PSA For Billings Drivers: Don’t Curse Out Bikers For This

I know you don't like it. And most folks don't even know that it's legal.

You're just waiting at a red light and out of nowhere, here comes a motorcycle driving between cars. It's called "Lane Filtering". And it's supposed to cut down on the number of motorcycle riders getting rear-ended at red lights.

I was reminded of this over the weekend when I saw a guy on a bike do it. The guy in the car next to me about lost his mind. He was honking, gesturing, and calling names. And they were bad ones. But the biker didn't do anything wrong.

I see a lot of complaining on Facebook from both sides. Bikers saying "Watch for Motorcycles". And all the rest of the drivers cursing them.

Get our free mobile app

Some deserve it. If you're doing 85 mph on 4th Avenue North, you deserve whatever happens to you. But as a bike rider, you need to exercise extra caution because you're hard to see.

I am not a motorcycle rider. Unless I'm in a parade, I wouldn't drive one in downtown Billings. I had a bike twenty-five years ago. And I came downtown one afternoon. I had three separate close calls. All with drivers who just plain did not see me while driving in Billings. And that was before cell phones.

So I went home and put a for sale sign on it and haven't been on one since. I now have a four-wheel minimum for my vehicles.

But Billings has an awful lot of bikes here. Please don't run over any of them.