The automobile driver should do the following when executing a right turn in this location:

1. Look to the right and behind, and merge fully into the rightmost lane, in this case a bike lane, as close to the curb as practicable, taking care not to cut off anyone currently in that lane.

2. Slow and stop if necessary to allow pedestrians to clear the crosswalk area, while blocking the rightmost portion of the roadway. Any drivers including cyclists who wish to travel straight should merge left and pass to the left.

3. Proceed when pedestrian traffic is clear.

It's annoying when a driver passes you and then slows down and stops in your lane because his destination is blocked, but traffic law cannot reasonably prevent this if you are traveling slower than the speed limit. The law can only prohibit a dangerously close movement in front of you. But in the case you describe, the driver failed to merge all the way to the curb/gutter area before stopping at the crosswalk. Attempting to turn right from a position left of through traffic is what caused the problem. This is illegal in most states.

Bike lane striping discourages right-turning motorists from merging properly toward the curb in preparation of a right turn. Segregation by vehicle type is inherently flawed in this situation; it is impossible to compensate for it entirely with education. These right hooks also happen on wide outside lanes, but they are somewhat less common, and cyclists might feel less entitled to try to pass on the right. When I encounter a driver trying to turn right from my left, I move behind him, even if I must back up to do so.

-Steve Goodridge