Advocacy & Safety - Wait in traffic, or cruise on by?

Been contemplating an issue lately regarding sharing of the roads. I'm in full support of the concept of bikes as traffic, following all the rules that drivers should follow. What I am slightly conflicted about is when traffic starts to back up, I usually just ride right past them up to the front of the line at the light. On the one hand, they are able to pass me on the left when we're traveling down the road, so it seems reasonable that I should be able to pass them on the right when they are waiting at a light. On the other hand, I sometimes feel guilty, like I'm taking advantage of the fact that I can cruise right on by in traffic. Also, what usually ends up happening is that I get to the light and wait next to the first car in line till it turns green, and when it does I usually get across the road first, and the line of cars are forced to sort of swerve around me as I enter the bike lane across the street.

Probably just a trivial concern, but I'm dedicated to doing what is best for everybody on the road, and not sure if it would be better to just wait in traffic like everyone else. It seems like it might impress drivers who see me waiting, and help convince them that we are infact part of traffic.

I don't see anything wrong with cruising up the line at the light. I think in Chicago, it's worse to wait for the traffic- we'd never get anywhere, and on top of that, I don't feel safe waiting around in traffic- I just feel too exposed and prefer to move up to the front. When the light turns green, it gives me a little bit of a head start, which I consider to be safer for me than waiting in traffic and having everyone starting at once and forcing me over (which is usually what happens).

Besides, I think the car drivers are sooooooooo envious when they're stuck in a car and see a bike sailing past, saving a ton of time!

Koffee

Besides, I think the car drivers are sooooooooo envious when they're stuck in a car and see a bike sailing past, saving a ton of time!

Koffee

Very true! Maybe it'll make them think about riding their bike next time. :)

That's what I like to think!

Koff

If the road has a shoulder I usually move to the front of the line. If there are no shoulders I hang back. Getting to the front of the line only to have all the vehicles you passed try to sqeeze by with inadequate room isn't worth the gain. On narrow congested roads my goal is to be the last one through the light before it changes to red. That way I have about a minute of light traffic riding before the next group of cars coming from the light catch up with me.

For me it all depends on clearance between the cars and the curb and how long traffic is backed up. If I am pretty sure all the cars will clear the light and space is tight, I will wait. Otherwise if they won't clear the light I will work my way up carefully.

If I'm already riding in the lane to be safe (i.e. no shoulder or on-road bike lane), I'll usually wait in the line - especially if I'll get through on the next change of light with the other traffic. If I don't think I'll make it through on the next change of light, I'll squeeze up a bit to make sure I do. If it's difficult for the cars to pass me again on the other side of the intersection, I'll usually hang back to be polite regardless.

If I'm already riding in the shoulder or on-road bike path I'll cruise up to the front, but usually pretty slowly and being careful of any cars making sudden and/or unsignaled right turns.

Safety and courtesy are the primary considerations for me, in that order :). If it takes me an extra few minutes to get where I'm going, so what? At least I potentially made some friends in the traffic which helps me in the long run.

I don't do it if there is any chance of someone making a right turn on red, or a right turn into a drive. If there is a no turn on red sign, and enough room I go for it. I can usually see the cross traffic light changing and be prepared to jump on the green when it changes. Typically I am only riding to the right of cars that just passed me anyway so I don't feel any remorse for returning the favor! ;-)

If there's space I have no hesitation in doing so. Given that space is the primary consideration when choosing my routes, there usually is. I see no value in dragging a 30 minute commute out to 2 hours plus. It's just overtaking, something nobody else on the road feels guilty about.

I cruise on by. I'm not going to sit there and breathe in more fumes than necessary.

Traffic law here says there is no passing on the right for anyone except under certain conditions (like in a one lane road where a car is waiting to turn left) so I find it hypocritical for a motorist to complain that a cyclist is passing on the right illegally when the cars do the same.

Our advocacy group wrote this guideline:


Passing on the right

Passing vehicles on the right between intersections, especially in
congested city traffic, is a topic of debate, even in the courts.

Under appropriate circumstances, case law suggests that cyclists
should be able to legally pass slower moving traffic on the right where
the curb lane is wide, provided they are cautious.

Most often it is best to shoulder check, move into the middle of the
lane and line up with the rest of traffic. This will also prevent motorists
from making a right turn into you as you enter an intersection.

When cycling in narrow-lane traffic where many motorists attempt to
squeeze past you before each traffic light, some cycling instructors
suggest the following:

Rather than moving up to the first car, which will likely re-pass the
cyclist, it may be more strategic for the cyclist to place themselves
only as far up the line as the last cars likely to make the next green
light.

It is legal to pass on the right:
* when you are in a bike lane; or
* when the vehicle is turning left or indicating a left turn.

When NOT to pass on the right:
* when traffic is moving;
* when there is a street, driveway or parking spot
a car can turn into; or
* when there is less than 1.5 m between traffic and the curb.

I'm a firm believer in cruising on by. If motorcycles can split lanes, we might as well do the same.

I dont go next to the front car - I either get in front of it where the driver can see me, or I wait behind it where the driver of the second car can see me.

I wait in line unless the traffic is too backed up. But passing on the right has risks and I am the one who will pay if anything bad happens.

I dont go next to the front car - I either get in front of it where the driver can see me, or I wait behind it where the driver of the second car can see me.

i do the same but only if there is plenty of space. I also check for turn indicators if there are any. best to wait if nto sure. I end up passing the idiots that go clear to the curb where a car can run right over them if it turns right. I had that happened to me the lady did not even notice I got dumped onto the sidewalk.

If the road has a shoulder I usually move to the front of the line. If there are no shoulders I hang back. Getting to the front of the line only to have all the vehicles you passed try to sqeeze by with inadequate room isn't worth the gain. On narrow congested roads my goal is to be the last one through the light before it changes to red. That way I have about a minute of light traffic riding before the next group of cars coming from the light catch up with me.


I do the same, assuming "shoulder" means a bike lane or sufficiently wide traffic lane. If the lane is too narrow for a car to share with a bike safely, i ride far enough left to force the driver to cross the center line. I don't want to make them do this again.

Al

i treat intersections differently than traffic backup. i feel its ok to cruise by on the right shoulder in traffic. i am always very careful in intersections, and usually defer to the cars. CW teels us that you want little interaction with cars. that means not going by them only to have them have to pass you again in a few seconds.

since most accidents happen in intersections, i'll be extra respectful at 'em!!

No way I'm sucking right off their tailpipe, I go right to the head of the queue when at all possible.

I am fairly aggresive in my riding, taking the lane & demanding respect from drivers. But this is one aspect in which I am not so aggresive. If there is a shoulder, or even a long right turn lane, I'm in it and gone. If not, and the line for the light is moderate, I wait my turn. If the line is long, I usually run the center line or lane split up to the light. I'll run the right side only if there is no place for cars to cut right into me.

In my opinion, lane splitting ticks off cagers more than anything else. There they sit, in their expensive, high-power truck or SUV, totally impotent in traffic, while a biker zips on by.

So I try not to look like I am having too much fun.

Or laugh at them........

No way I'm sucking right off their tailpipe, I go right to the head of the queue when at all possible.
when riding here in Boston, do you ever really wait for the light or are you like me and just cruise through traffic lights as well?

when riding here in Boston, do you ever really wait for the light or are you like me and just cruise through traffic lights as well?

Hmm, heh, I base it on the situation and surrounding of the moment... generally I'll wait at a light especially when I'm commuting through Somerville and Cambridge... Even waiting at the light is much faster and more pleasant than driving...

And, I'm of the mindset that generally... even if everyone rode bikes - we'd probably still need traffic control systems.

it all depends on the traffic and conditions:

in true TRAFFIC - i.e. gridlock, all cars stopped and sitting through multiple lights, etc -- all the "rules" change as an automobile can't do anything (other than driving on a sidewalk or pushing other cars out of the way), but on a bicycle you can cruise right through -- passing on the right, lane-splitting, etc. --- for me it is not much different where: downtown Portland, Boston, Munich, Austin, Dallas, ... etc

the main differences here are:
1) on a bicycle you are not slowing the motorists down by passing them - they're stuck in traffic regardless of whether 0 or 200 bikes pass by
2) a bicycle is simply smaller and more maneuverable and able to go through small spaces without endangering others like a car
3) a bicycle is a "proper" mode of transit for high density travel whereas a car is not

---> and yes, i LOVE cruising by motorists stopped in traffic, not because of the exhuast gasses i inhale (yuck) but b/c of their faces and (maybe) the hope that some of them will get the idea "gee, if i were on a bike i would be getting somewhere rather than sitting here pissed off in traffic"... but then most of them won't

it all depends on the traffic and conditions:

in true TRAFFIC - i.e. gridlock, all cars stopped and sitting through multiple lights, etc -- all the "rules" change as an automobile can't do anything (other than driving on a sidewalk or pushing other cars out of the way), but on a bicycle you can cruise right through --

I agree. Although I know a few vehicular cycling purists who will wait "their turn" in line, even if it means sitting through one or more cycles of a traffic light, most of us do as generally suggested in this thread -- ride safely and courteously, but don't unnecessarily delay your travel just because the motorists around you are causing congestion.

...I know a few vehicular cycling purists who will wait "their turn" in line, even if it means sitting through one or more cycles of a traffic light...
It's really a judgement call. But where I ride, there is not enough gridlock to force me to wait through multiple lights.

When traffic backs up for as much as two-three blocks and I am in a dedicated bike lane; I do pass on the right...They are not supposed to be over my white solid line? Besides, there are curbs and they are totally pinned in. Can't move if they wanted to.
Yes, I am careful if they have some option other than being totally stopped. I still watch their turn signals and actions from within the stalled car - as I move ahead of the line...When the traffic is moving at a slow pace, that is another matter. Even when the car is totally stopped, I do not ever race ahead..More of a slow crawl.
Like to however...Advertises the mobility of cycling.

[QUOTE=booyah]If I'm already riding in the lane to be safe (i.e. no shoulder or on-road bike lane), I'll usually wait in the line - especially if I'll get through on the next change of light with the other traffic. If I don't think I'll make it through on the next change of light, I'll squeeze up a bit to make sure I do.

If I'm already riding in the shoulder or on-road bike path I'll cruise up to the front, but usually pretty slowly and being careful of any cars making sudden and/or unsignaled right turns.[QUOTE]

The snips above resemble my practice.

when riding here in Boston, do you ever really wait for the light or are you like me and just cruise through traffic lights as well?

Every time you do that, it makes your local bike campaigning group's job just that bit harder. It seems to be increasingly prevalent in the UK, as well. and it's just as foolish and selfish (and illegal) here.

The technical term for such actions in the cycling community is often, "The late ...."

First, remember that I'm an arterial warrior and when I come to a line of cars, it's on a city arterial with fairly narrow lanes. And if I'm operating in the traffic lane, then I wait my turn at the rear of the line, because the lanes are not spacious enough for people in cars to pass me without at least a partial lane-change. If they were ahead of me to start with, then it's not fair to sneak up the right side of their lane and put them in that situation. And if they got ahead of me by passing me once while we were moving, it's going to annoy them if I make them do it again. And that lowers the legitimacy of cyclists as road users in their eyes.

If the lanes are very wide then I'll take it on a case-by-case basis, but I lean towards waiting in line.

I don't understand exactly what this means. To the people that pass the traffic at stop lights, where do you go when you reach the front? Do you pull in front of the first car or sit in the shoulder? Both situations seem incredibly dangerous to me.

I don't understand exactly what this means. To the people that pass the traffic at stop lights, where do you go when you reach the front? Do you pull in front of the first car or sit in the shoulder? Both situations seem incredibly dangerous to me.

Sitting in front of the first car is actually a safer option. You're still relying on the guy behind you not to run you down, just as you would sitting in the queue. The only difference is the air quality is marginally better at the front.

The question is, what do you do when the traffic is banked up for something like 2-3km at the traffic lights (as often happens on my commute). Waiting in that sort of traffic will necessitate waiting through more than one change of the lights -- something I simply do not have time to do.

Sitting in front of the first car is actually a safer option. You're still relying on the guy behind you not to run you down, just as you would sitting in the queue. The only difference is the air quality is marginally better at the front.

That makes sense, but wouldn't that cause each driver to have to pass you at every stop light? I would imagine that after a little while of that, some of the motorists WOULD feel like running you down. That just doesn't seem fair to the motorists, especially on a very cramped road where they would have to cross the center line to pass you.

I've never ridden on busy roads though, so I probably just don't have a feel for it.

That makes sense, but wouldn't that cause each driver to have to pass you at every stop light? I would imagine that after a little while of that, some of the motorists WOULD feel like running you down. That just doesn't seem fair to the motorists, especially on a very cramped road where they would have to cross the center line to pass you.

I've never ridden on busy roads though, so I probably just don't have a feel for it.

The thing is, on really busy roads, they often don't get the chance to pass you again. This is what gridlock is all about. Of course, if they are actually moving any faster than you are, chances are they won't have to pass you again anyway because sooner or later they'll hit a green light and put some distance between you and them. If it's a situation where one is continually passing the other, only to be overtaken at the next set of lights, they aren't really moving any faster than you are anyway, and as such they really don't have anything to complain about (unless, of course, they want to complain, which means they'll find something regardless).

In anycase, the whole argument is moot really. Overtaking really is just overtaking -- it's a fact of life. The same motorists who complain about cyclists sqeezing past them at traffic lights are just as happy to do it themselves. Maybe they should get their own house in order before being critical of the rest of the street.