Lane Sharing in the News

In the wake of CHP Lane Splitting Guidelines published online earlier this year amid cautiously optimistic comments in motorcycle forums, we now have SB 350 introduced by CA Senator Jim Beall with the intent of restricting, or at least codifying, said privileges.  An excerpt from the bill is as follows:

SECTION 1.  Section 21658.5 is added to the Vehicle Code, to read:
   21658.5.  (a) Notwithstanding any other law, and except as
provided in subdivision (b), when a highway has been divided into
three or more clearly marked lanes for traffic traveling in the same
direction, a person operating a motorcycle shall not pass another
vehicle in a portion of a lane occupied by that vehicle unless the
following conditions are met:
   (1) The passing occurs during traffic congestion.
   (2) The passing occurs at a safe speed.
   (b) This section does not apply to a peace officer in the
performance of official duties.

According to brief articles in this month's City Bike and the AMA News site, no action will be taken in 2013 until the results of a U.C. Berkeley lane sharing safety study are completed.  For more information search for sb-350 on the LaneSplittingIsLegal.com web site.  There is also a BARF thread and information on the ABATE web site.