I must say that what feels like the most dangerous aspects of biking in traffic is making left hand turns on multi-lane streets. Sure, one can do the 'big' turn and cross one street at a time along the right hand side but that is a very inefficient way of making the turn. I generally move over to the left-hand side of the left-most lane. Course, on a multi-lane street this can mean crossing as whole lot of lanes, say 4, in traffic that may be allowed to drive much faster than you can ride on a bicycle. I also find that once you have started the process of moving over to the left lane, you really need to get it over with as you don't really want to linger in the middle of that 'sea of cars'. Most of the time I find that as the cars see you moving into the lanes they get what you are trying to do and actually make space for you to move over. But it is of course not always the case. Would it make sense maybe to help bicyclists here by requiring cars to give bicyclists right of way when changing lanes to make a left hand turn? Surely there are so few bicyclists out there on the road that it can't be much of a distraction for cars and seems it would strengthen the legal protection for the very unprotected bicyclists. (Course as a bicyclist you'd still have to watch out!)
pmackay
August 15, 2012 - 11:42pm
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You do have legal right of
You do have legal right of way when changing lanes to make left turns - the trick is timing and predictability. The law says you're to be treated as if you're in a car when you ride in the lane, but we know in reality that's not so much the case. I time gaps as best as I can, move over with confidence and don't linger, and signal as visibly and as much as possible. I admit the vulnerability is unnerving sometimes, and there are times a line of traffic is stuck behind me because I didn't time or risk an oncoming gap (and yes there's been a honk or two). Frankly I'd rather have a bunch of folks stopped and P.O'd at me than nobody there and traffic bearing down at 10 over the speed limit!
Also I've found being in the middle of the lane, while feeling vulnerable, will prevent people from splitting the lane with you (I've had close calls even when I thought my intentions were clear, so no more giving an inch for me). Riding to the far left (or right - trawling the gutter as we used to say) sometimes invites dangerous passing - positioned in the middle of the lane with your hand extended it's hard to question your intentions.
Think of alternative routes too - I intentionally plan to minimize lefts (sometimes even when driving). Two wrongs don't make a right, but three rights can make a left! And sometimes my gut just tells me to ride past my street to a light and take a bit longer route to avoid the left altogether. I never question instinct.
Have fun, B safe!
P.S. California can't seem to pass a safe passing law; Oregon has a vulnerable road user's law now (though we're still waiting for it to grow teeth).
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