Oregon Gov. blocks lane splitting bill: report

Despite bipartisan support and overall public approval, Oregon will not be approving lane-splitting legislation after all.

“I have several concerns with the bill as currently drafted, particularly related to public safety and noncompliance,” said Gov. Kate Brown said in a letter to the state Senate president and House speaker, which was obtained by Oregon Public Broadcasting, and reported by the Seattle Times.

According to the story, Senate Bill 574 would have permitted motorcyclists to drive between lanes, on multilane highways, when traffic slowed to 10 mph (16 kph) or less — also known as “lane splitting” or “lane filtering.” In this situation, motorcyclists riding between cars could travel no more than 10 mph faster than the flow of traffic.

“Many stakeholders, including law enforcement agencies and members of the public remain concerned that lane filtering is unsafe for both the motorcyclists and the drivers sharing the road, due to the serious injuries and death that commonly result from motorcycle-involved accidents,” said Brown in the statement.

It was only five years ago that California legalized recognized lane splitting.