Spyder.......I didn't say that I or Andy do it that fast (and that's why he dropped to the back of the pack). I'm with you on this one......I do it but I try to keep it down to no more than 10 mph faster than they're moving. So if they're doing 10 mph (not exagerated) then I may do it at 15 or 20 and if they're doing 20 mph then I may lane split at 30 mph. But some do it much, much faster.
If you remember, from the recap of my accident, as busted up as I got, I was only doing 25 mph. Now mine wasn't from lane splitting (although I was just a block earlier), it was still the same kind of impact......running into somebody at that speed.
I am probably a more agressive rider than Andy, by nature, but I've really slowed down in the past couple years and I do keep a large gap between me and the guy in front. If a car wants to fill it, then I just slow down a little more. But when all four lanes are moving pretty much the same speed, people usually keep there spot and there's not a lot of lane hopping.
In the bay area, I'd leave Milpitas and drive 24 miles to the job site in Palo Alto and it would take two hours and fifteen minutes.