Motorcyclist filtering, pedestrian not looking... bang

Who's at fault?

Motorcyclist filtering, pedestrian not looking... bang

ANYONE who regularly rides in a busy UK city is likely to recognise this as a recurring scenario:

You're filtering between two opposing lanes. A pedestrian emerges between queuing vehicles as you overtake them. Instead of looking both ways before continuing, the pedestrian assumes nothing is overtaking the stationary vehicles and proceeds, seeing only that the opposing lane is clear. Suddenly you're both on your arses. 

So who's at fault? As we all know, filtering is not illegal in the UK, and the pedestrian did make a false assumption that no one would be. But it is a recurring scenario - that's what pedestrians do - so is the onus on the rider to always be prepared for it?

The video has certainly divided opinion on the Facebook page where it's been posted, Dash Cam UK

One viewer writes: 'He's over white line 100% down to mc rider.'

But actually it's by being as far over the white line as possible that we give ourselves the best chance of reacting safely to Jack-in-the-box pedestrians. 

In this case the rider couldn't have been further over, because of single car travelling in the opposite direction. So should he just have waited until that car had past and moved out before proceeding to filter? Or slowed down to less than the 15mph he tells the pedestrian he was doing? 

Over to you.