Originally Posted by
Deontologist
There's this turn I have to make on my commute. It involves me getting into a relatively busy street. What I'm unsure about is should I wait in the middle of the car lane waiting to make the left turn or should I wait on the bike lane for the left turn?
Left side of the car lane assuming there's a shoulder. Middle if there would not be room to safely pass.
I feel that waiting in the car lane would just piss drivers off as I held up traffic. But waiting in the bike lane sometimes takes FOREVER.
What should I do?
1. Act like other vehicles including cars. Without dedicated turn lanes use the leftmost for going left, rightmost for going right. That predictability helps their autopilot steer them around you where you're not headed.
2. Leave room encouraging them not to cut in front of you.
Going straight with no right turn lane stay right like other slow-moving traffic so they pass on the left, but not so far right you'll steer into traffic going around obstacles like gutter debris, storm drains, and opening car doors. With a right turn lane use the right side of the straight lane, so right turners go around you on the right and don't turn in front of you and people going straight pass on your left as in the no-turn lane case.
Turning left from a straight lane be on its left side so drivers going straight pass on your right not in front of you .
Turning left with turn lanes be on the right side of the rightmost turn lane - drivers going straight pass you on the right like other left-turning vehicles, left turning vehicles go inside you not in front of you.
Turning right from a straight lane be on its right side, and when using right turn lanes use the right shoulder of the rightmost.
3. Where there isn't room to go around you, occupy the lane so it's unambiguous.