Road position
Choose your lane position based on the situation. Sometimes the center is better; sometimes you need to move to one side.
A motorcycle needs room on both sides
A motorcycle is narrow, but it needs space on either side to lean, avoid a pothole, or move aside if a neighboring car moves toward you.
Do not give away half your lane
If you always ride along the very edge, a neighboring driver may think the lane has room for both of you. Move closer to the middle to make your position clear.
Reasons to change position
- a pothole, manhole cover, or sand
- parked cars and opening doors
- a driveway
- a neighboring car's blind spot
- a car starting to move into your lane
Reassess your position once the hazard has passed
The position you chose for a particular hazard may not be the best one afterward. Once the pothole, entrance, parked cars, or close traffic are behind you, reassess your position within the lane and move if needed.
Closer to the center
Move toward the center when you need to make your position clear and discourage a car from squeezing into the same lane beside you. Do not stay there unnecessarily, though: the car ahead may straddle a pothole, debris, or another obstacle, leaving you too little time to react.
Moving left or right
Change position when it improves your view or takes you farther from parked cars, a manhole cover, an entrance, or a neighboring vehicle. Choose your position based on the situation, not habit.
Do not stay beside a car for long
If you are riding alongside a car, either complete the pass or fall back. Alongside it, you have little room to maneuver if the driver changes lanes.
Look a few seconds ahead
When choosing a position, consider what will be beside you in a few seconds: an entrance, parked cars, a narrowing road, or neighboring traffic.
Outside the rightmost or leftmost lane
Passing to the right of the rightmost lane or to the left of the leftmost lane is a fallback option. Drivers are less likely to expect you there, and doors, curbs, debris, drains, barriers, or turning cars may be close by. When traffic is stopped, the usual gap between lanes is blocked, and there is a wide passage at the side with a clear view, it is sometimes possible to pass carefully along the edge.
When you can ride outside the outermost lanes, all of these conditions must be met
- traffic is stopped or nearly stopped
- the usual passage between lanes is blocked
- the passage is wide enough and you can see clearly ahead
- you can already see where you will rejoin normal traffic
- your speed allows you to stop almost immediately
Watch for pedestrians, cyclists, and scooter riders
A pedestrian may run out between cars. A cyclist or scooter rider can appear from the road edge, sidewalk, or a gap in the queue. Someone between stationary cars often does not expect a motorcycle to pass beside them at all.
Watch the width of the passage
While passing along the edge, check whether the passage is narrowing and whether the place where you intended to rejoin traffic is still available. The worse the view, the lower your speed needs to be.
An opening door
Leave enough lateral clearance beside a parked car so its door cannot block your entire path. If there is not enough room, slow down in advance.
A side entrance
Move further from the side where a car, bicycle, or person could emerge. That gives you more time to notice movement.
People between cars
In heavy traffic, pedestrians often walk through gaps between cars, while scooters and bicycles use any available opening. Be especially careful beside buses, taxis, and cars near pedestrian crossings.
Check your maneuvering room after moving
Make sure you can still avoid a pothole or move aside if a neighboring car suddenly comes toward you.