candafilm

This may seem like a dumb question, but I have looked in local laws and online and still can't find a definitive answer. Our bike lanes are set up (like I'm sure many are) where you cut across the right turning lane if you are continuing forward. My question is who has the right of way? Luckily, I haven't really encountered cars going into the turn lane when I need to cut across, but I have slowed down and let cars pass before I reach it. I know I will encounter it as I ride more and more. It is really the only thing that makes me nervous on the road. Thanks!

colleen c

Definity or not, very few motorist will follow the law even if it is carved in stone that a cyclist have the right of way.

I looked at it as first come first serve. If I was ahead of the traffic, then I will cut across and assume I am taking the lane of the right turn only lane. The car who aprroach me from behind will have to slow down and follow. I am no longer taking a lane once I am in the bike lane that are usually left of the right turn lane. The thing to be careful here are A-hole driver who gets impatient and hook you by passing on your left and cross in front of you. I usually will put out my left arm telling driver behind me that I am drifting left which sometime avoid them hooking me, but don't bet your life on it.

jefferee

Not quite sure what you mean by this... Any chance of posting an image (Google map/streetview or similar is fine) of a typical example?

cia dog

You have the same rules as a car. If you need to take the lane; it's safer to occupy the middle of a lane in some circumstances then to occupy the right side or left side because a car will almost always crowd you.

Here's a site with information about rules for a cyclist: https://www.bikeleague.org/resources/.../roadrules.php

Almost, if not all states, have a site for cyclists road rules, check your state; here's one from Illinois: https://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/pu...s/dsd_a143.pdf

Catgrrl70

I have a transition like this on my morning commute. I don't rely on "right of way" rules because the drivers usually just don't care. First, well before approaching the intersection, if there are no vehicles behind me, I move over to the left and take the full right lane so when I reach the bike lane (that's located between the "thru" lane and the right turn only lane) I can just continue straight.

If there's any vehicle approaching from behind I use due care - most of the time I let them pass, especially if they are approaching at a high rate of speed. I then signal and move to the left. Sometimes *shocker* a vehicle actually slows and lets me move first as happened this morning - after I recovered briefly from the suprise of it, I signalled and moved left in front of him and happily waved him thank you.

candafilm

Thanks for the advice. It's kind of what I do now, just adjust to the flow of traffic, I just didn't know if there was a standard/set in stone law.

Here is an idea of one of the intersections https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sour...75.05,,0,29.83

Essentially you have to cross the entrance of the right turning lane to get into the bike lane again if you are continuing forward through the intersection. That's actually not the best example since you can go straight into the bike lane and there is plenty of room, but some intersections, you have to cut across.

HardyWeinberg

If I'm in a right turn lane (or a bike lane to the right of one), I move to the left side of that lane if I think I can let people pass me on the right to turn, or else move to square in the center of it if I don't want people passing me.

Pscyclepath

Right of way in North America is based on "first come, first served." That means that a driver already in a traffic lane has the right-of-way over a driver who wants to merge into that same lane. So you'll need to scan behind you, yield to any overtaking traffic (car, truck, bike, or farm tractor), and then when it's clear, make your merge into the new lane.

ks1g

Legal depends upon your specific local vehicle laws. IANAL, and I have not found the specifics for bike lanes and turning traffic for Virginia, but my assessment:
- First come 1st served as noted above.
- Car overtaking bike- the overtaking vehicle has to give way/yield to bike.
- Car turning - turning vehicles are supposed to give way/yield to straight-ahead traffic (exceptions are when an intersection is clearly marked - examples are some mall entrances).
- When marked/signed - Not many bike lanes around here, a few are marked with signs requiring cars to yield to bike lane traffic.

None of it matters in the real world where a 150# rider on a 25# bike + gear is going to loose every time to an inattentive driver in his 2,000-3,000# car. Use a mirror, turn head to "check 6", take the lane, wave them by, do whatever it takes to stay alive. Approaching intersections, I assume any vehicle overtaking me approaching a side street, business entrance, or driveway is a potential right-hook threat and ride accordingly.

mr_antares

On my recent trip to florida, I found bike lanes that crossed the right turn lane. There were obvious signs that said "Yield to bicycles" just before the right turn lane. I don't know how effective this is, but it was interesting to see.

Of course, here in suburban Boston, we don't have bike lanes: it's every vehicle for itself.

CliftonGK1

You can read legal definitions for Right of Way 'til the cows come home, but it doesn't make any difference. 9 times out of 10 (at least around where I live) right of way is determined by the Lugnut Rule. The vehicle with the most lugnuts wins, so get the heck out of the way.

I know the kind of right turn merge through the OP is talking about. There's 2 of them on my commute, and I always doublecheck over my shoulder to make sure that no one's coming up behind me.

nkfrench 

It sounds like a crummy bike lane to be in. It sounds like a right hook waiting to happen.

Locally most of our bike lanes "end" before the "right turn only" striping begins. And the traffic is pretty mellow on the streets that have bike lanes. So it's easiest to just be a vehicular cyclist and get out of the bike lane and into the straight-thru traffic lane when situations like this arise.

And contact the city to complain...

akohekohe

The best way to do this depends on the particulars of the situation. If the through lane is wide enough for you and a car, get into the through lane as the bike lane disappears and stay in right side of the through lane until the bike lane re-appears or if the bike lane ends after the right turn lane has begun get out of the bike lane and into the through lane before the right turn lane begins. If the through lane is not wide enough for you and a car and most traffic will be going straight stay to the left side of the right turn lane when the bike lane ends or if the bike lane ends after the right turn lane begins stay to the left of the right turn lane even if the bike lane continues to the right of the right turn lane. This position lets the right turning traffic know that you are going straight, not turning right, and keeps them from right hooking you. If the right turn lane has a significant amount of traffic and the through lane is not wide enough for a car and your bike, take the through lane and let the right turning traffic pass you on the right. The through traffic may not like being stuck behind you but don't let that bother you. They will figure out what you are doing - you are in the correct and legal place on the road because you are going straight and not turning right.

If there is high speed traffic the situation is different (over about 35 mph) - I have only one situation like this that I ride regularly and I stay to the far right until the right turn lane is about to end and wait for a break in traffic before I get over to the through lane.

AdamDZ

I believe you have the right of way since they're essentially changing a line. But like many said already: don't count on the cagers following the rules of the road. The law means squat to them: everything is legal until you get caught. Don't take chances with cars. You may be in the right and win the court case later (if you're alive) but may never be able to ride a bike again... They would cut in in the front of a speeding 18-wheeler, what's a bike for them...

There is one mad Y intersection on my commute, right after a bridge, where the bike lane begins right after the intersection while most of the traffic wants to go right, including cars in second line that are not supposed to turn right. So as a cyclist I'm supposed to stay in the right lane and go straight through to the bike lane but that means not only high risk of a hook but also good chance of being hit by bozos turning from the second line, they won't even see me. My solution? Detour. Screw it. I tried staying in the left lane (then idiots from the right line ralizing they can't continune - who reads the signs? - cut abruptly into the left line, I tried taking full line, exaggerated signaling with my left hand, nothing helps. I know I'm in the right, they're breaking the law. Will I win? No. Most drivers don't know the laws, even if they did they wouldn't care. I don't have the time and the resources nor the will to fight this in court while recovering from broken bones (if I'm lucky). So I avoid that intersection, even though that means extra mile to get around the canal.




Adam

Bekologist

for all you pooh-poohers of the bikelane, keep in mind a very basic fact of riding bikes in traffic when there is a speed differential -

there is right hook potential regardless of how the road is striped. there is nothing wrong with that traffic striping configuration, a bicyclist riding as a vehicluar cyclist, riding right as a slow moving vehicle, FACES THE SAME RIGHT HOOK POTENTIAL AT EVERY INTERSECTION WHEN THERE IS FASTER TRAFFIC.


that bikelane is a vehicular road stripe to position thru bike traffic to the left of all right turning traffic, to minimalize the danger from potential right hook positioning. john forester himeslf endorsed pocket bikelanes like the one seen posted about by the OP.

vehicular, serves to minimize right hook dangers at major intersections.


advice on how to ride there? Just like any other intersection, be aware of overtakers, and move to the left of the right turn lane before the intersection.....
I was just riding maui this afternoon along a 40mph road (cars 10 over) with rto lanes and pocket bikelanes of various configurations and crossover distances-

be aware, ride with care, and there should be little problems. hows your rear-facing visibility array for daytime riding? any conspicuity enhancers like a superflash?

frpax

I signal like a madman and if cars are still in the way, or are making it too dangerous, then I will stop and wait for traffic to thin enough for me to proceed safely. Whether I have the right of way of not.

Schnayke

I try to position my self early, I signal and merge to the left side of the lane. If that go's well that is all I have to do. If I can't get out into traffic then I keep trying until the intersection. Then I just stop and wait for a break, so I can jump out into that lane. A lot of time there is a cross walk at these intersections. If so you may just want to hop off and use it.

AdamDZ

True, but some intersections are more mad than others. The one I mentioned is best dealt with by detouring around.

Adam

Bekologist

I agree, adam. I'm just pointing out to the infrastructure naysayers that right hook potential exists regardless of how the road is striped. the OP would face a similar danger or worse if the road was absent the bikelane/rto lane.

As to who has the right of way, I'm sure there MAY be different rules of the road in different states, but a couple of observations:


in every state I've ridden where there have been 'pocket' bike lanes like the one described by the OP, signage indicates 'right turn traffic yield to bikes' under the CORRECT DEFINITION of 'first come, first served' laws.

proclaimations from an LCI that 'first cme, first served' means a bicyclist has to yield to traffic behind them is an incorrect interpretation of 'first come, first served'. a bicyclist ahead of other traffic IS the 'first' - and traffic signage and rules codified by the UVC indicate this aspect of the 'first come, first served' - motorists yield to bikes ahead in RTO /pocket lane crossover zones.

of course, 'safety first' trumps your 'road right' - don't expect compliance from the motorists, obviously

noglider 

I move between the turn lane and the straight-ahead lane so I don't get hooked. This involves lane changes, so I yield to the vehicles in the lane I am moving into and in the lane I'm crossing, if any.

sggoodri

The MUTCD standard for a bike lane that continues to the left of a new right turn only lane has the right turn only lane *begin* to the *right* of the bike lane. The bike lane does not cross the right turn only lane; traffic entering the right turn only lane must yield and merge into and across the bike lane. This is the case in the google example given previously. I have not had any problems with such designs.

There are some non-compliant bike lane designs that run the bike lane along the right side of a lane that becomes right-turn-only, then angle the bike lane across the right turn only lane to arrive at its left. The conflict zone is often colored in order to highlight the danger. It is often not clear who will be expected to yield to whom here, or if either group will do so reliably. Such conflict zones are best avoided by merging left before the conflict zone.