sggoodri
02-28-07, 08:18 AM
Secondly, since we allow right-on-red turns here, I advise to hang back a bit from the intersection if waiting at a red light. For a cyclist who does not want to leave the bike lane (no judgment, that is a common choice) that makes sure car drivers can turn in front of you.
I think I can summarize a similar approach in a way that is consistent with both vehicular cycling and your suggestion:
Do not attempt to travel straight through an intersection on the right-hand-side of drivers who may turn right. You have two choices: slow down until potential right-turners are not beside you, i.e. there is an adequate gap in traffic, or negotiate a leftward merge into a position that is no longer to the right of potential right-turners. The former requires more patience but less assertiveness and may be easier at high speed differentials; the latter is more convenient. Note that it is important to commit to one of these two strategies before actually reaching the intersection, although one can make the decision dynamically by assessing conditions during approach and seeing if traffic conditions lend themselves better to one approach than another. Avoid stopping at the intersection to the right of drivers who may turn right, as this creates a confusing situation that can generate frustration and sometimes dangerous error for all parties involved.
The first sentence, in bold, is a proscription that is a fundamental part of the vehicular cycling paradigm's observation about destination positioning. That proscription is probably more important than the method used to avoid it. Merging leftward is a technique taught in vehicular cycling classes to increase cyclists' convenience. Waiting for a gap is a less convenient alternative, but is advocated even by vehicular cyclists in some cases such as when approaching an exit when cycling on freeway shoulders in places where this is legal.
I think I can summarize a similar approach in a way that is consistent with both vehicular cycling and your suggestion:
Do not attempt to travel straight through an intersection on the right-hand-side of drivers who may turn right. You have two choices: slow down until potential right-turners are not beside you, i.e. there is an adequate gap in traffic, or negotiate a leftward merge into a position that is no longer to the right of potential right-turners. The former requires more patience but less assertiveness and may be easier at high speed differentials; the latter is more convenient. Note that it is important to commit to one of these two strategies before actually reaching the intersection, although one can make the decision dynamically by assessing conditions during approach and seeing if traffic conditions lend themselves better to one approach than another. Avoid stopping at the intersection to the right of drivers who may turn right, as this creates a confusing situation that can generate frustration and sometimes dangerous error for all parties involved.
The first sentence, in bold, is a proscription that is a fundamental part of the vehicular cycling paradigm's observation about destination positioning. That proscription is probably more important than the method used to avoid it. Merging leftward is a technique taught in vehicular cycling classes to increase cyclists' convenience. Waiting for a gap is a less convenient alternative, but is advocated even by vehicular cyclists in some cases such as when approaching an exit when cycling on freeway shoulders in places where this is legal.