I'm surprised that such a contentiously worded thread has been dignified with so many responses, especially when it's essentially a spin-off from another thread.
I've declined to vote as two of the three options don't make any sense, and the only one that does (option 1) doesn't reflect my opinion.
I've learnt that filtering was effectively sanctioned by the judgement in a 2006 court case (of which I was not previously aware), and this was presumably what led to the inclusion of the special provisions for motorcyclists in the Highway Code.
However, I don't recall there having been any publicity aimed at alerting other road users (me, for instance) to this change, and the fact remains that it is a risky procedure that could be made more acceptable if it were more specifically defined and regulated. For a start, the permitted filtering 'lane' should be specified (eg: 'between lanes 2 and 3', or more generically 'to the left of the outside lane'), so that drivers could consistently and intuitively make provision. Over time, as junctions are refurbished, these lanes could be painted in for added clarity. Additionally, the acceptable maximum speed differential should be defined (say, +15mph or +20mph) and for their part, bikers should accept that filtering is a privilege, not a right.
Yep. I think you could be right. Certainly had me for a while though 
. Probably not worth the blood pressure.
