From an Australian point of view, I haven't been able to find any hard and fast laws that pertain specifically to motorcycles.
The general law is that you must not "share" a lane. Which means you can't overtake on either side, in the same lane.
Overtaking on the left in another lane is also illegal, as is travelling in the breakdown lanes for more than 100 metres or in an emergency.
Overtaking on the right is of course legal, only in another lane.
We can use Bus Lanes 24 hours, so long as it says Bus Lane, as can taxis, hire cars etc, but we can't use Bus ONLY Lanes. These are used specifically to filter buses at traffic lights.
So that's the letter of the law. The law of the land however is slightly different.
Most bikes will filter through the stopped traffic to the front of the lights if they can get through. Some will filter while it's moving (a bad practice in my opinion). Most bikes will also use the breakdown lane if the traffic is crawling, or stopped, but some bikes will use it exclusively regardless of the speed of the traffic (another dangerous practice)
Personally, I filter/split the stopped and barely moving traffic, use bus lanes and the breakdown lane when I need to. It's safer as you say to be either out front, or out of the way of crushing car bumpers especially in this day of cell phones and laptops on steering wheels!
As far as the Police are concerned, there is no official law in New South Wales, but you will only get booked for lane splitting dangerously, travelling too fast, or for too long in a breakdown lane, or travelling in a Bus ONLY Lane.
Apparently back in 2005 the Australian Gobment decided to include an actual law preventing lane splitting, but that never got included in the recent road rules changes, so there is still no official law.
Mick
if you see a gap back off and cover the brake.
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