Where would you ride on this road?
 

Yesterday I had an NC DOT maintenance guy tell me it was safer for me to not take the lane on a particular road. I don't trust his judgment, but I am interested to get the opinions of other cyclists (and, more importantly, commuters) about my situation. Where would YOU ride on this road?

There are 3 lanes going in your direction: 2 straight-thru lanes, and a 3rd lane on the right that acts as a merge lane from a 65-mph highway and then becomes a right-turn-only-lane (RTOL). The speed limit on the road is 55 mph. (Before you say, "I wouldn't ride on that road!", let me say the alternative, believe it or not, is worse).

My reasoning is this:

1) Obviously I'm not going to ride to the right of the RTOL since I'm going straight.

2) My next option is to ride somewhere between the RTOL and the right-most straight-ahead lane, but I figure I could get squeezed between cars merging from the highway and people going straight. Also, I could see myself being in a driver's blind spot, or worse, they're looking back over their shoulder and don't see me ahead of them as they try to merge.

3) I could ride just inside the right lane that's going straight, but people passing me would have to understand there wasn't enough room in the lane for both their vehicle and me. Thus they'd have to merge into the other lane or else close-pass me.

Personally I would ride towards the right edge of the right merge lane, transitioning to the left edge when it becomes a turn lane, and either merging or continuing in the shoulder.

Clearly not vehicular, and I don't really mind cars passing within the same lane as long as I get 2 feet of space and a reasonably low speed differential.

^ Ah, but because that RTOL appears from nowhere, that means crossing it from left-to-right (across traffic potentially going 55+ mph) only to cross it again, right-to-left, a few hundred yards further on.

i would find a way around this particular area (i know you said that was not possible) - 55 mph roads are where commuters get killed, it isnt worth the daily risk IMO

It's the speed limit here that bothers me, plus the fact that it's extremely unpredictible to guess where drivers are looking when merging in a new lane.
If I understand your layout correctly, I would remain to the right of the RTOL and proceed when no cars are merging onto this lane. As you pass the point of merge entry, slide to the left of the RTOL and remain on the right side of the second straight thru lane.

This is still what I would do. Also, I wouldn't worry about speed at this point. I would approach slowly, to time my crossing to the berm so that there are no cars entering the highway at the same time I was switching. Then, I would do the same coming back out, and would be very prepared to stop if there was too much oncoming traffic to cross with a wide margin for safety. It seems to me that taking any lane in this situation, with car speeds being what they are, and they are concerning themselves with other cars, and not likely to be noticing a cycle suddenly appearing between them and their lane would be dangerous. I would rather take a couple minutes to get through this stretch than try to take any form of a lane. This situation sounds too much like highway riding for me. And I've done some crazy riding in my life.

-Jon

I have a similar hwy that is on my commute. 8 miles of this hwy is 55mph. Thankfully I have a wide shoulder to ride on so I don't have to be in the lane at all. I do, however, have some RTOL similar to what you're talking about. I still stay out of the through lane, but take the lane in the RTOL lane. Since it's short, I usually don't have any issues. The only time I do is the occational right hooker. This year, I've found a route around this hwy.

+1 here. I do that now. Theres a road here that has traffic thats not going 55, but like 40 and thats what I do.

[edit]

I have to say using a mirror in times like this is crucial. I have used one for over 30 years now. I can pan and tilt with my neck and get a good idea of whats coming up. Cross over when and where you can.

You are in a loose-loose situation. I would get on the phone and contact the most local level of government and make some noise. figure out when the council meeting for that district and show up with some photos. Maybe at least they could add some signs warning the ramp peeps to watch out for bicycles.

I have to agree with AngryScientist. The area you describe sounds very dangerous and I, personally, would either find a way around it or simply drive (and I don't say that lightly as I love bicycle commuting and dislike driving). We commuters often like to show our 'toughness' by riding in rain, snow, frigid temperatures, or in total darkness and I know we often get teased by non-commuters about how 'crazy' we are, but riding where there's a high risk of being struck by a car at 55mph really is crazy, and not in a good, fun-loving way.

There's nothing BUT 55 mph roads on 90% of my commute. Luckily, on the ones that are 55 MPH AND busy, there's a 3 foot shoulder.

Sounds like what I do if there is a shoulder. It doesn't usually work out that badly. It really depends on how gradual the curves are, what the shoulders are like, and how long the merge/ right turn lane is. Taking the lane is certainly an acceptable solution

So it's 55mph; how busy is it? Can you get across far enough to take the left-most lane, thereby avoiding both the traffic trying to merge onto the highway and the traffic about to exit, without yourself becoming the "traffic trying to merge"?

How long is the stretch of road with three lanes? How long does it take to ride it at normal speed?

I would either stay in the middle of the middle lane or take the left most lane.

Right 1/3rd of the rightmost thru lane - which sounds like the middle lane in this case.

It's a problem either way. I don't, however, think you're doing yourself any favors by taking the lane.

I still haven't really understood where I should be- yours sounds pretty hairy to me. Just be careful. you could also have a whistle or an air horn ready to blast the driver back to kingdom come.

I have a similar problem where my daily commute route crosses an interstate. There are three lanes and the rightmost lane is a merge/exit lane for the interstate. I've decided the safest way to navigate this hazard is to stay toward the right side of the middle lane. I originally tried to stupidly "keep right" and cross the merge/exit lane, but this served only to confuse motorists and endanger me. By maintaining my position on the right side of the middle lane, motorists can treat me just like any other traffic that isn't merging or exiting.

This just sounds like bad news waiting to happen. You have people coming off a 65 hwy. How much do they slow down to make the bend? It makes a big difference if the bend is tight and they have to slow to 40 or 25 vs 65 or 55.

They're possibly looking to the left, not ahead, because they have to merge if they don't want to turn right.

I use a DiNotte 400L taillight, which is extremely effective in alerting drivers of my presence, but that's on 40-45 4-lanes, and low- traffic rural 55-65 2-lanes.without any bends or blind spots.

Your challenge, which I wouldn't take as a bet. unless the odds were astromically in my favor and I knew the wagerer to be good for the money, is so severe that it calls for outside the box measures.

First, install double vertical poles 10 feet long, each with a string of bright flags, topped by a Jolly Roger and a Nazi swastika flag, and below that a Confederate and Japanese rising sun flag emblazened with a Mitsubishi Zero. You don't just want them to see you, you want them to THINK, "OMG, WTF IS THAT?!!" and then try to figure it out.

Then you need the right kit. I'd start with Bozo the Clown, full regalia, nose, red wig and size 28 shoes. Then a Gorilla suit for sure. Superman, Spiderman, Batman...all the superhero outfits are good. Really, the Incredible Hulk is dynamite. Dracula, a butler's tuxedo with tails for some class. Maybe a white wedding gown and some other drag-queen outfits from time to time.

I'd probably also get a Burley trailer and hang a big sign for the back, maybe using flashing LEDs, that says "Baby On Board".. They don't have to know that it's only got your lunch.

See if smoke flares are legal in your area. Light a pair before you enter the death zone.

Also, ten air filled balloons dragging 40 feet behind you. Make the cars run into something else before they get to you. Use a mirror, and carry a paintball gun. Shoot the windshield as your failsafe measure.

It might sound crazy, but it's not close to as insane as what you're currently doing.

This ^

I come across two of these regularly. **** was scary and confusing until I did what chipseal wrote. Then it was scary because I felt, cars were approaching me from behind fast. A mirror did wonders to calm me down (jack002 is also right). It really let me see that it wasnt bad at all.

I take the center because the lines are very narrow.

Again DO NOT wait until the last minute like chipseal said. Be very predictable.

How many times have you done this section? How have you handled it, and have you had any problems or close calls?

I'm thinking I would take the rightmost straight through lane, somewhere between right and left (car) tire tracks. I definitely would not want to share the lane at those speeds.

EDIT: Oh yeah... mirror for sure!

The posts are all over the place in response to the OP and there's good reason. Too hard to tell really without pictures, really good pictures and even then before I would even venture to give an opinion I'd want to ride it first. I wouldn't want to give bad advice over the internet that someone might actually get seriously injured or killed attempting to follow.

But I have some questions:

Do you ride this every day?

Do you ride it in the rain (fog/snow/sleet)?

Do you ride it when you have a strong wind in your face or at your right side?

Do you ride it in the dark?

Are there other road hazards on this road? (ie. potholes, cracks in pavement, concrete, road debris, sand)

Because some of the answers people have given may not apply in all circumstances. Often responses to posts like this assume perfect conditions every time you ride.

Personally I'd probably find some alternative to this route even if it added a few miles or as much as 15 minutes or so to my commute.

You might get more helpful responses from those willing to give advice if you could provide pictures- even from Google Earth or Google Maps.

This one is worse. Here a two lane (in your direction) road becomes a four lane road when two lanes of highway offramp are merged in. The right most lane then becomes a right turn only lane about 150m down the road. A cyclist who passes this junction will suddenly be riding in the middle of four lanes with significantly faster traffic on both sides. The speed limit on this road is 60km/h.

On and off ramp situations are very dangerous. I try to cross highways by using roads that do no connect to them.

In the OP's situtation, I would ride to the right side of the centre lane. It's the best you can do.

google link

Fairly simple... ride the rightmost lane that's going where you plan to go. In the case described, that's the rightmost through lane.

Here's one of the better training videos that addresses the topic... it's spilt into three segments to comply with YouTube's size & time limits, but what you're looking for is covered in the second segment:

A Cyclist’s Eye View:
Part 1. -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFjCza5e1kw
Part 2. -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIr3mI96FZk
Part 3. -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLu0DHPeYm8

Also another look at the issue:

Lane Control at Freeway Ramps:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6W0twza9B7o

If you're worried about people trying to squeeze past you in the same lane, that's what the concept of "Lane Control" is all about. Position yourself far enough toward the center of the lane so that overtaking drivers will have to pass you just as they would a car.