GFish

How do you ride safely where the double lanes end at the crossroad with a 4 lane road, or what I'm calling a "T" intersection. The left lane turns left and the right lane turns right and I'm actually going straight to the opposite side.

There are cross walks and traffic lights with a touch pad to activate the lights for pedestrians.

1) Do you take the cross walk by activating the light?
2) Take the left lane and go straight?
3) Take the right lane and go straight?
4) Take the middle ground between lanes and go straight?

Cars in the right lane can turn right at a red light. Cars in the left lane have to wait for a green light.

This is my only problem intersection where I usually activate the cross walk. I find cars in the right lane hug the corner and often cross over the bike lane, leaving no room. If I wait behind cars already waiting at the light and stay in the bike lane, approaching cars usually try and drive around me and don't recognize I intend to go straight.

Also, this intersection sees very little foot traffic, it's away from downtown and shopping.

So, what's the safest and right way to cross?

J.C. Koto

Any chance of a google or bing map of the intersection in question? I'm having difficulty visualizing it.

I'm willing to bet that if you were to call the traffic engineer for your area they'd suggest dismounting the bike at the ped. X-walk, triggering the ped. signal, and walking the bike across the X-walk. Not that I necessarily think that's either a good or bad idea, and just guessing here, that's likely how the intersection was designed in regards to bicycle traffic.

If you post a map or illustration of some type I'm sure you'll get more suggestions.

Stan A

If youre riding the road do what the cars do or if your being a bike pedestrian take the crosswalk.....it almost sounds like your just crossing here to get to a route on the other side that isn't the roadway maybe?

GFish

Hopefully this link brings up the pic of the intersection that I'm crossing.
https://maps.google.com/?ll=44.61005...71.19,,0,15.54

I need to cross to the opposite side, where I slip around the fence to another street.

dankev

I see 2 options. 1. You can be a pedestrian and use the crosswalk. 2. You can take the left lane, as if you were going left, then hop the curb. You can't really be in the traditional bike lane area and go straight because cars would have to go through you. You don't really want to take the whole right lane because you would be needlessly holding up cars turning right.

Editing to add: If you're staying on your bike, I think you need to use your best judgement about whether to take the left lane, or to go between the lanes. Do whichever feels safest. If there are cars stopped in both lanes, I'd be more inclined to take the left lane, rather than go between a bunch of cars. If the right lane is open, and there's not a semi coming up behind you turning left (and there's plenty of room on the right for cars to get by), you can go in the middle.

Matariki

This is what I would do.

FenderTL5

Agree, left lane.

Curious, you said you go around the fence; on the right side or left? If to the right I understand the confusion.

Clarabelle

Yup. Seems the logical non-pedestrian choice.

the sci guy 

taking the left lane and the turn and then hopping up on the curb was exactly my first thought as well.

DX-MAN

I think you have your answer; BTW, I concur with all of these.

fietsbob

When in Doubt, I become a Pedestrian to cross the road .

spivonious

I agree with the others who said left lane. Won't get right hooked, and should stay out of the way of the left-turning cars once you're across.

randomgear

By getting in the middle of the turning lane (Taking the Lane) you prevent cars from trying to go around you.

When you say that you go through the fence, I can see a path into the Apartment Complex, but that road doesn't lead anywhere. Or do you sneak over to Lakewood Dr SW?

Whether I would choose the left or right lane would likely depend on whether I was headed more to the left or right, and the amount of backed up traffic in the lanes.

GFish

Yes, I go around the fence on the right and use the sidewalk to cut over to Lakewood Dr. This avoids that busy four lane road (hwy 99) for a relaxing ride on residential streets.

Thanks everyone for your help, much appreciated. I'll need to see if I can trip the signal using the left lane.

Stryver

I had an intersection like this that wouldn't recognize my bike. Most of the time I could count on a car showing up, but if I showed up outside of normal commuter hours, I'd swing over to hit the walk button to change the light, and then come back to my left turn lane. This moves me across and through lanes I normally wouldn't with any traffic around. In my intersection, there was a short dirt path to a MUP/retired road with light, but steady, bike traffic. Most bikes I saw went through the crosswalk.

RubeRad

Well I don't think anyone else said it, so I'll chime in my vote for #4

In this situation, the cars turning left will want to hug the left, the cars turning right will want to hug the right, Me on the bike wanting to go straight across to the fence, I would enjoy the stripe of paint in the middle.

I would look to jump from the curbside bike lane to the middle line, maybe 100-150yds back; don't wait till the last minute!

Alternatively, there's a light there. If it's red and there's a stack of stationary cars, you can look for a gap and use that to jump from bike lane to middle, then ride up the middle, wait at the light.

Usually when I wait at a light I walk the bike up to the front of the crosswalk (or at most slowly coast to a stop with at least one foot unclipped -- want to give a clear visual signal to cross-traffic that I'm not going to dart out in front of them); in the front of the crosswalk I'm in full view of all cars waiting behind me at the light, and in full view of cross traffic, and I can see everything clearly.

PatrickGSR94

Easy - left-most portion of the right turn lane. With all the cars turning right in that right lane, and that right lane looking pretty wide, the left-most 6-8 feet of that right lane is always going to be clear (except when a semi is making a right turn). So just get up there in that space since no one else is actually going where you're going. You also wouldn't be blocking anyone else. No big deal.

You could even filter through traffic to the front on a red light without blocking or impeding anyone since again, no one else is going to the same place you're going.

CommuteCommando

This, but. . .

What I don't understand is why go "straight". There is a solid fence on Pacific Blvd. No way to go "straight" Either you are turning left into the bike lane. I'm OK with that. You could be turning right onto the bike lane and salmoning it. I condone this only in the event you are "transitioning" to a driveway or alley way. I don't see any there. The only scenario I see than makes sense is you are cutting over to turn left onto Pacific Place. In this event I would get into the center of the right turn lane, turn right onto Pacific Blvd, then merge to the center and turn left onto Pacific Pl.

Or you could be going for the sidewalk. Your choice, but I prefer to ride faster than is safe on sidewalks.

PatrickGSR94

Take a look at that Street View and move it over to the northern side of Pacific Blvd, the southbound side. Shows you a nice close-up of the fence, and right at the end there's a concrete path going back through the trees, which I'm guessing connects up with Lakewood Drive.

So OP is likely going across to the pedestrian ramp in the sidewalk at the other side, and heading north just a few feet to the end of that fence. I would still get in the left side of the right lane, wait on the light, and then head across. North/South traffic is stopped, so no one will be in your way, and you won't be impeding anyone else.

GFish

Exactly!

Just trying to get off a busy four lane road for safer quiet residential streets with almost zero traffic. This also saves mileage and time.