lane splitting in NM

[NinjaHarHar]

The problem with lane splitting anywhere other than California is that it's not socially acceptable.  I don't mean this in a "the fashion police are going to arrest you" kind of way, I mean it in a "people will get so angry with you they will threaten to or actually DO physical harm to you" kind of way. 

In CA, everyone is used to it.  It's somewhat expected.  Yes there is the occasional assmunch somewhere but far and wide you won't have any problems with anyone. 

Try that here, and people will open doors in front of you, honk at you, threaten you, try to knock you over, throw stuff at you, etc.  People take amazing offense at the fact that you might get somewhere before they will (even if this assumption is totally false).  The only way lanesplitting here could be feasible is if there were a huge PSA campaign directed towards the general public informing them that it's ok and legal for motorcycles to do this!  Cops are not the problem since they aren't everywhere.  Aggressive, mentally unstable whack jobs in cages are the problem -- and they ARE everywhere. 

I 'split' once here in ABQ, and it was for about a mile to get off the interstate after traffic COMPLETELY stopped.  I wasn't even going to do it in the first place, but then four bikes buzzed past doing just that while I was sitting there watching my coolant temp skyrocket.  Even during that mile I had one turdburgler swerve his truck at me.

[nicrosato]

The only way lanesplitting here could be feasible is if there were a huge PSA campaign directed towards the general public informing them that it's ok and legal for motorcycles to do this!

How's the huge PSA campaign dealing with DWI working out?

[ducanarchy]

How's the huge PSA campaign dealing with DWI working out?

I tend to favor a more organic emergence (Hayekian) approach.  As more and more bikers split lanes the more it is understood and accepted.  Which is probably why it is not as accepted in less congested places like ABQ where riders rarely have the need to split.  The laws in California, making it explicitly legal, probably followed the trend rather than led it, just a guess.

[ducanarchy]

By any chance do you live around Taylor Ranch? I always see a S2R dark in that area.

I live close to Rio Rancho, but it could be me. 

[DonJuanDucati]

Sorry to bring up an old topic, but this is something I wanted to discuss since I may have started splitting occasionally. 

I'll admit, I lane split when traffic is really bad, but only when it's standing still. When it starts to move, I blend back into traffic. I have seen police bikes split traffic before and they weren't in a rush to get anywhere, just moving through traffic at a pretty slow pace. Anyway, I feel it's safer to put myself between two metal boxes that are next to each other, than between a stationary metal box, and another that still needs to stop, especially in stop and go traffic, where so many NM drivers will not even look at the traffic in front of them to see where they need to stop. This is why even if I'm not splitting traffic, I stay as close to between two lanes as possible so if the idiot behind me doesn't stop, I can try and shoot in between the traffic in front of me, or at the worst, only get sideswiped instead of completely run over or crushed between two cars.

[Axel]

Sometimes I pass on the right of a line of stopped cars at a light when making a right turn. Even then, there's usually some asswipe who honks their horn or tries to move into my path. It's like a personal insult to them that I can get past them. Homicidal assholes... f&%k em.