Worst Cities in Minnesota for Road Rage (Eden Prairie)

[srsmn]

Originally Posted by Cruz Azul Guy

A

I would have agreed with you before I started riding. However now that I ride I realize that the laws are set up in a very non-accommodating way for motorcycles. Motorcycles have a 6th of the width of a car and yet are expected to occupy the same amount of legal space. A motorcycle is far more agile than a car and can accelerate and brake much quicker and yet must provide the same distance from other traffic. It makes no sense whatsoever. Whoever made the laws obviously wasn't a rider. MN legislators need to take a cue from California as they clearly have it figured out when it comes to splitting and filtering. There are comprehensive studies that support that lane splitting is safer for motorcyclists and improves traffic flow which lessens overall congestion. It's a no-brainer.

I'm actually not sure that there is such a study. Everything that I have seen has been inconclusive (well, not on alleviating congestion, but on rider safety). Feel free to link to the study if I am wrong, though.

Anyway, the general counter-argument to lane-splitting for motorcyclists as well as bicyclists is that those are motorists that want to have the same privileges as drivers, and yet they do not want to follow the same rules. That argument is a bit reactionary and not entirely practical, so take from it what you will.

I'm not going to argue necessarily that lane-splitting won't alleviate traffic, but you didn't actually really address my point on how it would prevent bikers from cutting me off or tailgating me in those instances when traffic conditions do not necessitate it, and they are just being reckless (i.e., user error). I see this happen pretty consistently. As a driver, I am actually inclined to say that I don't want these guys to legally be able to zip by me on the center line, since I have learned that they are generally unpredictable. There is no telling what they would do to me or my car...

[Doctor Z]

Originally Posted by srsmn

I read you wrong. It was where you said you should merge onto the freeway at 10 mph above the freeway speed limit. Which I generally agree with, except on that death trap at 16th Street and 169....it would defy the laws of physics to be going 65 mph at the merge point on that ramp...

A McLaren F1 can accelerate from 0 to 60 in 2.2 Seconds. Perhaps that is the solution to the 16th Street merge lane.

[Cruz Azul Guy]

Originally Posted by srsmn

I'm actually not sure that there is such a study. Everything that I have seen has been inconclusive (well, not on alleviating congestion, but on rider safety). Feel free to link to the study if I am wrong, though.

Anyway, the general counter-argument to lane-splitting for motorcyclists as well as bicyclists is that those are motorists that want to have the same privileges as drivers, and yet they do not want to follow the same rules. That argument is a bit reactionary and not entirely practical, so take from it what you will.

I'm not going to argue necessarily that lane-splitting won't alleviate traffic, but you didn't actually really address my point on how it would prevent bikers from cutting me off or tailgating me in those instances when traffic conditions do not necessitate it, and they are just being reckless (i.e., user error). I see this happen pretty consistently. As a driver, I am actually inclined to say that I don't want these guys to legally be able to zip by me on the center line, since I have learned that they are generally unpredictable. There is no telling what they would do to me or my car...

http://www.ots.ca.gov/pdf/Publicatio...tingSurvey.pdf

http://www.ots.ca.gov/pdf/Publicatio...afety-2015.pdf