on 15mph faster than the traffic.
The moment the traffic is moving, I forget filtering and take position in the centre of the lane. Filtering at this time will only gain you seconds - and the risk to benefit ratio isn’t good enough.
I had someone revving impatiently behind me this morning on the northbound approach to the blackwall tunnel. I did as you say, not as you did! Remembering the advice here I tried not to keep checking my mirrors and dropped behind a car when I found a gap. The guy passed me (no acknowledgment) then proceeded to make no more progress than I was making anyway. Don’t think he was on a rizla gixer though, but sounds like the same type of rider.
