I have one of these that is a merging lane for getting both on and off the freeway at a bridge that crosses the freeway. The marked speed is 35 MPH but drivers tend to do 40 there as there are no visual or other obstructions and the motorists are either speeding up to get on the freeway or just coming off the freeway. Now the irony is that this same merge on off lane is also on my way to my favorite pub.

On the way to the pub, or when I have not been drinking, I take the lane and negotiate with motorists, watching carefully for the fast motorists coming off the freeway. Due to the far right lane being either an on or off ramp, I tend to ride to the far left of that lane, which puts me just outside of the thru lanes which tend to have faster traffic. (effectively this is 3 lanes going either way on this arterial road, with the far right lane dedicated to traffic merging on and off the freeway.) Where the motorists merge the speeds are not bad as they are negotiating with each other... but then they are not looking for cyclists at that point either... right where traffic comes off the freeway speeds tend to be fast.

By staying to the left I have lots of options about where to go if things go sour. I have seen cyclists try to go to the right of the merge lane and hug the curb, but they always get trapped and have to make an escape where the merge lane goes on to the freeway.

Now the flip side is crossing this same bridge after a few pints. I don't try to negotiate with traffic. Period. I go into rolling ped mode and ride the sidewalk. There are crosswalks perpendicular to the ramps and a sidewalk parallel to the merge lane. I go right up to the ramps, ensure that there is no traffic coming and then go quickly across. I do this for all 4 crossings. I figure I am the hazard after a few pints, so I do this to minimize my exposure to traffic.

So bottom line, I merge with traffic but stay to the left of the merging area when I am moving fast and can negotiate with traffic; I become a rolling ped and cross perpendicular to the ramps when I can't negotiate with traffic.


BTW this merge area bridge crossing is used locally by an LCI as his "ultimate lesson." Do it right and you flow with traffic, do it wrong and you get trapped by traffic.