‘It’s not worth the risk’: A motorcycle rider’s plea to stop lane splitting during Revive I-5

I’ve been a motorcycle rider for more than 30 years. And in the Northwest, that means riding in all kinds of conditions. From torrential downpours where you can barely see the pale lights of the bike or car in front of you, to scorching deserts that bring 130-degree heat up from the black top, to bumper-to-bumper stop-and-go rush-hour congestion that leaves your clutch hand and forearm aching.

But this spring and summer I’ve seen a new riding condition that seems to be giving me genuine cause for concern. I’m talking, of course, about lane splitting.

Revive I-5 has been underway for more than half a year, with the construction projected to last through all of 2027. The increasing number of lane splitters I see during morning and afternoon commutes tells me that as hard as this commute is on the residents of the Pacific Northwest, it won’t be too long before we see a complete stoppage from a lane-splitting cyclist getting caught in a bad situation that costs all of us time and maybe the rider their life.

The Northwest has considered lane splitting numerous times over the years, and it is always shut down by the legislature. And for good reason. The concept of lane splitting, where motorcycles move through slow or stopped traffic to ease congestion, is accepted in many parts of the country, especially California.

And I know that many Northwest commuters are transplanted from other regions of the country where having a “lane-buddy” may be the norm. The problem is that not only is lane splitting illegal, it’s also a completely foreign concept to most drivers in the Northwest. And I’ve seen it happen far too many times.

Motorcycle lane splitting is illegal in WA

Motorcycle lane splitting is still illegal in Washington, as is shoulder riding, which never made it out of committee in the last legislative session. But I think the most dangerous element of lane splitting is the fact that Northwest drivers are unaccustomed and thus not prepared for a motorcycle rolling past them in stop-and-go traffic. They don’t know to look before changing lanes as they do in states where lane splitting is a commonplace part of their commute.

A driver frustrated with their commute, trying to gain any advantage in time by quickly changing lanes multiple times, doesn’t expect or see a motorcyclist rolling through traffic at two or three times the flow of congestion, and when a rider and cage — as referred to in the motorcycle world — collide, what often is the result is a horrific traffic incident.

Selfishly speaking, I dread the disruption of my already intrusive commute time with an accident that completely stops the flow of traffic. But my conscience recognizes and understands the even greater tragedy that this will inevitably lead to a loss of life. That is, unless we get the message out that lane splitting is just not worth the risk. My sympathy goes out to motorcycle riders who have a much more difficult commute in this congested traffic than automobile drivers. Remember the throbbing clutch hand and forearm I mentioned earlier? But that physical inconvenience is a far lesser price to pay than months of physical rehab, loss of property and insurance coverage, and maybe even your own life for the sake of saving time in your commute.

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