Speedwagon98

I see a fair amount of opposition to riding a bike up to the front of a line of cars on here. At least, that is if I'm reading it correctly. But in the state of Oregon, don't they promote such behavior, with the bike boxes they've made? Or maybe I am not understanding what people are talking about?

Metzinger

If you venture into the A&S forums, you'll be bombarded by the opposing points of view.
At one end of the spectrum are people who want to ride bike lanes, filter through, and roll through stop signs and red lights(like the Dutch do).
At the other are those who say bikes should take the car lane, never pass on the right, and obey all possible laws(like the drivers of school buses do).

Get into it.

BlazingPedals

If you're in a bike lane, it's legal to pass on the right. But you have to watch out as you approach the front because you're in cars' blind spot and a car may unexpectedly turn right at the intersection and hit you. The green box shown is a spot to wait for the light to change, where drivers can see you. If you don't quite make it to the box, though, you're still in the same vulnerable position.

If no bike lane is present, then very few places allow passing on the right or splitting lanes. You'll hear many claims, but I've never seen it codified except in California.

tsl

Looks slippery in the wet.

Metzinger

If it's like the red stuff they use in Holland, it's about as grippy as regular asphalt.

Bekologist

Philosophy: if cars can share (split) lanes with bikes, bikes can share (split) lanes with cars.

Rolling to the front of a stopped line of vehicles approaching a controlled intersection (into a bonifide bikebox or not) often provides a cyclist superior visibility to other traffic and unshackles the bicyclist from the congestion often associated with motor vehicle traffic.

I say, "Go for it!"

njkayaker

"Lane splitting" (generally) means riding between two lanes of traffic going the same way (riding on the "white line"). "Lane sharing" is what cars and bicycles do. "Filtering" refers to the practice of bicycles/motorcycles moving up through stopped traffic.

================

Yes, they are promoting it. It is fairly common in Europe. The idea is that the cars stop (and wait) behind the cyclists. That way, the cyclists don't have to compete with turning cars. I don't see anything wrong or unsafe doing this (especially, in a place where it's clear and a standard practice). Clearly, it's legal to do in OR (it might not be legal to do elsewhere).

This would be some type of "filtering".

tcristy

As long as you make it to the front while the light is red and its a "no right on red" intersection, the bike box is safe. The unsafe part is if the light turns green while you are heading torwards the front but havent made it yet or if right on red is allowed there. Those create the potential of a right hook.

AdamDZ

I don't split lines, that's dangerous, but I do filter to the front of the line when the traffic is stopped if the gap is wide enough to do so safely, I never squeeze between cars.

Adam

cnnrmccloskey

+1

@tsl
"Looks slippery in the wet. "

Naw, its really not any different than the asphalt, I will say that I rarly see these used (that picture is from here in Portland) as most cars don't stop for them, its a shame really, but after doing a "survey" (talking to alot of people... very scientific) I have deduced most motorists don't even understand them, there was a short lived PSA campaign on the subject but it was ineffectual.

AndrewP

In UK they have boxes for bikes and motorcycles at the front at traffic lights, with no associated bike lane. 2 wheelers are expected to lane split to get to the front.

deep_sky

I get to the front because when traffic starts up again, such as at a red light, I can be at the right and not inhibit the flow of traffic as I get clipped in and up to speed. If there is a car behind me trying to make a right turn, I move forward as much as I can, but sometimes I'd have to get into traffic to do so, so the right turner has to wait until traffic gets going again. Same thing for a stopped left turn, I get to the right of the first vehicle so that when the turn starts I can swing out a bit to let the car go by as I get clipped in (if I am the only person turning left I take the lane so the sensor knows I am there). If there just isn't enough room to fit through, then I take the lane like a car and wait my turn, and get to the right as soon as I can to get out of the cars' way.

GriddleCakes

Bike lanes alone encourage filtering. Like the parallel traffic lanes, users proceed towards the intersection until they encounter other travelers in front of them, or the intersection proper. This might anger motorists who perceive it as unfair, but no more so than carpool lanes and bus lanes anger drivers of single-occupant vehicles. It's what you get for hauling around your 3000 pound privacy bubble with you wherever go.

This is a danger inherent in all bike lanes, box or no. The bike box is to protect cyclists from right hooks where the motorist turns right immediately at the signal change to green, since many motorists are oblivious to anything not directly in front of them. And a bike box full of bikes turns any automotive lane into a "no right on red" by virtue of blocking cars from proceeding.

If you're gonna have bike lanes, then bike boxes seem like a pretty good way of reducing one of the dangers associated with bike lane travel. But safe bike lane travel still requires the cyclist to be hyper-aware of the car lane directly beside you, and to ride defensively to help mitigate right hook accidents that are often a problem for bike lane travelers.

There aren't any bike lanes where I ride, so approaching an intersection I just take the lane and queue up with the other motorists as though I were in a car. This way I don't get cut off by right turners, and I don't force motorists to pass me twice. And since I travel on relatively low traffic roads, it doesn't significantly slow me down versus filtering to the front.

RubenX 

If I understand correctly, you get inside the "bike box" at red light and then return to regular bike lane after crossing. In such a short distance and starting from 0 MPH, the bike usually crosses first and no driver should complain about having to "wait" for the cyclist. Cyclist can see traffic better and is also better noticed by drivers. Looks like win win to me.

Really bad spot for a clipless fall tho...

Jeff Wills

Finally, someone gets it. This is the intent- but what I've noticed riding and driving in Portland is that there's so many cyclists that drivers actually know how to deal with them: moving to the left while passing, actually using turn signals, paying attention in "right hook" situations, etc. Either that or Portland drivers are complete emasculated wimps.

BTW: GriddleCakes, meet Slappy Cakes https://slappycakes.com/ .

GriddleCakes

I noticed the same thing when I was living in Bend (which has bike lanes everywhere), that motorists were expecting and looking for cyclists. While bike lanes certainly aren't the safest places to ride sometimes, they do get more cyclists on the road. And the more of us that are out there, the safer we all become.

Doohickie

I see a fair amount of opposition to riding a bike up to the front of a line of cars on here.

I believe it is illegal to lane split in every state except California. The opposition to this practice is included in the law in the other 49 states.

In the example you pictured, the bicycles are not filtering up through traffic lanes with motor vehicles in them, they are following the bike lane to the front. This is different from lane splitting; thebikes are using their own lane.

stapfam

The area for bikes in the UK is a special GRIP surface that is a Fine Carborundum grit that is Epoxy Resined on top of the Asphalt. It is grippy till it starts pealing off.

And these areas at the front of Queue's at Junctions do work. Cars respect the area- but that may also be due to the Cameras trying to catch drivers not respecting the red lights- or the bike area.

knobster

It's not slippery. I've been on them several times in the rain. It would be extremely stupid to put something that would be slippery when wet in Portland...

But yeah, the other poster has the idea. It prevents right hooks. It also doesn't slow the drivers down. It's pretty slow downtown where these things are. It's faster to get around in Portland on a bike than a car and this is what we are trying to push people to do. Take a bike instead of a car.

Velo Dog

Far as I know, California is the only state that specifically says you CAN split lanes. Motorcycles do it all the time on the freeway, which looks suicidal to me. You'll be inching along in traffic and somebody will come blasting between the lanes at 50 or so, oblivious to the danger of people switching lanes.
I don't pass on the bicycle unless I can do it on the shoulder. Nevada has relatively decent laws regarding bikes, but they're widely misunderstood (cries of "Get on the sidewalk where you belong") and raggedly enforced. every once in awhile somebody runs down a cyclist or two and gets off with a suspended sentence and a few hours' community service because "It was an accident."

rwp

Actually it was my understanding that California law doesn't say that motorcycles CAN split lanes. It just doesn't specifically say they CAN'T, which is the case in the other 49 states. I ride (motorcycle) in California at times and what I consider "proper" lane splitting is to move between cars at speeds up to about 30mph faster than the stopped or creeping traffic. If the traffic starts moving above 30mph or so, then blend back into the lane. Obviously there are plenty of riders who feel different.

Incidentally, I've been cycling in Nevada for about 11 years now and have never once been told to "Get on the sidewalk".

rumrunn6

rode the streets in Cambridge Sunday and it was a real mix. they have bike lanes filled with parked cars. transit buses pulling in and out constantly and red lights almost every block along Mass Ave between Porter Square and Arlington.

sometimes I had a bike lane; sometimes the bike lane was within the 3' of the parked cars so I couldn't use it; sometimes the right lane was free and I had it to myself; sometimes I filtered; and sometimes it surprised me but it was much safer to just wait where I was a few cars back from the light. honestly there were even some spots where it just made more sense for me to take the left through lane (and I did)

https://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&sour...01013&t=h&z=20