Should motorcycles keep clear of right lanes?

[Guest honour]

Hi guys,

In midst of many bikers fatal accidents, just share my 19 years riding experience with the younger riders. Don't hog the right lane and try to keep left. we bikers lose out to cars on the road, tink of your families whenever there's urge to be reckless. Saw a good site and I thought I share with fellow bikers in justicebaogong. Hope it can benefit younger bikers.

[GuiNNeSS]

If you look carefully at the video, the biker actually had 10 car lengths between him and the white taxi behind him, before the Blue cab lane changed and started tailgating him.

 

Further into the video, the bike actually caught up with the traffic ahead, in lane 1, and all the while the motorcycle is overtaking a truck.

 

I'd say this rider is diciplined, cool headed, and safe. He has positioned his motorcycle in a defensive way, not allowing the taxi to 'squeeze' past him from his right, at the same time giving plenty of allowance between him and the truck he is trying to overtake.

 

He has also kept plenty of distance between him and the vehicle ahead.

 

Just my thoughts. Ride safe!

[dinie]

Hi guys,

In midst of many bikers fatal accidents, just share my 19 years riding experience with the younger riders. Don't hog the right lane and try to keep left. we bikers lose out to cars on the road, tink of your families whenever there's urge to be reckless. Saw a good site and I thought I share with fellow bikers in justicebaogong. Hope it can benefit younger bikers.

no offence, but i think that mentality should have stayed where it should have been 19 years ago. you have the same mentality as most of the drivers today. bikes cannot enter the 1st lane. must die die keep left and stick to lane 3. why? car pay more road tax? cars have bigger engines?

 

truth is, most bikes can run at the speed of cars. its just that we don't choose to tailgate and risk kissing a** when the vehicle in front brakes. that is riding safely. but if there're no vehicles in front and the rider is preventing someone faster from passing him from behind, that is road-hogging.

 

in fact i feel safer when im NOT in the third lane. Lorries and vans swerving in and out to overtake other vehicles. cars making sudden lane changes to exit the expressway. cars doing a half-lane overtake just because they are lazy to overtake you via lane 2. the list goes on. for lane 1, i just have to worry bout unethical and without signalling, lane changing from other drivers and tailgaters. but that's not much of a problem, since a twist of the throttle would solve the tailgating problem.

 

you wanna talk about road-hogging, go educate our drivers. they tailgate in singapore when traffic is generally moving at 100km/h yet they road hog in the North-South highway when traffic is generally moving at 140km/h. on top of that, they refuse to allow you to overtake them on the first lane even though you signal right, wait for them and flash them. they refuse to budge, unlike our surprisingly gracious Malaysian counter-parts who most of the time switch lanes when they see you coming fast, from far away.

 

i'm sorry man, but to tell me to keep left all the time is a no go. its more of learning when to give way when faster traffic is approaching from behind, for drivers and riders alike. IMHO the first lane is for anybody who is travelling faster than the general traffic ie overtaking or emergencies. cheers.

[Seraph]

IMHO, I don't see what road-hoggers have to do with rising ERP-charges. I think the problem lies more to the number of vehicles in Singapore and the commuting crush to the CBD from the housing estates. And the problem usually stems from accidents and breakdowns on the expressways, which are nearly always from tail-gaters rear-ending cars in front on the first lane. I've seen it happen once when it happened and I've seen how bad the jams can be cos of that, thanks to my daily commute from east to west and back everyday on the ECP and AYE.

 

I think speedsters with poor patience and even poorer driving skills to match are to blame. Why tailgate in congested situations? Too often I see trains of cars all playing follow the leader AS CLOSE AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN.

 

Plus the video is irrelevant. The traffic flow doesn't seem to be impeded due to congestion. I agree with nEO on the biker. Thats how I tend to ride as well. The 1st lane is for overtaking so lets use it for that. I wouldn't classify that as road-hogging.

[Acer1337]

I have a question which bothers me since I started riding. If I'm travelling at 90 kph on lane 1, am I still considered as road hogging as much as the TPs are concerned?

[chiam]

your question is very much a play by ear thing..

NO matter what lane 1 is used for overtaking only.. thats what it was meant for.. not to travel upon. but today.. no 1 cares.

even if u are going 200km/h at lane 1 a lambo comes up at 250km/h u are to give way. thats how it goes... tp catch? catch both for exceeding 90..

[dinie]

that's right..

[Naked1]

It takes both hands to clap.

[DeXirant]

truth is, most bikes can run at the speed of cars. its just that we don't choose to tailgate and risk kissing a** when the vehicle in front brakes. that is riding safely. but if there're no vehicles in front and the rider is preventing someone faster from passing him from behind, that is road-hogging.

 

in fact i feel safer when im NOT in the third lane. Lorries and vans swerving in and out to overtake other vehicles. cars making sudden lane changes to exit the expressway. cars doing a half-lane overtake just because they are lazy to overtake you via lane 2. the list goes on. for lane 1, i just have to worry bout unethical and without signalling, lane changing from other drivers and tailgaters. but that's not much of a problem, since a twist of the throttle would solve the tailgating problem.

 

 

yup..thats how i feel too...

[mxer98]

Just my opinion and personal experiences...

 

Keep left if you can. If you decide to stay on 2nd or 1st lane, then keep up with traffic or become a road hazard. Don't go faster or slower than the lane traffic speed or you will end up tailgating or road hogging respectively.

 

It's all about your own judgement and road sense. The problem with people getting into accidents is how badly they anticipate what's ahead or most likely to happen and knowing what your bike can or cannot do.

 

[S-Line]

When riding on the road be it a 50cc moped or 1500cc big bike, very important is buffering in traffic. Simply means to give yourself enough buffer around you to "escape" in case of emergency that is why we are always thought to regulate our speed according to road conditions.

Regulating speed means always try to give yourself & other road users enough space to maneuver in case of emergency and very often or not people regulate their speed benchmarking the fastest vehicle on the road.

 

Just me 2 cents

 

Cheers & Ride Safe!

[dragonforce]

put the fact that right lane is for overtaking only.. but what's the mentality that riders cannot stay on the right lane and drivers can? i simply dun get it..

there are many occasions whereby i am on the right lane.. keeping AND MAINTAINING a safe distance away from the car in front.. BUT, cars will always cut in.. leaving me to either slow down to maintain that safe distance again.. safe distance is about 1.5 to 2 car length.. yet cars still want to squeeze..

 

am i road hogging? i definitely dun think so.. the car that overtakes me will just be in front of me.. that's about as far as he can go..

 

situation in the blog.. the rider is overtaking vehicles on the left.. from the start until the near end of the video clip, there wasnt any chance for the bike to give way to the taxi driver.. what you expect the rider to do? fly? i would give way if there's a chance to.. if i am travelling in a sitaution whereby i am overtaking vehicle on the left and maintaining a safe distance from the vehicle in front i dun see if there's a need to give way since the left lane is already jammed i am keeping up with the vehicle in front of me..

[theforce]

As vulnerable riders, we have to think practically. The truth is, insisting on the right of way will only get us killed one day.

 

You can stay on whichever lane you want, just be prepared to give way to any bugger cutting into your path or tailgating you.

[ben1112]

let them cut den cut them back lor...

[dragonforce]

As vulnerable riders, we have to think practically. The truth is, insisting on the right of way will only get us killed one day.

 

You can stay on whichever lane you want, just be prepared to give way to any bugger cutting into your path or tailgating you.

well, this i agree.. live to ride another day.. road is not a place to flaunt your ego.. ride safe pple..

[Silent Hunter]

Like what my SSDC instructor once said.

 

What's the point of saying you have the right of way if you die?

Even if you have the right of way also no use.

Die already how to claim?

[steel_headz]

I do tink LTA should consider having a special lane for motorbikes...

[keown]

ho say liao, that number motorcyclist road killer( & can get away one) tailgate behind him.....personally i prefer ride fast than "defend" my right of way with these killers.

[xiaoxiao]

hog the right lane?

 

HA.

 

there are lorries on the right lane.

tell them abt it.

[Yatz86]

hm,

 

why cannot ride right lane sia,

unless there's an emergency vehicle or a vehicle exceeding ure speed, dont see nothing wrong in staying in right lane.

 

if not u are road hogging a road.

[contrarian]

Use the right lane to overtake, or to turn right or u-turn. After overtaking, go back to the lane next to the right lane if you intend to go straight. That's how it has been taught, and it has served me well for the years that I've been doing this.

[Seraph]

Its called lane discipline. Taught in driving schools and instructors around Singapore, through the years. Keep LEFT if you're NOT overtaking. Somehow the lesson seems lost on road users nowdays.

 

I think its true what yr driving instructor said. No use if you had the right of way when you get killed.

 

Riding defensively, is the skill of riding so as to position yourself in the best possible manner to maximise visibility and awareness of your vehicle by other road users as well as maintaining your own buffer road space from the vehicle in front and all around.

 

AND I absolutely HATE it when some **** driver overtakes me from behind and edges in dangerously to claim my following distance space. JUST to get ahead of me. I usually respond by lane splitting going further ahead and filtering in a few cars ahead just to spite him. Its an ego thing la but I don't think its a particularly dangerous practise.

 

I would think it works cos once the cars drop out between me and him he still ends up behind but doesnt pull the same stunt anymore.

[speedlee]

for me i'll take the extreme right lane if i'm overtaking, if it's a clear path aehad, i always stay in the center lane and maintain a constant following speed...

 

it would be unfair if bikers are to restrain themselves from using the right lane, at times i see lorries, minibuses, and kangoos hogging the right lane too... (sometimes even p plate saloon cars kekeke)

 

my take is, the left lanes are for slow moving vehicles, right lane for overtaking, do watever u deem fit as long as u dun endanger urself and other road users' safety...

[kmax]

this guy too free ?? nothing to do but watch CTE ?

[Pplater]

this guy too free ?? nothing to do but watch CTE ?

 

finally someone echos my sentiments. I'm quite concerned though, that he might be contributing to accidents by spending time on the bridges with a camera. He might actually be causing road users to think its TP catching speeding and who knows if a couple of them jam brakes or slow down drastically? Thats what bothers me.

 

But at least someone cares enough about safety to want to spread the message to others. If only he had a better understanding of what road hogging actually is, and the technicalities involved. He could do a better job. Even though the video was conveniently used to ill effect, which did not support his argument, I guess we should recognise his intentions as benign and in a good cause. I hope he does a better job at spreading the safety message to others.