Lane-splitting debate
Re “Lane-splitting bill zooms past Assembly,” May 29, and “California bill would sanction lane-splitting,” May 28
It’s interesting that the UC Berkeley study finds lane splitting is safer for motorcyclists because it offers a way for them to avoid getting rear-ended. “Motorists just don’t see them,” The Times quoted a state assemblyman as saying.
Left unexplained is how motorists who already do not see motorcyclists dead ahead will see them while they overtake a car in the same lane.
This new law would effectively let motorcyclists claim to be “cut off " by a car’s slight shift to the right or left within a lane if a motorcycle is in the same lane. So forget about trying to avoid potholes and get ready for higher auto insurance rates. John C. Nangle
Palm Springs
As someone who commutes daily on a motorcycle from downtown L.A. to the San Fernando Valley, I applaud this bill. However, the last line of one of the articles — which quotes former L.A. City Councilman Dennis Zine as saying, “The bottom line is there is no law if there is no law enforcement” — speaks volumes and is certainly a cause for concern.
The article also voices concerns by the detractors of this proposed bill who say it is dangerous for motorcyclists to split lanes because drivers are distracted by their cellphones. Last time I checked, there is a law against using cellphones while driving. If I had the ability to issue tickets for this offense, I could probably retire next week.
I also ride a bicycle when I am not on my motorcycle, and there is a law, recently passed, that requires drivers to allow a specified amount of distance between a vehicle and cyclist — yet another law that I can say is rarely enforced.
So, to slightly amend those closing words, the bottom line is that if there is no enforcement, there is no law. Irwin Shubert
Los Angeles
Since lane splitting is already common and enforcing the proposed limits on it will be impossible, the bill is meaningless in that it doesn’t change what’s already happening.
There should be a discussion of what percentage of current lane splitters adhere to the new limits (my guess is it’s pretty low), and of the only effective enforcement tool: a strict definition of liability. Keith Price Los Angeles