Here's a situation I'm sure we've all been in at one point or another.
You're traveling on a two-lane road (northbound according to map) and are approaching a street on which you want to turn left (westbound according to map). There are vehicles behind you also heading northbound, but there are also vehicles approaching southbound up ahead preventing you from an immediate turn. What do you do?
A. Stop in the middle of the northbound lane signaling your turn and attempt to stop the vehicles behind you and turn when clear?
B. Stop in the shoulder of the northbound lane signaling your turn and wait for all vehicles to pass?
C. Continue at normal speed passing your turn and when all vehicles are clear, u-turn and turn onto road from the right.
D. Dart into southbound lane at first sight of southbound traffic while bellowing a mad-scientist laugh and jump on the sidewalk.
E. Turn somewhere else since it's obviously too dangerous here and remember not to take this street again.
F. Slow to a snail's pace to cleverly time all traffic to clear prior to your turn.
G. Another option not listed here.

B&D,

Need more information (e.g. how heavily traveled is this road, how crazy are the drivers, etc.etc.etc.) but I'd go with A...act like a vehicle at all times if at all possible.

ride safely,
tt

I think that situations like this need to be handled on a case-by-case basis. There is a turn like this on my commute home and I take a different approach - based on traffic, weather, and visibility – each time. If there is no traffic coming towards me, but traffic behind me, and the visibility is fine I’ll do it the textbook way – signal and make the left turn. If it is heavy traffic both ways, or visibility is poor, I’ll think way ahead and cross early when I get a chance, riding against traffic until I get to the turn. If I’m completely by myself – no traffic – I swerve across both lanes riding with no hands, singing, “The Hills are alive…”

Seriously, I base my decision on the situation and conditions. I don’t like doing illegal riding, but traffic laws were made for cars not cars and bikes. I try to limit illegal riding to times where it will not be observed or negatively impact others or myself. To actually answer your question, “A” would be the correct, law-abiding course of action – but honestly I would probably do option “D” (without the laugh) the most, in as least obstructive way as possible. If neither “A or D” was a good choice “B” would have to be the third and final bail out.

I would also go with A providing that the cars going Northbound can get around me with ease. I wouldn't want to be a hazard in the middle of the road that is just asking to get hit by some driver that did not see me (read : inattentive).

Normally, the answer is A. It's exactly what you'd do in a car, and it has exactly the same effect on traffic. (Being well lit and brightly dressed can't hurt, either.)

The only real issue is whether you can safely merge from the shoulder or wherever you're riding into the main traffic lane.

RichC

A unless you've forgotten to move out and take the lane in which case pull over to the curb, get off your bike and become a pedestrian.

I would like to say, "A. Stop in the middle of the lane and wait like a car." But sometimes, either your head or your b*lls say, "NO." In that case, do something else predicatable, such as "B. Stop along the shoulder and wait for an opening."

Don't forget, your on a bike. Unlike a car, you can get off and walk like a pedestrian if you have to. You are the most versatile of vehicles.

Just be safe and predictable, following the pattern of either a vehicle or a pedestrian, with high visibility and confidence.\

Above all, don't be a wildman kamakazi, darting around like a fly.

B or C, but I don't mind sacrificing some time to be in the safest position, especially considering that it's an everyday event. I'd rather be safe than make a point of following all the rules that were designed for cars.

A or B. Sometimes if the situation suits I will also use pedestrian lights or traffic lights if they are within a 200 metres.

CHEERS.

Mark

it depends a little on the particular road, but generally A.

i have a situation similar to this as one of my possible commute routes (that i now usually avoid): it is high-speed (40mph+) w/ 2 lanes in each direction and goes uphill right before the turn and then the turn is just past the apex --- so the problems with this one are:
1) it's really hard to move to the left lane when cars are crusing by at 50+mph and it's uphill so even pushing i can barely hit 20mph
2) b/c the turn is just past the top of the hill - even if i could get over there i'm not very visible

so i usually do something like C or F --- so that i wait on the far right of the road until there is less traffic (there are lights around so the cars travel in packs)

there's actually a (sorry multiple) signals at this intersection, so you can do the go "straight and then change direction and wait for green" but it is really long (there are 2 sets of lights) and b/c it has all kinds of funky right-turn, left turn cycles, you really have to do the "act like pedestrian" thing to do it safely - and it ends up taking a long time and i have to wait in heavy car exhaust...

all in all it's a really ugly intersection... to make it worse there's now construction in the area...

I think I know this one. I encounter it every night if I have the scenario right. I just time it so I can merge left fast and make the turn without stopping when when both directions are clear. When it's extremely busy, I'll stop and wait for both directions to clear.

I think it's one of the most dangerous situations I have to deal with when there's two or more lanes each way. Second of course to rideing beside a line of parked cars waiting for a door to swing open.

I'd think ahead and cross over BEFORE the event and ride against traffic providing there is a walkway or a wide shoulder and it's only a short distance going the wrong way.

OR

I'd dismount and become a pedestrian. Sometimes it's actually faster on foot to negotiate street crossings and intersections.

Bad idea. You're approaching an intersection where cars are about to turn right into the road you're riding the wrong way on. They are trying to find a hole in traffic to merge into from a dead stop. They are looking left for that hole. They are not looking right at all. When they see the hole they will floor the accelerator and make their right turn...

right... into... you. They'll never know you're there. You won't know what hit you. It won't matter if you're on a shoulder; drivers turning right will treat the shoulder as an acceleration lane.

And even if there's a sidewalk, what do you do when you get to the road you wanted to turn left onto? Now you have to cross it as a pedestrian, with cars turning left and crossing in front of you.

Bicycles are not pedestrians with wheels.

RichC

As for dismounting and becoming a pedestrian,
this is not only very safe, it's also legal. Whenever a cyclist dismounts, they automatically become a pedestrian and should follow pedestrian rules, generally speaking. Of course, when you dismount a bike to walk it, you will be walking with traffic rather than against it, so you will have to exercise caution (and put your bike between yourself and traffic.)

Oceanrider, the first option creates more problems than it solves.

:thumbup:

I completely agree. I'm more worried about getting rear-ended in this case.

I wouldn't advocate riding against traffic except on a sidewalk for a very short distance being extremely careful about driveways and pedestrians. I will use a sidewalk for slow riding where it's legal in areas where it's actually safer than the road and I'm very cautious. One of the attractions I have towards bike commuting is its flexibility. That's not to say one should feel free to ride on a sidewalk treating it like a roadway. Common sense goes a long way here.

There is a turn on a regular commute I take which is pretty much like the one you describe and I just meld with the vehicles and act like one. But there is another area with a 4 way intersection with a half a dozen signals where I feel safer cutting over to the sidewalk, eventually dismounting to cross on foot with the light. It's a case by case thing and you gotta be there.