| The Double Line
The double line separating lanes is the universal nemesis of motorcyclists. There you are, riding your favorite road, and you pull-up behind Aunt Edna and her three friends who are sightseeing at 10 mph under the speed limit. You’ve got a double line through the twisties ahead for another five miles and you know this part of the road well. You can squeeze between the double line and Edna’s car door and be gone. Or, you can make a clean pass over the double line. What to do?
Lane Sharing
In some places the law allows lane sharing, that is two vehicles can legally ride side-by-side in the same lane. In California, for example the Drivers Handbook reads “Motorcycles are entitled to the same full lane width as all other vehicles. Although it is not illegal for motorcycles to share lanes, it is unsafe.”
This legal permission allows motorcycles to overtake slower vehicles on the carriageways by riding on the dotted lines that separate lanes of traffic. If this tactic is used by the local police, chances are that your local law has a similar provision. Speed limit laws still apply of course, and if you’re exceeding the speed of the surrounding traffic by more than 15 mph or so, you’ve got a problem.
Passing on a Motorcycle
Passing over the double line is as old as motorcycling. The problem is that the criteria for placement of the double lines are developed and written into law for the lowest common denominator AUTOMOBILE, not motorcycles. Modern motorcycles have a performance envelope (both in accelerating and stopping) that far exceeds that of the average automobile. Further, because of it’s much smaller size, a motorcycle can complete a pass in a far shorter distance. How much shorter is not recognized or codified by the highway engineer. Otherwise, they’d have to provide separate pavement markings for motorcycles and Porsches.
We recognize this instinctively when we set-up to pass. We know that we can make our pass much faster and in a much shorter distance than we would if we were driving our cars.
So the police have this great money-maker: Ticket frustrated motorcyclists traveling behind Aunt Edna on a two-lane country road. Without thinking, we pay-up.
Your best bet is to (very politely) explain this to the officer when you get stopped. Chances are, he/she hasn’t thought this point through and - if you made a safe pass - will cut you some slack. This is the best time to win your case.
If you can’t convince the officer, take it to court. Argue that your pass was SAFE. Get the officer to agree that you didn’t force oncoming traffic off the road and you didn’t cut your pass short and sideswipe the overtaken car or truck. Argue that the pavement markings alone don’t mean you were being unsafe or reckless. Offer magazine performance test reports for your model motorcycle as proof that it’s acceleration and ability to stop in an emergency gives you an added margin of safety in such situations.
One more thing. Since the dotted line is designated permissive to pass, you can begin anywhere (even in the last foot) where it is dotted. This is consistent with the rules for establishing a minimum passing sight distance. You don’t have to complete your pass in the dotted zone, you can complete your pass in the solid line zone without breaking the law. If you’re cited for being over the double-yellow in this situation, explain the above minimum sight distance and highway marking design criteria to the officer, and if ticketed go to court - you’ll win.
No-Passing Zone Pavement Markings
(The following is based on the Caltrans Traffic Manual, the California Vehicle Code and the Caltrans Highway Design Manual for California roads. Your local will have similar requirements since most follow accepted standards for highway design and markings, but check the specifics for your area.)
Lines delineate the separation of traffic flows in opposing directions. Broken lines are permissive in character, solid lines are restrictive in character. Solid double lines indicate maximum restrictions. There are two kinds of no-passing zone markings:
The one-direction no-passing marking consists of double (two) lines, one solid and one broken. The driver on that side of the roadway in which the broken line is in place may cross over the double line or drive to the left thereof when overtaking or passing other vehicles .
The two-direction no-passing marking consists of double (two) solid lines. The driver shall not drive to the left of these lines.
Minimum Passing Sight Distance
Sight distance is the continuous length of highway ahead visible to the driver. Passing sight distance is the minimum sight distance required for the driver of one vehicle to pass another vehicle safely and comfortably. Passing must be accomplished without reducing the speed of an oncoming vehicle traveling at the design speed should it come into view after the overtaking maneuver is started.
The following table shows the standards for passing distance related to design speed, and these shall be the minimum values used in design.
345 meters @ 50 kilometers/hr (31 mph)
482 meters @ 70 kilometers/hr (43 mph)
605 meters @ 90 kilometers/hr (56 mph)
When approaching curves or hills on two-lane highways, drivers may be unable to decide if there is sufficient distance to make a passing maneuver. When such curves restrict sight distance, a study is made to determine the marking of no-passing zones.
[Edited on 5-29-2004 by Shazaam!]  | 
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