Motorcycle riders caught squeezing between other vehicles on Springfield roads could soon find themselves facing a ticket.
After successfully producing city ordinances to allow towing of unregistered vehicles, Councilman Craig Hosmer and Mayor Ken McClure are pursuing their next public safety-focused bill — outlawing lane splitting.
Lane splitting involves motorcycles, bicycles and other micro-mobility devices riding between lanes of automobile traffic. Because vehicle drivers are not expecting motorcycles and bikes in between lanes of traffic, the practice poses safety risks, critics say. To abate those risks, McClure and Hosmer are sponsoring a bill to make lane splitting illegal in the city.
“I’m here to present an ordinance on something that most people think is already illegal,” Police Chief Paul Williams said at Monday’s Springfield City Council meeting.
He said enforcement of the ordinance would work similarly to any other traffic violation, with officers pulling the motorists over and potentially issuing a citation after observing the violation. The proposed ordinance does note, however, that the section would not apply to motorcycles, bicycles and other similar mobility devices operating two “abreast in a lane with the consent of both drivers.”
While no one from the public spoke on the topic Monday night, the American Motorcycle Association endorses keeping the practice legal. The organization argues that lane splitting, if done responsibly, can be safer for motorcyclists — particularly on congested roads where stop-and-go traffic and distracted and inattentive drivers can pose a higher risk for collisions.
Most recently, Minnesota passed a law going into effect this summer legalizing lane splitting with certain restrictions like lower speed limits to particularly target heavy traffic situations. Under Missouri state law, the practice is not wholly and explicitly prohibited but also does not necessarily allow for it either.
Council is expected to have a final vote on the matter March 24. If passed, it would only apply to roads within city limits.
SPRINGFIELD NEWS-LEADER