Help understanding bike path

[JeremyW]

Hello everyone, I will be commuting my e-bike and wanted to better plan my route. Part of my route involves traveling down Fraser Hwy in BC Canada (note the road was recently reconstructed and so google maps has a mix of old & new pictures)

The route is here:

49°10'16.6"N 122°48'53.3"W

goo.gl

Questions:
- In picture 1, we can see the bike lane ending, I am trying to determine whether this indicates the cyclist should merge onto the left lane of traffic or move onto the large walk-way to the right? I noticed further down, that walkway crosses an intersections (picture 2) that has a the symbols of a shared path (cyclists and pedestrians) so I suspect I can merge onto the walk way instead of the road-way.

- Lets say you need to make a left hand turn, but the bike lane only goes straight (see Picture 3) for your lane, and straight for the perpendicular lane (I.E B-C and A-B are both bike lanes); should the cyclist cross the intersection (Go to A-B, then B-C) or should they take the left hand turn with the rest of car traffic using a left hand turn lane (E-C)?

Picture 1:

Picture 2:

Picture 3:

 

[JeremyW]

Also, when making left hand turns, in BC we have protected and unprotected left hand turns. Given the speed difference between a car and bike & traffic in my area, I definitely wouldn't want to be making any unprotected left hand turns in my area. Are there any laws around this for cyclists?

 

[fooferdoggie]

Also, when making left hand turns, in BC we have protected and unprotected left hand turns. Given the speed difference between a car and bike & traffic in my area, I definitely wouldn't want to be making any unprotected left hand turns in my area. Are there any laws around this for cyclists?

right merging into traffic is a pain. we have a mai street with bike lanes but all along it they vanish and you have to merge its way to busy for that.

 

[John from Connecticut]

Hello everyone, I will be commuting my e-bike and wanted to better plan my route. Part of my route involves traveling down Fraser Hwy in BC Canada (note the road was recently reconstructed and so google maps has a mix of old & new pictures)

The route is here:

49°10'16.6"N 122°48'53.3"W

goo.gl

Questions:
- In picture 1, we can see the bike lane ending, I am trying to determine whether this indicates the cyclist should merge onto the left lane of traffic or move onto the large walk-way to the right? I noticed further down, that walkway crosses an intersections (picture 2) that has a the symbols of a shared path (cyclists and pedestrians) so I suspect I can merge onto the walk way instead of the road-way.

- Lets say you need to make a left hand turn, but the bike lane only goes straight (see Picture 3) for your lane, and straight for the perpendicular lane (I.E B-C and A-B are both bike lanes); should the cyclist cross the intersection (Go to A-B, then B-C) or should they take the left hand turn with the rest of car traffic using a left hand turn lane (E-C)?

Picture 1:
View attachment 150830


Picture 2:
View attachment 150831

Picture 3:
View attachment 150832

Hello,
Regarding Picture #1,
If I were riding on the bike lane shown in Picture #1 would absolutely NOT merge into the traffic lane under any circumstances !
First, There is no room whatsoever in that lane for a bike. A cyclist would be active traffic lane. Second, There's a granite curb to the right of the traffic lane.
No option for the cyclist to make a correction except to 'turn' into traffic.

Lastly oncoming traffic approaching the termination of the Cycle Lane is not expecting a cyclist to merge into the traffic lane. I would absolutely for
certain continue on the sidewalk at the end of the Cycle Lane. To me this situation ( Merging into an active traffic lane ) with no, zero
room for a cyclist is a horrible situation. This is a death trap !

Regarding Picture #3
It appears there is no 'Walk' (button operated) Walk Functions 'Walk Lights' at this intersection ? I cross an identical intersection as shown
almost daily while riding. We. here in The States have the Button controlled 'Walk' Function for the entire intersection, but we also have
'Right turn on Red' . Cars are supposed to come to a full stop, then turn, many don't which makes for a very dangerous situation.

Getting back to your question. I believe the legal way to cross with a bike is to use the crosswalks, but I've found that few if any drivers
look and or observe the protected cross walk rules, thus. If there are no cross walk lights, I get in the left had turn lane, with my bright
rear running light flashing and make my left hand turn safely that way.

John

 

[Sparky731]

First, kudos to your streets departments for the very well constructed and outlined multi use paths (Pics 1&2).

Per pic 3, my route would be A-B-C and definitely wear hi-vis outerwear.

Good going with your commute!

 

[BlackHand]

Agreed the transition in #1 kind of sucks, but seems pretty clear cyclists should merge to the multi use path on the right. The zone around the stanchion looks to be at road level to facilitate this.

As far as left turns, I think either option is acceptable, but it really depends on traffic conditions and how confident you are as a rider. Sounds like you may have some trepidation so I would suggest the crosswalk at least the first time you ride there- while waiting at the crosswalk watch the lights and traffic patterns so you will be better prepared to make a decision to use the turn lane next time if that's your preference. My rule of thumb is I need a big enough break in traffic to take the lane and get over to the turn lane in 1 move. Otherwise, I'm stopping at the crosswalk.

I have no idea about BC laws as far as turn lights and sidewalk use.

 

[6zfshdb]

In my travels around the eastern US, I have encountered many locations with transitions similar to Pic #1. It is more common here for the white line circled in red to be solid rather than dashed. That would leave no question as to where the path leads.

As stated earlier, riding in the vehicle lane shown would be quite dangerous. If there is some law violation for not doing so, I would rather take my chances of getting a citation rather than risk being struck by a vehicle.

Personally, I dislike riding in traffic and avoid these situation whenever possible. When it becomes necessary, I always choose pedestrian crosswalks rather than vehicle turn lanes. A-B-C rather than A-E-C in pic #3.

Welcome to the forum and good luck with your planned commute!

 

[jabberwocky]

For pic 1:
The dashed lines to the left of the bike lane would indicate (to me) that the intent is for you to merge into the traffic lane as the bike lane ends. Whether thats what you actually want to do depends on how comfortable you are taking the lane on that road, dependent on traffic speed/level, your riding experience, etc. This sort of layout is depressingly common all over north america; as cycling got more popular, localilties added bike lanes wherever they fit but road wideness varies so lanes just abruptly end where the existing road narrowed.

As long as its legal to ride on the sidewalk (check your local laws but almost certainly is legal), you can obviously just move onto the sidewalk as the bike lane ends.

For pic 3:
Doing the crosswalks is the "safe" option. Or at least, the one where you don't have to mix with cars. Whether its actually safer than just taking the lane and making a left turn like any other vehicle really depends on traffic volume and the road design leading up to it. Crosswalks have their own dangers that you shouldn't be discounted, namely that you have to watch for traffic from several directions as you cross, and its safe to assume that every car will be trying to beat whatever stop light is in front of them and paying zero attention to anything other than cars, even if you have a walk signal and they have a red/yellow light.

 

[JeremyW]

Thanks everyone!

This definitely gives me more confidence. I think at the intersection I will take the cross-walk route (ABC) and I will definitely be using the walk-way path to the right on pic 1 (avoiding the road) since it definitely does look dangerous.

 

[Tbill]

The dotted line means you are supposed to signal and go into the rightmost lane. Maybe take up the whole lane for safety purposes. That's what I think, anyway.

 

[Tbill]

Do Americans know why it is called British Columbia?

 

[PatriciaK]

Do Americans know why it is called British Columbia?

Well I have to admit I never thought about that in the entire 48 years I've lived just south of there in Washington State, but now, I know!

The Controversial History Behind How British Columbia Got Its Name

The origin of naming British Columbia comes from Queen Victoria back in the 1800’s, when the land became the sixth province to join the confederation on July 20th, 1871. The British had initially taken an interest in Canadian land because of its fur trading elements — there was a large demand...

604now.com

 

[scottsdalecommuter]

Good luck on your commute and stay safe. There’s no way i would mess with picture 3. box turn is my go to for situations like this. Sometimes the best bet on a bike is act like a pedestrian and cross like a walker. When in doubt take the safest option. Always assume the cars don’t see you. I’ve been bike commuting for a while and have seen a noticeable increase in distracted driving the last decade. if you can find a nice bike path take that route over the roads!

 

[AHicks]

Keep in mind the laws aren't going to pay hospital (or funeral!) bills, and ride accordingly. Right of way means diddlly when it comes to somebody not paying attention. Best rule? Pretend you're invisible. That they cannot see you. Seriously.....

 

[Old Don]

Keep in mind the laws aren't going to pay hospital (or funeral!) bills, and ride accordingly. Right of way means diddlly when it comes to somebody not paying attention. Best rule? Pretend you're invisible. That they cannot see you. Seriously.....

Just don't end up being "dead right".

 

[mschwett]

Keep in mind the laws aren't going to pay hospital (or funeral!) bills, and ride accordingly. Right of way means diddlly when it comes to somebody not paying attention. Best rule? Pretend you're invisible. That they cannot see you. Seriously.....

invisible and/or they’re trying to hit you, depending on the geographic context …

 

[Kayakguy]

Hello,
Regarding Picture #1,
If I were riding on the bike lane shown in Picture #1 would absolutely NOT merge into the traffic lane under any circumstances !
First, There is no room whatsoever in that lane for a bike. A cyclist would be active traffic lane. Second, There's a granite curb to the right of the traffic lane.
No option for the cyclist to make a correction except to 'turn' into traffic.

Lastly oncoming traffic approaching the termination of the Cycle Lane is not expecting a cyclist to merge into the traffic lane. I would absolutely for
certain continue on the sidewalk at the end of the Cycle Lane. To me this situation ( Merging into an active traffic lane ) with no, zero
room for a cyclist is a horrible situation. This is a death trap !

Regarding Picture #3
It appears there is no 'Walk' (button operated) Walk Functions 'Walk Lights' at this intersection ? I cross an identical intersection as shown
almost daily while riding. We. here in The States have the Button controlled 'Walk' Function for the entire intersection, but we also have
'Right turn on Red' . Cars are supposed to come to a full stop, then turn, many don't which makes for a very dangerous situation.

Getting back to your question. I believe the legal way to cross with a bike is to use the crosswalks, but I've found that few if any drivers
look and or observe the protected cross walk rules, thus. If there are no cross walk lights, I get in the left had turn lane, with my bright
rear running light flashing and make my left hand turn safely that way.

John

In Bellingham, we have a few (at least) intersections with "no turn on red" signs, which makes it safer for a biker to continue straight ahead in the bike lane. But the signs are very small, and up high, so I doubt if many drivers notice them or pay attention.

 

[Kayakguy]

Also, when making left hand turns, in BC we have protected and unprotected left hand turns. Given the speed difference between a car and bike & traffic in my area, I definitely wouldn't want to be making any unprotected left hand turns in my area. Are there any laws around this for cyclists?

What are "protected" left turn lanes? Never heard of them in the states, but maybe they go by another name.

 

[PatriciaK]

There's a large intersection a couple of blocks away from us in Greensboro, with 2 right turn lanes, and very clear signage at the signal saying "No Right Turn On Red". About half the cars in these lanes just ignore that sign - many of them don't even bother to stop first. I NEVER trust vehicular traffic to follow the rules, or even to exercise caution when flaunting them.

 

[Kayakguy]

Hello,
Regarding Picture #1,
If I were riding on the bike lane shown in Picture #1 would absolutely NOT merge into the traffic lane under any circumstances !
First, There is no room whatsoever in that lane for a bike. A cyclist would be active traffic lane. Second, There's a granite curb to the right of the traffic lane.
No option for the cyclist to make a correction except to 'turn' into traffic.

Lastly oncoming traffic approaching the termination of the Cycle Lane is not expecting a cyclist to merge into the traffic lane. I would absolutely for
certain continue on the sidewalk at the end of the Cycle Lane. To me this situation ( Merging into an active traffic lane ) with no, zero
room for a cyclist is a horrible situation. This is a death trap !

Regarding Picture #3
It appears there is no 'Walk' (button operated) Walk Functions 'Walk Lights' at this intersection ? I cross an identical intersection as shown
almost daily while riding. We. here in The States have the Button controlled 'Walk' Function for the entire intersection, but we also have
'Right turn on Red' . Cars are supposed to come to a full stop, then turn, many don't which makes for a very dangerous situation.

Getting back to your question. I believe the legal way to cross with a bike is to use the crosswalks, but I've found that few if any drivers
look and or observe the protected cross walk rules, thus. If there are no cross walk lights, I get in the left had turn lane, with my bright
rear running light flashing and make my left hand turn safely that way.

John

In Bellingham, we have intersections where a sign is posted, across the street and up pretty high, forbidding a free right turn ("no turn on red"). Trouble is, it is too easy for a motorist to miss that sign, being busy looking for traffic from their left. Of course this is dangerous not only for bikers, but also pedestrians. It seems eliminating the free right turn on red is contemplated in our state, but I haven't seen anything definite about this. Admittedly, that will make me, as a sometime motorist, sad.

When I do have to make a left turn in traffic, I just act like I'm driving an ordinary vehicle, signaling, getting into the left turn lane, etc. I'm counting on drivers to prefer not to run me down if they can avoid it. I am fearful of the intersections where I have to make a turn, but there is no turn lane. It's the people behind me that I find scary.