cp256

I had a semi squeeze me off the road in a right hand turn on a city street. The light was red and he was in the left lane. I hadn't see any turn signal blinking and I was turning right at slow speed because it was a fairly busy intersection. Well before I reached the apex of the corner the semi started moving for a right turn and was pinching me off at the curb. I was going slow enough that I was able to hop off onto the sidewalk and drag my bike off the street before the back wheels got there, but was surprisingly close. Of course I screamed obscenities at the truck which simply drove on. I still don't trust drivers of any kind in any circumstance. You have to always expect the unexpected.

motogeek 

The semi driver SHOULD have had his turn signal on. He can't make a right hand turn from the right lane or he'll run over the sidewalk with the rear of his trailer. Or if he is in the right lane, he'll have to move into the left lane to make the right turn, just to keep his trailer end off the sidewalk … I think they call that a J turn or a hook turn.

Most semis don't have self-cancelling turn signals, so the driver has to manually turn off the signal after he has made his turn. I've never figured out why that is, and having been a semi driver for a few years, I cannot fathom any situation where you wouldn't want the turn signal to self-cancel. Just one of those truck things, I guess.

Please be careful around big vehicles cause they have big blind spots and if they hit you, they may never know it.

cp256

He did run over the curb and sidewalk with his trailer.. That's what squoze me off the street. I would have hopped the curb to short cut the corner if I had seen a right turn signal. He wasn't front half in the left lane rear half in the right lane, he was stopped completely in the left lane, which is mostly what fooled me.

subgrade

Not entirely true, actually. If we're being scrupulous, then according to our traffic laws in this case me being in the left lane at all was illegal. However, it would have been legal if the left lane was for left turn only; in this case bicycles are allowed to make the left turn from the right side of the left turn lane (not from the center or left side) - which was the position I was in. Being in front or behind the truck then would have been only a matter of safety, not legality, as the laws do not stipulate that passing on the right in cities would be illegal per se.

So the legal way in this case would have been to stick to the right edge of the road, continue across the intersection, stop and wait for the light to change, then make the left turn from that position. Or use the crosswalks - riding on sidewalks and crosswalks here is legal too.

Legal and safe often are far from the same thing when you are on a bike in a city almost without any bike infrastructure. For instance, our laws stipulate that bicyclists are allowed (should) "cycle along the carriageway in one row as close to the right side of the carriageway (driving lane) as possible" (except a handful exceptions) - which, as most commuters should know, is rarely the safest option.

Anyhow, the intent of my OP was not to discuss legality, but to remind people of blind spots of large vehicles and the dangers they pose.

rumrunn6

oh man that's the classic death squish. happens so often. reminds me of an instance in London, I think a cpl years ago. so sad & so gruesome. good thing you were so aware & have cat-like reflexes

WheelsDoHeal

A) I ride defensively, and I try to help make my presence known to others, e.g.: cyclists, pedestrians, drivers, low-flying aircraft pilots; whoever, whatever, DAY AND NIGHT...
1-Use Forward facing front white blinky, for oncoming
2-Use side-facing amber blinky (both sides), for any thing that my physical existence may not already be aware of,
3-Use rear-facing red blinky, which really, Truly is helpful,
4-NOT WEAR DARK COLORED CLOTHING,
5-Use reflective material on helmet and/or apparel.

B) Treat the space you occupy and those who share it with R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

C) Help make an effort to be fully conscious of the drivers around me, in order to minimize risks. Learn, know and use that knowledge objectively, in how drivers, cyclists, pedestrians, etc., move about, so maybe I get to STAY SAFE and live longer. I see a very low return on being “right” but ending up a paraplegic, or on a coroner’s list.

D) PAY ATTENTION !!

E) Enjoy the ride...

F) BE CAREFUL OF WHAT YOU TAKE-FOR-GRANTED OR ASSUME.

Miele Man

Here are a few videos that show blind spots on large trucks.

-- United Kingdom

-- Canada

-- Australia

-- U.S.A.


Cheers

wphamilton

I do that quite a bit when the traffic is fast and it's risky to change lanes.

That using the left turn lane is technically prohibited is almost splitting hairs isn't it? I don't know your laws but just about everywhere here, preparing to turn left relieves us of the duty to stay to the right. If you don't do the "box turn" like you describe, and can't use the left turn lane, you'd have to cross traffic lanes during the turn. That can't be right?

rumrunn6

wow

subgrade

It's as follows:

In populated areas, i.e. where respective speed limits and other limitations apply:
- box turn;
- turning from the center line - if there is no more than one lane in each direction;
- turning from the right side of left turn lane - if there are no more than 2 lanes in one direction.

- outside populated areas it's the box turn only.

Daniel4

I don't like to ride alongside trucks or buses. But in those cases where I have to ride past one, I first look into its mirror if I can see a face in there. Most of the time when I decide to make my move, traffic, including the truck or bus, would have stopped or moving so slowly I would be filtering through them because they would have no maneuvering ability.

The few times I use the left-turn lane is when the street hardly has any cars on it. So if any cars or trucks do enter the left turn lane after me, he would have seen me there from a distance anyways. And I'm wearing flashing lights and reflective clothing.

bikebikebike

And the glow from his phone.
Seeing a face just means he CAN see you, not that he DOES
Let's you know that you ARE in a blind spot, not that it registered.
Moto lore again but, "Mirrors say, "No", They NEVER say, "Go" ". TYFH


Similar to the medical "Goldfish Sign":
You look in their eyes and see fish swimming back and forth.

Notso_fastLane

It's studied more extensively for motorcycles, so you'll find more info that way.

Example:

RubeRad

Wow that's scary! I had almost the exact same thing happen to me once, except mirror image. Truck was in a right-turn-only freeway entrance lane, I was in the bike lane to his left (and looked him in the eye as we both waited for the light), and he decided to go straight, which meant right across my bike lane!

https://www.bikeforums.net/commuting...all-today.html

Daniel4

So? Should I have added that I don't proceed until he's at a full stop or at least so slow he can't manoeuvre? At least I know I'm not hovering in someone's blindspot like so many drivers do to each other.

But I'm sure you have a comeback for that too.