Motorists are not forbidden in bike lanes - that's a common misconception. In fact, in all states but Oregon right turning motorists are required to drive in bike lanes prior to the turn (to prevent right hooks). But this is so counter-intuitive few do - and the result is that the right hook risk is increased. It happens all the time. To randomly pick from the recent past, there were two right hooks in Philly in the last few weeks involving cyclists in bike lanes; one was fatal.


It happened just before 7:30 a.m. as the truck was making a right hand turn at 11th and Spruce Streets, just as the cyclist was continuing westbound on Spruce, along the bike lane.

philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2017/11/28/bicyclist-struck-killed-center-city/


Three weeks after a young woman was struck and killed riding her bike in Center City, Refford was severely injured in a crash just a block away, prompting renewed calls for bike-lane protections.

www.philly.com/philly/news/protest-cyclist-struck-center-city-bike-lanes-20171216.html


If only the victims were aware of the information on this page with animation from CyclingSavvy:

iamtraffic.org/resources/interactive-graphics/what-cyclists-need-to-know-about-trucks/


And of course the message that bike lanes broadcast is not that bicyclists don't be long in bike lanes, but that bicyclists don't belong in traffic lanes in the way of motor traffic - they reinforce the notion that bicyclists in traffic lanes are doing something inherently wrong, or fuel motivation to be annoyed and angered by cyclists in the roadway, even on roads without bike lanes.

But at least they were stealth cycling - out of the way of motorists in bike lanes.