Beware the Bicycle Lane

[Mr. Coffee]

Roundabouts can be safer too:

i'm posting this because, as I said in another thread, how cyclists and motorists and pedestrians can coexist is a solved problem. Nobody should have to risk their life to cycle or walk to work or the grocery store. Also, the problem is not stupid motorists or stupid cyclists -- it is poorly designed road systems that magnify the errors that will inevitably happen when humans are involved.

Also, this is awesome:

 

[Bob H]

"So does anyone have 2 way bike lanes where they live?"

We have them in Edmonton Canada. I think they are wider than the ones you mention because I've never felt there was a problem passing someone going the opposite way. Like all bike lanes though, there are a few things to watch for in my opinion:

1) You are very vulnerable to the right and left hook so never enter an intersection beside any vehicle - always fall back behind them and expect the turn.

2) Keep your speed down. There are too many alleys, driveways to parking lots etc. and intersections where conflicts can happen to maintain high speed.

3) Vehicles entering the road from alleys and driveways and turning right, tend to only look to their left. When approaching from their right, be extra careful as they may never look your way. DO NOT proceed in front of them unless you have made eye contact and are sure they are going to stop for you. Many times, I have had to come to a full stop as I could not get behind them and after they have made the turn, they still had no idea I was ever there as they never looked to their right.

The lanes we have in Edmonton are separated by curbs and overall, I like them. However, as always, being on a bicycle you are going to come out second in any incident with a vehicle so always drive defensively. Edmonton has "No Right Turn on Red" signs everywhere around bike lanes but people either don't see them or ignore them. Also, there are signs saying to "Yield to bicycles when crossing the bike lanes", but many vehicles do not. So, as we all know, life isn't fair!! Keep your speed down, expect every car to try and hit you and always be ready to stop when in doubt about the situation.

Bob H.

 

[Chris Hammond]

A related question for the peanut gallery:

You are riding on a busy four-lane road with a fairly high speed limit, at least 35mph and possibly much higher. You need to turn left at an intersection. Do you "take the lane" and cross two lanes of fast traffic to get in the left turn pocket or do you take the crosswalks around the outside? How do variations in traffic and the speed limit change your calculations?

So the route I ride home most often has just such an intersection.
Yes, I take the lane and merge left to turn left (there are 2 left turn lanes and I use the right one so that I can easily reassume the bike lane).
Riding an ebike is honestly the only reason this is realistically possible. On my road bike the speed differential was too high and I could not merge safely. On the ebike, I am traveling at nearly the same speed as traffic, so I find an opening, hold out my left arm and begin merging.

 

[Over50]

A related question for the peanut gallery:

You are riding on a busy four-lane road with a fairly high speed limit, at least 35mph and possibly much higher. You need to turn left at an intersection. Do you "take the lane" and cross two lanes of fast traffic to get in the left turn pocket or do you take the crosswalks around the outside? How do variations in traffic and the speed limit change your calculations?

So I haven't done this on a fast multi-lane boulevard. But in the two cases where I triggered road rage in auto drivers, I was sitting in left turn lanes on slower streets (a 25mph residential entering a boulevard and a 30mph downtown street). Even though my state law clearly says that cyclists can occupy the left lane in order to make a left, drivers have no idea or don't care. Because of those experiences of the drivers then becoming enraged by a cyclist sitting at a red light in the left lane, I've become reluctant to occupy left turn lanes and only do so when there is no traffic around.

But to more directly answer your question, I take to the sidewalk and use the crosswalks rather than trying to cross lanes and make a left. Again, unless there is no traffic around. On my commute to work which is generally around 6 am, I have one case similar to your description but there is rarely traffic. In this case I will shoot across the lanes and make my left. I've never had a problem. I would not do this on the same exact street and spot any later in the day.

I have one 35 mph boulevard where I have to cross two right-only turn lanes to take a lane that goes straight through an intersection. Right after the intersection I enter a bike lane. In this case, I wait on the sidewalk about a quarter of a mile from the intersection until I have a gap in traffic. Usually after about 6:30 pm I don't have to wait long. Then I shoot out across the two right-only lanes and enter the middle lane of the boulevard which allows me to proceed straight through the intersection. I'd say its one of the more white knuckle maneuvers of my commute.

 

[Alaskan]

A related question for the peanut gallery:

You are riding on a busy four-lane road with a fairly high speed limit, at least 35mph and possibly much higher. You need to turn left at an intersection. Do you "take the lane" and cross two lanes of fast traffic to get in the left turn pocket or do you take the crosswalks around the outside? How do variations in traffic and the speed limit change your calculations?

Safe thing to do when possible is what FedEx trucks do. NO LEFT TURNS. Take three rights to make your left. If the blocks aren't too long its a reasonable precaution

 

[Bruce Arnold]

A related question for the peanut gallery:

You are riding on a busy four-lane road with a fairly high speed limit, at least 35mph and possibly much higher. You need to turn left at an intersection. Do you "take the lane" and cross two lanes of fast traffic to get in the left turn pocket or do you take the crosswalks around the outside? How do variations in traffic and the speed limit change your calculations?

I have no way to avoid these situations. I live 5 miles out of town and a 4 lane highway is my only access. So I have several tactics for the left-turn situation. One is that I always wear a mirror on my glasses. If there's enough distance between me and any following cars that I can safely move to the left, then I put out my left arm and ease on over until I am in the left third of the left-most lane and then into the left turn lane when it opens up. Making the turn from there is just a matter of having a gap in oncoming traffic. I come to a full stop if I have to. Left turn lanes are available at all intersections on this road.

Second is that when I get in to town there are several shopping centers along the way. I can turn right into one of the shopping centers, go to the other end where there is an access to the cross street I want to turn on, turn left onto the cross street, and then it's straight through the intersection across all 4 lanes, stoplight permitting.

The third is to do a right turn into the cross street directly from the 4 lane, and then U turn so I'm heading the way I want to go, then through the intersection across all 4 lanes.

I've never done the UPS/Fedex "3 right turns around the block" scheme. I'm on a bicycle, not a big delivery truck. Part of being safe is making maximum use of its nimbleness and the speed the electric motor provides. Not rash use; precision use.

I was a bicycle messenger in San Francisco in the 70s, and I find a lot of those old instincts coming back as I ride more. I'm a better rider now than I was then, and I have a hell of a lot better bike, and so those maneuvers serve me pretty well.

 

[Riversurf]

The WPLG video says that cars should pull into the bike lane before making their right turn. In my state, that's not allowed; cars are not allowed to drive in the bike lane at any time, except to cross it. I don't know which is a better rule, but the the dreaded right hook is one of my biggest worries while riding.

 

[rannyv]

It is prudent to exercise extreme caution when passing cars on the right in a bike lane or on a shoulder. Cars have a blind spot and don't expect to be overtaken on the right by cyclist. I say this as an experience bike commuter and occasional car driver. I have been hit by cars twice in 50 years of cycling. Both times the car was at fault, but fault doesn't really matter when you're dealing with 2 tons of steel. Or maybe 3 tons in the case of some modern SUV's.

The same can be said for passing parked cars within reach of opening doors. Ever vigilant.

 

[ebikemom]

If I'm on arterials with high speed limits, I push buttons and use cross walks. I've got kids who need me to help them grow up, so I go with the least risk, even if it is time-consuming.