Commuting - Designated bike lane

Folks,

Where there is a cycling lane provided on a residential roadway adjacent to the car lane separated by a solid white lane and marked with signs and stencils designating it as a cycling lane, do cyclists have the right of way or must they yield to vehicles who choose to use the bike lane to pass on the right of another vehicle stopped in the through car lane waiting to turn left?

I had an incident yesterday on my commute home. I was in the cycling lane. Cars stop and go along the way. At a certain point, I noticed up ahead that several cars had stopped. As I was about less than 10 feet behind the last car, I was in the cycling lane, the vehicles were in the car lane to my left, the first of the last three cars began to move over to the right into the bike lane, then followed by the second car. At this point I was now by the rear wheel of the last car which then proceeded to move over to the right across the solid line into the bike lane and against my left side. :eek: Instinctively, I raised my left arm and hit him hard on his right side of the body (it was a white Chrysler van) hopeing to announce what he was doing. He carried on moving way over to the right and pushed me right off the bike lane into the ditch (the bank drops off immediately at the edge) that was directly on the right, I did an endover and crashed the bike into the ditch. The water was waist deep as it had been raining heavily the last couple of days.

I quickly got up on the bank because I was sinking deeper into the water and ran up to the van which had now stopped. No one else stopped, just kept on going. By this time I was so pissed :mad: it was embarassing and began to use the most foulest of language and kicked the front bumper and headlight of the van. I was in shock as to how someone would just drive into a designated cycling lane after just passing by me. I was lucky to have been hurt but I wasn't sure about the bike as it was half submerged in the water. The driver rolled down the passenger window and said nothing. Didn't even get out. I kept on telling him what a (I can't repeat what I said) and what an idiot he was for driving into a bike lane with cyclists in it. After a minute or so, the driver left. Didn't even offer anything. That even made me more pissed. And then I couldn't take down his license plate number as my glasses were all fogged up. I pulled the bike out of the ditch and checked it over. It seemed to be okay except for all the junk and grass hanging from it. But, my pants and shoes were full of water. I survived the next 2 km ride home. :(

Anyways, my BP must have been sky-high.

I don't think the law allows for the bike lane to be used as a passing lane under any circumstances. Not only that, I believe cars are supposed to pass on the LEFT of cars, not to the RIGHT of cars.

Next time it happens, get the license plates number. I know your glasses were fogged up, but do your best, even if it's a partial. With a partial and the car make and/or model, the police could track down the asswipe.

Koffee

Folks,

Where there is a cycling lane provided on a residential roadway adjacent to the car lane separated by a solid white lane and marked with signs and stencils designating it as a cycling lane, do cyclists have the right of way or must they yield to vehicles who choose to use the bike lane to pass on the right of another vehicle stopped in the through car lane waiting to turn left?


Of course what the car did was illegal. I think you knew that, and we all appreciate having this place to come to and vent when stuff like this happens.

"Having the right of way" is of course no defense against ignorant, stupid, distracted, or aggressive drivers. The longer you ride with traffic, the better your instincts get about situations like this, so you can usually predict when a driver will do some dumb, selfish thing that might pose a threat to you. And still, the cagers come up with new and even more idiotic never-before-seen stunts to keep us alert.

Like Koffee says, focus on identifying the offenders so you can call it in. That's your best means of balancing the scales of justice. I find that, instead of cursing and yelling, simply chanting the offender's license number out loud so that everybody can hear not only fixes it in my memory, but makes the point to passersby that drivers are easy to track down and prosecute.

RichC

Calling the police would have been the best option, but I've already expanded on that elsewhere. Sometimes it helps to slow down a little when passing a line of cars like that to give yourself an extra second to brake and/or take evasive action if need be. That extra second can be the difference between crashing or avoiding that crash.

To look at this another way...

If the bike lane was not there, and you had to conduct yourself as traffic, would this have happened?

Even if I am riding in a bike lane on a street, I know there is a total disregard from drivers for anything in that lane. I try to ignore that fact that the bike lane is there and operate as a member of traffic.

Your incident is a perfect example of why bike lanes are a bad idea.

Thank you for comments. It's good feedback.

I think of these incidents as a learning experience (if I live through them) and consider how I could have used a different approach so I can be better prepared in the future.

Yes, I understand about Telejohn's view on bikelanes and how ignorant drivers are about them. I do my best to operate as a member of traffic and anticipate.

I will do a better job to get the licence plate and be better prepared. :)

As far as the legalities of vehicles entering into and/or cutting you off in the bike lane, check the local statues for BC, they should be on the web, but I don't know the URL; you should be able to find them w/o too much trouble.

As far as expecting to be safe in the bike lane, check out other threads in the Advocacy section of Bike Forums. I believe that the overall consensus is that bike lanes are a segregated 'separate but equal' facility, which may or may not be safer than riding in traffic.

Most important: never assume you are safe because you are in the bike lane. Judge each situation by its merits, and leave the bike lane and use the vehicle lanes if that approach seems safer to you, but be warned that local laws may require you to stay in the bike lane (regardless of its safety) if such a lane is provided for the use of cyclists (again, check your local statutes).

Maybe I'm a pessimist but I would expect to see cars going into the bike lane on one laned roads with a car trying to make a left turn. The only place on my commute that has a dedicated bike lane is right next to the sidewalk so if I noticed a lot of traffic and a guy making a left, I would simply scoot over to the sidewalk, barring that, I would slow down with a constant eye in my mirror to see a hole in the traffic and then take the lane (to the left as humanly possible).

I assume every driver is an idiot! Even when I'm driving too.

Jay

Lots of dedicated bike lanes in my area. Most of them are very wide, and the road is wide for the car lane also.
Never get mad until you've got the offender's license number down, even if you have to draw in the grass or gravel. They are not going to pay attention until their insurance rates go up after paying you off in court. If you're positive they can see you, tell the police you want to submit an assault complaint.

Wow, that sucks! Glad you're ok.
Too bad you didn't get a few license plate numbers.

In most US states (if not all states) it is illegal for motor vehicles to be in a bike lane. They must yield to bikes when crossing a bike lane to make a turn. They cannot even park in the bike lane to change a flat tire.

I'm not sure if these laws are really enforced in many places. :fight:

Hate to tell you this, but I see it happen all the time here in the "tolerant" state of Minnesota. The bike lane is just extra sholder for riding on. I've seen cars straddle the line, and have thought if I were on my bike what would happen. The are so inoxious that I am really aware of them when I am on my bike. It it scary out there, and now with more people commuting to work and school, there are more chances for one of these citizens to do just that.

I think you did the right thing. I did it to a bus about a year ago. The guy passed me, saw me and cut me off. I was so pissed I followed him and at each stop layed in with a litany of cussing that would have made any sailor proud. I even called the bus company, with his bus route and number. I hope he never, ever, ever does that sort of thing to another biker. (I'm escalating about that as I write)

I have this situation on a road I often ride on the way home from the office. I've never been forced off the road but I've had people swing out in front of me and others swing out behind and ride my wheel. In the former case, I've followed them to the stop sign, asked them to roll down the window and said, "Did you know that what you've done is illegal and very dangerous?" I just leave it at that.

In the latter case, I've slowed down, pointed at the car lane, and yelled, "Get out of the bike lane!" Probably not the smartest thing for me to do, but it really gets my blood up, and so far no one has had the nerve to intentionally run me down in full view of the evening commute.

Glad you're o.k. ...it could have been worse. I frequently ride on a designated "bike route" marked with signs. The bike "lane" is a fairly wide shoulder that runs along a moderately busy road and is also frequented by joggers and walkers. Cars routinely ride with 2 wheels over the white line that delineates the shoulder and/or attempt to pass slower moving vehicles on the right. I've learned to slow down when I see traffic backing up ahead of me in anticipation of one of those idiots running me off the shoulder. Even worse are some other bike routes in my area that feature very wide shoulders; cars frequently try to use them as TRAVEL lanes! Makes me feel like they're not just careless, but are actually gunning for me!

In most US states (if not all states) it is illegal for motor vehicles to be in a bike lane. They must yield to bikes when crossing a bike lane to make a turn. They cannot even park in the bike lane to change a flat tire.
that is my understanding... (of course some very bike-unfriendly states might define it differently)
but and even if cars *were* allowed to use the bike lane as a passing lane they would still have to yield to bicycles as well as to vehicles already in the lane (i.e. if it were another travel lane and you were a car and the driver pulled into the lane while you were occupying it his actions would still be illegal).

so yes, as others have said, any way you go about it, what the van driver did was clearly illegal...

and as others have said such moronic motorist behavior is not so uncommon. even here in bicycle friendly Munich (where drivers actually LOOK for cyclists before making a right turn AND learn to watch for bikes in driver training and fail if they don't) drivers do often PARK in the bike lane --- i must admit to having never seen a motorist use it to pass or as a travel lane in my 2.5 years here ---- although i had an incident with a motorcycle doing that who then was travelling slowly and i passed him on the left and *HE* got pissed that i passed so close (at the next light i told him IF he is going to ride in the bike lane he also needs to ride to the right so faster cycles can pass b/c i'm not passing on the right - but he didn't get it)

in Portland which also has lots of bike lanes, vehicles were frequently parked and often would cross the bike lane (right turn) without looking for bikes, but few actually used it as a travel lane. (note: Portland goes to great efforts to properly plan bike/auto facilities AND Portland is a very bike-aware city - for the US at least)

during short stays in Philadelphia and a year in Massachusetts i witnessed motorists driving in the bike lane to make a right turn in traffic (another reason why bike lanes should merge to the left of the right turn lane BEFORE the intersection - Portland and Montreal do this quite frequently with special bright colored paint to hopefully draw motorists attention to the crossing bike lane)

oh, i forgot Texas (haven't lived there since 1997): the few bike lanes there are pretty much just wide roads for drivers and free game for motorists ("why the heck should some dang panzy on a bike be priviledged to that there part of the road? the roads are made for trucks anyhow. if some damn <homesexual slang> wants to ride their gay toys, then do it on the damn sidewalk - what the heck they there for anyway? but don't be wasting my time with that wussy crap - i got work to do" or something like that - sorry i'm a native Texan so i can be cruel and honest)

as others have said - don't expect safety from motorists or pedestrians in the bike lane. just because you SHOULD have the right of way does not mean you shouldn't be careful... and fell free to leave the bike lane (preferably to the street rather than the sidewalk) if it is safer to do so. always ride expecting the motorists and pedestrians not too see you (although be visible and ride predictable to increase the chances) and for all other road users to be functioning without a brain - it keeps you cautious which may save your life...

sorry about your experience and glad you and the bike weren't damaged!

Not only is it universally illegal for cars to use bike lanes, where they exist, it is also universally illegal for cars to use the shoulder of the road to pass as you described. Of course that is totally irrelevant to many motorists. I ALWAYS assume that vehicles are going to pull in front of me and plan accordingly. In the situation you describe, once the first idiot does it you can bet your life the second, third, etc. will decide it's ok for them to. If you don't assume that, you really are betting your life. Whether on a bike or in a car, sadly you always have to assume that other drivers are going to do something stupid. ALWAYS. You will be right enough times that this assumption will keep you alive.

Glad you're ok...

I read about a judge a few years back in Atlanta who awarded about $6,000 to a cyclist who was the target of a candy bar flung from a car window. I imagine if you had that kind of luck in court, your crash might have net you a pretty penny.

Get that license number next time, and save the choice words for your lawyer.