DreamRider85

I was doing some cycling on Highway 1 in the Half Moon Bay Area. There is a short stretch where the bike lane ends and I believe reappears shortly. But in a situation where I'm reaching the end and there is a car close to me, what do I do? I'm not quite sure how to explain it. Think of it similar to where you're driving a car, merging from the right side and you have to yield.

jon c. 

Try to moderate your speed so you end up merging just as the car has passed. And try to plan ahead. If it appears you'll get bottled up right as the lane ends, try to come out sooner to avoid that.

look566 rider

Agreed!

Also firmly and decidedly show/signal any vehicles behind you, you intend to merge left. I have this situation in several areas where I ride.

Of course, the earlier you make your intentions clear, the better off you are. And take the lane! Do not hug the fog line!

DreamRider85

I'm trying to figure out. Do I signal and go and assume the car sees me or do I let him pass like the above poster says.

Maelochs

Depends on the situation.

First off, if it is only one car, that car will be past in a second---or less. Simply let the car go.

If it is a line of cars, you will need to start edging over before the lane ends so as not to be trapped between the road and traffic. You do not need to signal because that would just confuse drivers—after all you are not turning or changing lanes from their point of view.

I assume you have no trouble riding on the road with traffic when there is no bike lane. All you need to do is position yourself safely on the road surface before the lane ends and forces you to move. Easy enough.

AlmostTrick

This is where I find a mirror so helpful. By monitoring overtaking traffic, I can decide early on if I want to allow a pass or take the lane well before coming to any pinch point. Once I decide, I may slow a bit or pick up the pace to make it so.

If I'm well ahead of the car I just signal and go like any other vehicle driver would do. If they are close I'll signal and wait for them (or the next driver) to allow me in.

Well, if you are going from a lane sharing position to a non-sharing position where drivers must change lanes, (even if only partially) then I'd say it is not only essential that one signals, but polite. In this situation it is just like a lane change.

Maelochs

Indeed.

I responded as I did because the OP did not explain that the drivers would be forced to move to a different lane, and if I am operating off the road surface in any case, the driver does Not need to change lanes.

In any case, I am sure each of us would signal if the situation (and our safety) demanded it.

scott967

Happens all the time for me. Typically I am aware so anticipate it and get into the needed position (may be taking the lane or FRAP depends on circumstances) in a break in traffic. As an aside, I hate those pedestrian "bulb outs" which are supposed be traffic calming or some-such but seem to me designed to force cyclists into traffic.

scott s.
.

CliffordK

For the end of bike lanes, I typically just ignore them and keep riding. I ride to the right anyway, and hope cars can get around me. We've got a couple where a 2-lane road becomes 2 lanes + center turn lane, then the bike path resumes on the opposite side of the intersection.

There is one on an overpass with a wide sidewalk, but in general I don't like the sidewalks, but it depends a bit on the situation.

Is that what they're called?

I thought they were called bike traps.

The are absolutely the worst. Most seem to be around streetside parking, so they aren't a problem if there is are a lot of parked cars, but are miserable if there aren't any parked cars.

We've got a place where I hit 30+ blocks of bike lane, followed by 10 blocks of no bike lane and those wicked curbs, and an unmarked 2-lane one-way bridge, that I usually have to take a left turn off of the far end of the bridge. Fortunately, if I get moving quick enough, I can usually keep up with the traffic and merge in with the cars for that last 10 blocks. Then once on the bridge, I start looking for an opening to merge left.

caloso

Mirrors are fine but it does not communicate your intent to merge as well as sitting up, turning in the saddle, and looking back as you put out your hand.

look566 rider

Again, agreed!

Also, EYE CONTACT with the driver! Be certain they acknowledge your presence. Most all people want to be polite and not a jerk.

DreamRider85

Today I was on Highway 1 again. And I reached the part again where the lane ends. But on Google Earth, it seems to reappear very quickly. However, I was cycling where it ended and I went about 1/5 mile or so and still could not see a bike lane in sight and was freaking out. There's really no where in this area to pull over. I had 2 cars that honked at me, even though I was on the right side of the highway, trying to climb uphill a bit. It was frustrating and scary.

And then I turned around because I wanted to get out of this mess. As I reached the bike lane, there was still a car that honked twice at me, even though I was in my lane. It was a bit demoralizing.

I'm sure some of you have rode Highway 1 before going south from Half Moon Bay. You know the spot I'm talking about. Oh my goodness it wasn't a good stretch. Why in the world is there no bike lane? I have no idea how people ride it without causing conflict on the rode. I don't understand why there's no lane.

howsteepisit

At some point, you need to learn to ignore gratuitous honking. Some do a light tap to let you they are there, other are just jerks playing the I am bigger now get the hell out of my way BECAUSE I SAY SO WITH MY HORN

DreamRider85

But at that point in the highway, there was no bike lane. One of the drivers honked at me even though I was on a thin lane.

howsteepisit

So what if he honked at you?

DreamRider85

You see guys. This is where the lane ends. And on Google Earth, it reappears very quickly but when I was out there the last 2 days, there was no lane to be seen. It just didn't seem to reappear and that's when I started getting big vehicles to honk. Anyone been in this area lately? How am I to ride this without a bike lane and cars going really fast? I don't know why they would remove the bike lane to be quite frank.

Maelochs

You ride by spinning the pedals.

Sorry but ... back when I started riding, when i wasn't dodging predatory dinosaurs .. . There Were No "Bike Lanes." The whole concept didn't exist. people who road bikes on the road rode bikes on the road. In areas like that, we made ourselves small and let cars pass as they could.

You are upset because people honked at you? What, no one threw anything? No one buzzed you? All they did was honk? You are pretty new to this, aren't you?

Nor do I. If you are really concerned, call the city, show them the photos, explain what a hazard it is. or ... don't go that way. or ... just ride your bike.

You seem to be all upset ... "I was riding as fast as i could! What did they want?" They wanted you not to be there. So ... either decide to let others decide where you can be, or go where you want. There are risks involved in any course of action ... weight he risks, make your choice, own your actions, and then just be a human ... live your life.

Look, No one likes getting honked at. No one likes the feeling when other people dump their negative energy all over us. but that's life. if you let yourself be bullied, you will Always be bullied. The answer, such as it is, is to make your choices and act on them Regardless of what the bullies do.

If you feel a certain stretch of road is too dangerous and you can find a safer alternate route, go the other way. if you cannot, and the danger you face is buttheads yelling at you ... do what seems best.

I figure if people are so stupid they are going to yell stupid things at random strangers, I ought not let them make any life decisions for me. Just as you shouldn't let those obnoxious honkers ... or the obnoxious posters on BF ... make decisions for you.

I hope this isn't going over the line ... but I imagine that what cyclists feel at times like those is what young black men feel about 80 percent of the time.

So ... maybe bolster your spirit with a few choruses of "We Shall overcome:" and ride your bike like an American ... with freedom within the law.

DreamRider85

Well how often does someone honk at you? The one bad thing about that spot is that on Google Earth, the lane reappears but when I was out there, I could not find it and got scared. There's nowhere to pull over either for a while. I don't think I can call the city because that spot is technically not located in a city. But I was thinking that if I was riding in a group, then I might be more comfortable.

Chris0516

There is a bike lane near me that stops at an interstate overpass w/ an entrance ramp at the end of the overpass. But the bike lane doesn't 'start up' again, for .5mi.. Because of so many inconsistencies like this, it gives me another reason to 'take the lane'. The only inconsistencies in the regular travel lane. Is the condition of the asphalt. Finely paved in some spots, and severely cracked in other spots.

Maelochs

not a whole lot ... but when they do, it is usually because they are idiots and far less often that I am ... because I have learned to be an idiot off the bike, not on it. One survives better that way.

However, most drivers believe everyone not themselves is an idiot--based on how most of them drive and act.

Yes, my whole post was about you getting scared, but I did not want to say anything which was immediately and unavoidably offensive because it is not my purpose to offend.

If you get scared riding in traffic, stay off the road. You Will get hurt.

There is a passage which has come to mind several times in the past few days, from a sci-fi novel, but still ... "Fear is the mind-killer. it is the little death which brings the greater death ... "

The more scared you are, the less rational. The more scared you are, the more likely you are to make a bad decision. The more scared you are, the more at risk you are.

I don't want to see you get hurt. I don't want anyone to get hurt. I don't want someone who is scared riding on the road because you are much more likely to be a statistic, an cycling fatality or injury.

When yo find yourself in that situation, you MUST calm down. You have no better option ... getting off and pushing your bike won't make you any safer, you cannot turn around ... so ...

Suck it up and ride it out. Make yourself breathe as normally as possible, accept that some Richards are going to honk and yell ... laugh when they do (it is a good defense and relieves stress.)

You are in no greater danger in such a situation than you are on Any road where there is no bike lane ... and if you think that think white line denoting "bike lane" is any protection, you are insane. Cars can hit you no matter what the traffic light, stop sign, or what message is painted on the road. If you cannot handle that, ride paths and trails---for your own good.

When you do find yourself doing something like crossing a bridge in high-speed traffic, that is when you rise to the occasion. You calm down and pedal on. You do Not give in to fear, because if, gods forbid, there is a problem---say, sand on the side of the road, or a stick, or a pothole---you will need all your awareness and ability to get past the obstacle safely.

In fact in that case, hoping for a burst of adrenaline to propel you past the "scary" section is probably the worst thing. If anything, get more deliberate, so that you have even greater control. You might be on that segment of road for another 22 seconds compared to if you went faster, but you will be safer because you will be more in control.

Seriously ... if you cannot handle riding in traffic, please stick to smaller roads and slower traffic until you acclimatize. I don't want to hear about another cyclist who died ... it happens all too often.
Maybe .. but maybe not, because in a group, every rider affects every other, and if you get scared, you might hesitate or slow or speed up or wobble or do any of the numerous things a rider can do to cause a big crash in a peloton.

Basically, ride more on smaller roads until you develop the confidence to ride anywhere under any conditions. Otherwise you put yourself and others at risk.

Think about this ... if I am driving along behind you on that stretch, and trying to give you room because I understand that a cyclist might feel stressed there ... but also need to maintain traffic speed so that someone behind me doesn't get all irritated and try to pass me and hit you or head-on traffic ... and then you panic and fall in front of me ... How do you think I would feel???

If I hit an cyclist .. or a pedestrian, or Anyone ... even it it wasn't my fault at all .. I would Not feel good. At all.

So for your sake, and mine, and for the sake of the mother with three kids who is driving the SUV over the bridge behind you ... Learn to cope. Stay on slower roads until you can cope, and if you find yourself in a scary situation, force yourself to master your fear for the few seconds you are there.

Then, once it is over, you can pull over and cry and wet yourself ... but while it counts, do a good job. You have it in you. Do it.

randomgear

Bridges are frequently built to be slightly narrower than the adjacent roadways since a narrower bridge is a cheaper bridge. The travel lanes tend to be the same width, but the state/county/city frequently design and build narrower shoulders to save money. Until quite recently, most states didn't really recognize people on bikes as legitimate roadway users so bridges weren't desinged for bike lanes, but that is changing, with some states adopting bike infrastructure sooner than others. Still, with very few bridges being rebuilt in their entirety, most bridges are stuck with somewhat substandard widths for decent bike lanes. It may be possible to get the state/county/city to reduce vehicle lane width (typically 11or12 feet wide) down to 11 or even 10 feet wide where there aren't high numbers of large vehicles traveling and where vehicle speeds are low enough in order to create a 4 or 5 foot wide bike lane on each side. Measure the bridge and lane width in Google maps (right click and pick two points) and see what you have to work with.

Petition whatever agency owns the bridge (you may have to make inquiries to several different departments in different at city/county/state levels before getting an answer - bureaucracy tends to like their silos) to install bike lanes the next time that they restripe the bridge, explain how much safer it is if people on bikes don't have to merge into a fast moving stream of traffic. Contact your local road safety and cycling groups for help with this. Don't expect that it will happen soon, unless they just happen to be repaving the bridge during the next season and you find them receptive. Most likely, this will take years before it gets done; yes, even for just painting decent bike lanes.

What to do in the meantime while riding - well, some of the other posters above gave decent advice, so stay safe.

AlmostTrick

Of course. The cool thing about mirrors is you don't have to turn your head to know when to turn your head!

work4bike

I treat these areas the same as one would merging into traffic from a on-ramp. I time my cycling speed to just jump into my new riding position prior to the actual end of the lane. It's best to stake your claim to your personal real estate prior to the lane ending -- no signaling necessary. Never had any problems.

BobbyG

I have a similar bridge situation on one of my commute routes, and also on some other routes I occasionally ride. I check my mirror, and if there is a car, or line of cars coming up behind me, I will stop before the road narrows and wait or a break in traffic, and then I take the lane. If another car comes up behind me I make a "go around" motion with my arm.

work4bike

^^^ I should have mentioned that I always ride with a mirror, so it's a relatively easy evolution, even in heavy traffic.