QUOTE(Darthvader @ Feb 29 2008, 12:53 PM)
Lemme ask this: WTF is the point of doing it? Does it matter if you are the 10th vehicle in line or do you (motorcycle riders) ALWAYS need to be the first guy from red light to red light? Is that a safety isue? I see most riders do it as a "look what I can do while you're sitting in your car haha" thing. Great, you can speed to the next red light and I'm right behind you again, and again, and again.
I don't know the exact rules of how to properly split lanes but from what I see 99% of the riders aren't doing it properly. I am very surprised, however, that I don't see more accidents from this. I do know that if a guy takes my side mirror off while getting to the front of the line he'll have a Jeep up his arse at the next light.
The point of doing it is many things.
1)From a safety perspective, being able to ride with no cars around you from light to light is safer than just sitting in traffic watching for when grandma or "Mr. I don't check my blindspots" decides to change lanes, or soccer mom behind you swatting at bad boy Johnny doesn't see you've stopped.
2) because it is legal, the DMV has granted me the ability to get through stop & go traffic quicker than if I'm in a car, and actually by doing so, I'm helping to relieve traffic congestion, I'm just benefitting from the relief more than you are.
3) as someone else noted, in the summer, the only A/C is moving air, so when traffic is stopped, if I can still move, I get some cooling and as I ride a strictly air-cooled engine, it also helps keep my bike from over-heating.
Now for a little story, I didn't split lanes on this one, but one time when I was in the left of two lanes at a stop light, some dumb girl pulls up in the lane on my right, rolls down her window and asks me if I will let her go in front of me as she needs to get over to make a left in one of those 2 way left hand turn lanes on Folsom Blvd down by Sac State. I look at her, and say that No, I'm sorry but I will be long gone by the time you wants my lane. Light turns green and I'm completely across the intersection by the time she gets her car across the sidewalk.