HoustonGal

who was at fault?

The situation: Two lanes of traffic, dedicated skinny bike lane on the far right. Cars lined up at a stoplight, the light controls on/off ramp traffic for a freeway. The light turns green, cars are starting to move, but are slow. I am in the bike lane, moving at probably 12-15 mph, hence, passing the cars which are still accelerating. I scan the lined up cars for right turn signals: nothing. I continue to head towards the intersection. Late model beamer starts to make a right hand turn into my path. Thankfully, he must've seen my flashing front LED and hit the brakes, but man, that was close.

Had he not stopped, I'm sure I would have hit him. Who would have received the citation?

Granted, it wasn't the safest thing for me to be passing on the right, but I was in my own lane, and had I seen anyone signaling, I would have slowed down and let them proceed. Probably yet another reason why dedicated bike lanes are a Bad Idea, but I'd like to hear others' opinions so maybe I can avoid being hospitalized in the future.

ryanparrish

When you say skinny sounds like a paved shoulder. If so it is all your fault, otherwise. It is a bike lane your in the right, and not your faul. Furthermore some A&S Grump will come allong, and complain about the safety of bike lanes. Usually if it is a busy interesction turn lane it might be safer to take the lane

truman

I don't ride in bike lanes, much, but it seems like you'd be better off in the car-traffic lane in that situation, then moving back into the bike lane after the intersection. It doesn't sound like you'd be inviting hostility by holding up traffic at that point, and you KNOW that turn signals fall into the "nice, but don't bet your life on 'em" category.

CliftonGK1

If he didn't have his signal on, and you could convice an officer of that fact, then you might have a case if you made contact with the car. Otherwise, I tend to think it would be cited as your fault for reckless operation due to the fact that you were overtaking traffic, through an intersection, by passing on the right. (Even though you were technically in "your" lane. Sux, don't it?)
I always swing out of the bike lane into the right-most lane of cars, claim my space by looking at the driver behind me and making darned sure they know I'm not giving up my space, and proceed through the intersection in the car-lane before making my way back to the bike lane.

bbonnn

In California, cars MUST merge into the bike lane within about 200 feet of their right turn. I used to be very defensive of the bike lane, and cars doing this would annoy me. I've come to realize that the CA method is not so bad, because it prevents some cars from zipping quickly into the bike lane right before they turn, without taking time to look for bikes or merge safely. Other cars will still zip into it regardless, but it's legal to do it leisurely before you're at the intersection.

But to your point: Cars should look and yield right of way to approaching vehicles whenever they change lanes, including your situation. You will not be at fault if you are hit by a car changing lanes and failing to yield right of way. You might be smooshed, but not cited.

In California, CVC 21208 says you must ride in a bike lane EXCEPT under certain circumstances, including when approaching a place where a right turn is authorized, so it would be OK to get out of the BL there. I don't know about the law in Texas. If it were happening here, I'd say get out of the bike lane as soon as you see a line of cars at that intersection. Of course, that takes away a cool advantage of being on a bike (your own lane where you can filter up to the front at lights), but it's probably the safest way.

HoustonGal

Just to clarify, I was in a signed and painted bike lane, not on the shoulder. I'm thinking that the 'move into the lane through the intersection' advice is the best, given that the folks tearing off the interstate on the other side of the underpass aren't looking out for bikes on the far right either.

The sad part is that this route is an official "City of Houston Bike Route". And it really is the best of four bad options for getting from my house to my workplace.

bbonnn

I don't believe it would be considered passing on the right. If the bike lane is considered a "lane" (and it has "lane" in the name, so it should be), you aren't passing. You just happen to be going faster than vehicles to your left. That's OK. "Passing on the right" involves changing lanes to overtake a vehicle by going to a lane on your right, then going back into the original lane.

GTcommuter

Yep. I won't preach VC dogma, but this is a clear case where road facilities promote different expectations amongst users.

I just assume that cars will turn right at all intersections. Navigate my way into the right hand lane, take my position, and move through the intersection. If the situation is appropriate, move back into the dedicated bike lane on the other side of the intersection.

nelson249

If it is a marked bicycle lane, the burden is on the motorist to merge safely into it before completing the turn. Doesn't help us much though is some zero neglects to do so, though. The bike lanes here have a dashed line near intersections to indicate to drivers that they are to treat bike lanes as genuine lanes that they must merge into safely.

knobster

This is exactly what I do and have never had a problem. Personally, I think if it was a dedicated bike lane then you were right. If it wasn't, then you should adopt the method mentioned above. Would help prevent this problem in the future.

Cheshire

Here in the southeast (western NC, specifically, but) if someone uses a turn signal it's the exception. I wouldn't be suprised if half of the cars here got use out of their turn signals once a year: during the annual inspection check.

I still have the words of my driver's ed instructor in the back of my head when on the roads: "be ready for them to do anything and everything wrong, then you'll be ready for it when someone does." I'm also fond of thinking of biking on the road as a hybrid of following the law (like the vehicles we are) and common sense/survival tactics. I always take the lane when approaching red- or yellow-light intersections, and don't go back to the right until i'm good and clear. Yeah, I make some drivers mad sometimes...better they be mad because they see me and can't go around than them running me over and wondering what kind of road debris they hit as they drive off.

markf

Passing on the right is never a good idea, unless you're in a country where people drive on the left. Freeway onramps and the roads leading into them are bad places for cyclists because motorists are preparing to accelerate hard to join fast traffic, and they are no longer looking for non-motorized traffic.

It sounds like you would have been safer either taking the lane and moving at the same speed as the cars, or passing the cars on the left . Either way you would have to be ready to move back to the right quickly once the motor vehicle traffic got up to speed.

If the BMW driver really didn't signal, and he merged into a bike lane without checking carefully, you might have had a case against him. The fact that you were moving faster than the flow of traffic and passing on the right might be points in his favor, though.

I look for a number of things besides turn signals, like the fact that a car is drifting towards the lane it's about to move into, or the driver's head is moving towards one side mirror or the other, as if checking the lane to see if it's safe. If there's any doubt in my mind I just don't pass until I'm positive the driver won't make an unannounced lane change or turn across my path.

How dark was it? What kind of lights were you using?

linux_author

+1

(dodging over- and under-medicated alcoholic, drug-rehab, and septagenerian drivers on the roads down here)

zonatandem

Nothing happened. Nobody 'at fault'. All behaved as needed.
I only count the hits, not the misses.

slvoid

Your first mistake was using the bike lane. Your 2nd was assuming that the blinker actually does anything.

A blinker says to a driver, "HEY LOOK! FEEBLE SLOW CYCLIST HERE! GO AHEAD AND PASS/SQUISH ME"

If you ever decide to sport brighter lights and want the flashing effect, just wiggle the handle bars a little, it's a lot more effective than a blinker cause it looks like a motorcycle out of control.

I've actually stopped cars at intersections where they've had the GREEN before by storming into a red light with my HID light on. Granted it's not the best thing to do for driver/cyclist relations but in NYC, I doubt they'll remember me.

nelson249

That's ok, they'll just take it out on some other poor slob.

slvoid

Maybe it'll be a delivery guy...

chephy

So a buzzing by a motorist is ok as long as you don't fall off your bike?..