Advocacy & Safety - Passing over dbl-yellow

I was riding along a narrow two-lane road yesterday -- no shoulders and double-yellow line -- when I heard a vehicle coming up behind me. It was a big pickup with a noise diesel engine, so a lot of clattering noise. The problem was that he didn't want to pass me for some reason. There was that double-yellow line that he'd have to cross, but the visibility down the road was not all that restricted and there was plenty of room for a pickup to pass a lone cyclist. This went on for about half a mile, and was making me a bit nervous being followed at 16mph on a 55mph road!

Well, he finally did pass and I saw that he had a fairly long trailer behind, so he was probably just playing it very safe. He passed me with a lot of room to spare so I'm sure he wasn't just playing games with me, but I never did like the feeling of holding someone else up. I would actually have pulled off the road to let him pass except that there was no way to safely do that.

But it did get me to wonder about cars having to pass us over a double-yellow line. I would guess that he could have been ticketed, even though passing such a slow-moving vehicle as a bike does not take much time in the other lane and is safe if you can see that far ahead. I know that when I rode motorcycles I felt safe passing sometimes that way since I could blast around cars so quickly.

Any comments?

On a local 35mph 2-lane street near my house, crowding or straddling the double yellow to pass bicyclists is commonplace and does not appear to be causing any problems.

Doug,
If you were in central NC it could have been me:D I drive a big red diesel dually truck. Before I pass any cyclist(s) I make sure there is plenty of room to do it safely. If need be I will stay back until I am sure there is room. In a couple of instances I have "taken" the middle of the road to keep some a**hole from passing unsafely. It nevers ceases to amaze me that people want to pass even when they have no clue what the road in front of me looks like. Sounds like the truck driver was watching out for you.

Aaron:)

But it did get me to wonder about cars having to pass us over a double-yellow line. I would guess that he could have been ticketed, even though passing such a slow-moving vehicle as a bike does not take much time in the other lane and is safe if you can see that far ahead. I know that when I rode motorcycles I felt safe passing sometimes that way since I could blast around cars so quickly.
A police officer once told me (off the record) that this is technically illegal, but wouldn't ticket a motorist for doing this provided it was done safely, for the reasons you mentioned.

In PA and a few other states under certain conditions it is not
illegal to pass on a dbl yellow unless there is an actual sign exclaiming
'DO NOT PASS'.

I wave them around in that scenario. Doesn't always work for some "nervous nellies", but most of the time they get the message and complete the pass.

Doug,
If you were in central NC it could have been me:D I drive a big red diesel dually truck. Before I pass any cyclist(s) I make sure there is plenty of room to do it safely. If need be I will stay back until I am sure there is room. In a couple of instances I have "taken" the middle of the road to keep some a**hole from passing unsafely. It nevers ceases to amaze me that people want to pass even when they have no clue what the road in front of me looks like. Sounds like the truck driver was watching out for you.

Aaron:)

I had that happen to me the other day. At first I wondered what the driver was doing as he seemed to be coming toward me. I only realised after he passed me and lost my opportunity to wave at him. Good move Aaron. :)

I was riding along a narrow two-lane road yesterday -- no shoulders and double-yellow line -- when I heard a vehicle coming up behind me. It was a big pickup with a noise diesel engine, so a lot of clattering noise. The problem was that he didn't want to pass me for some reason. There was that double-yellow line that he'd have to cross, but the visibility down the road was not all that restricted and there was plenty of room for a pickup to pass a lone cyclist. This went on for about half a mile, and was making me a bit nervous being followed at 16mph on a 55mph road!

Well, he finally did pass and I saw that he had a fairly long trailer behind, so he was probably just playing it very safe. He passed me with a lot of room to spare so I'm sure he wasn't just playing games with me, but I never did like the feeling of holding someone else up. I would actually have pulled off the road to let him pass except that there was no way to safely do that.

But it did get me to wonder about cars having to pass us over a double-yellow line. I would guess that he could have been ticketed, even though passing such a slow-moving vehicle as a bike does not take much time in the other lane and is safe if you can see that far ahead. I know that when I rode motorcycles I felt safe passing sometimes that way since I could blast around cars so quickly.

Any comments?

You need to put yourself in his place, to pass a slower moving vehicle (you), he has to decide when it's safe to do so, and if that means crossing the lane divider, and he doesn't feel safe at that point crossing the lane divider, then he has the option, of tucking in behind you, until he does feel it is safe to pass, either when the lane divider changes the road changes, or he feels that he can safely cross the lane divider, even though it is telling him, he shouldn't. In this case he needs to make sure that his truck and the trailer have well passed you, before he can come back over. This is when you can help by turning your headlight on and off, to indicate when it's safe to come back over.

I rode to work one morning, work is to the west, so the sun was behind me shadows were getting long at 6:45am, a city bus was also behind me, looking at the shadow, I could see this big square shadow, with a small set of shoulders neck and helmet on top, this occured for about 1/2 block, until the bus pulled into a bus bay.

As for the speed limit, it's immaterial, speed limits are maximums, the governing body has determined it is safe to go as fast as a certain speed, but that doesn't mean that traffic can not go considerably slower then that speed. Look at the Beltway around Washington DC, the speed limit is 65MPH, but both times I have driven on it, it has been going about 3MPH, because volume was holding things up. Suppose you had been driving an old tractor, often they don't go much over 10MPH, and they take up a full lane, or car that was having trouble, and was only able to go 15MPH, same situation, and people often don't have as many options in that case.

and I pass THEM on the double yellows, at stops, etc. where the CARS are backed up, and i am good to go in the opposite lane, moving up on a traffic clusterfuzzle.

exercised regularily at drawbridge crossings when the bridge is up; on narrow lanes with a lot of backup at a stop, and when there is a big adze line that I can otherwise pass safely on my bike from the other side of the double yellow.

I did it today, riding into downtown Poulsbo- small, tourist town, where cars sped past me and crossed the double yellow, just to get caught at the stop in the center of town where there's ALWAYS a backup off the hill. passed 15-20 cars, easily.

i hope it makes the drivers think.

Cars pass me across the double yellow, i pass them across the double yellow too.

States differ on the double-yellow. In some places, unless there is a sign that says "do not pass" the double yellow is merely advisory. In others, the double-yellow is the equivalent of a "do not pass" sign. Around here, and in the MUTCD, the latter usage is the law. In places that get snow in the winter pavement markings are not always visible, so signs are preferred.

Around here, "do not pass" means just that: all passing is prohibited. Here's what the UVC says:


Where signs or markings are in place to define a no-passing zone as set forth in paragraph (a) no driver shall at any time drive on the left side of the roadway within such no-passing zone or on the left side of any pavement striping designed to mark such no-passing zone throughout its length

So under the UVC it's OK to pass, if you can do so without crossing the yellow line. I'm not crazy about that, because it encourages motorists to pass too closely.

I would be all in favor of a rule that it's OK to cross the yellow line to pass cyclists. It's what most motorists do, and I get annoyed when a following motorist refuses to do so.

Sounds like a nice guy. Hope you gave him a friendly wave! :)

In most states a vehicle can cross over a single or double yellow line to pass a slow-moving or stopped vehicle.

In PA and a few other states under certain conditions it is not
illegal to pass on a dbl yellow unless there is an actual sign exclaiming
'DO NOT PASS'.
That's a new one on me! In PA drivers-ed waaaaaay back in 1974, we were taught dashed line = ok to pass, solid line = no pass. The dbl yellow indicated no passing in either direction.

In most states a vehicle can cross over a single or double yellow line to pass a slow-moving or stopped vehicle.

I used to believe that, but after doing some research I have not found a state where that is the case. In Florida, a driver may cross the double yellow when "an obstruction exists making it necessary to drive to the left of the center of the highway" which would apply to a stopped vehicle but not a slow-moving one -- it's not "necessary" to pass a slow-moving vehicle. Ohio recently changed their law to allow passing of slow-moving vehicles, but it's not in effect yet. Every other state I've looked at says no passing means no passing, period. Can you site a specific state?

Copied from MD Driver's handbook:

Passing a Bicyclist
When passing a bicyclist, wait until it is safe and allow adequate
clearance (usually about three feet from the side of your vehicle)
and return to your lane when you can clearly see the bicyclist in
your rear view mirror. Do not use your horn to alert or alarm the
rider. If you are unable to safely pass, reduce your speed, follow the
bicycle and wait for a safe opportunity to pass.
A bicycle should be operated as close to the right side of the road as
possible. However, cyclists are expected to use turn lanes. Merge
safely with bicycle traffic when turning. Do not make right turns
across the path of bicycle traffic. It is common for an experienced
cyclist to reach speeds of 20-30 miles per hour and be closer than
you think.

link: http://mva.state.md.us/Resources/DL-002B.pdf

Wow, that's unusually fair. The only thing I have any beef with at all is the words "as close to the right side of the road AS POSSIBLE." That should either be "practicable" or probably in this case "...in keeping with safe operation". Practicable is not in most peoples vocabulary. In a law it has a specific meaning, but this is a handbook, not vehicle law, so it should be kept readable. So adding "in keeping with safety" includes avoiding obstacles, holes, debris, drainage gates, etc.

FWIW, I think passing on the double yellow is probably technically illegal pretty much everywhere, but I'd be absolutely dumbstruck if anyone ever got pulled over for passing a bike on a double yellow when there was good visibility ahead. State and county cops pass me all the time on double yellows. I'd be happy to provide video of them doing so to anyone who got ticketed for this.

The excerpt from the MD drivers handbook says nothing specifically about crossing double yellows to pass (it does misstate the far right rule of course, like ItsJustME pointed out). A double yellow signifies "do not pass" which should be interpretted as "it is not safe to pass." In those situations, follow the handbook and wait for a safe oppurtunity to pass.

I go back and forth on the issue. Certain commutes get me rethinking where I stand on allowing the decision to be left to the passer as to whether or not it's safe. As annoying as it might be to have to stop occassionally and let traffic pass, it would be safer than the free for all that sometimes results when drivers start passing with zero discretion (herd mentality). Also, while the roadway might be clear, there are often driveways and other small intersections where another vehicle could quickly appear and disrupt the clear passing lane. I think those types of intersections are the reasons that so many streets do not have passing zones even though they have good sightlines.