Skimble

For some reason, on my commute I have a hard time figuring out what to do with cars making right turns. This seems to arise whether I am in a bike lane or riding on the street. When a car is waiting to make a right turn and is at the corner before I get there, who has the right of way? Me, who is going straight (and thus into the path of the car turning right) or the car, which was there before me. Obviously, if the car is already in the process of making its turn, it has the right of way. However, when it is not already in the process, I usually try to make sure the driver sees me and then take the right of way before the car turns. Is that the right approach?

mikeybikes

Pull in behind the car and wait for it to complete its right turn. Never pass a right turning car on the right.

colleen c

+1
The driver turning right will never see you. You will be passing on their blind spot. Passing to their left can be hazzard when there is a car behind you. The car behind you sometime expect you to pass right while they tries to pass left of the car turning right, resulting with the car behind you clipping you as you pass left. In a situation as this, a good mirror will help knowing what is behind you and to your left.

Most of the time I will take the lane and slow down my approach and try timing my speed so that the car complete the turn as I reach approach them, otherwise it is stop and wait.

Digital_Cowboy

Let me ask you this. If you were driving a car what would you do?

+1,000

What Mikey said.

The right turning car was at the intersection before you. Yield to them and wait your turn.

Pscyclepath

Right-of-way in most of North America is based on "first come, first served." If a vehicle is in a traffic lane ahead of you, then they get to go first and you have to wait your turn. Likewise, if you're in the right-hand lane wanting to merge into the left (passing) lane, you have to yield to following traffic already in that lane before you can merge, or negotiate with the following driver to allow you to jump the line.

wphamilton

Don't forget the car behind you will also try to swoop around and turn right if he thinks he has room. Likewise if he's going straight, and thinks he has room, he'll sometimes force you to the right in the intersection and then you're stuck waiting or trying to merge. So getting in line means in the lane if possible behind the car.

degnaw

If the right turning car is a ways back from the intersection, stopped at a light, and I have a nice wide shoulder, I might pass it slowly on the right. If it's moving or one of the first two cars at a light, I'll move into the lane behind the car.

Metal Man

Many times that would be passing on the left of the turning car. If there is a right turn lane you should probably be in the lane going straight.
I always remind myself, "just as a car".
Read this.
ftp://ftp.dot.state.pa.us/public/Pub.../PUB%20380.pdf

sggoodri

Don't pass on the right. Get in line with thru traffic, and/or pass on the left. Don't let right-side bike lane striping dupe you into passing on the right into a right-hook situation.

jsdavis

If it's an intersection you frequently use, it won't take long to figure out the behavior of motorists. At one intersection that I use daily when going home, I make a right at a 4-way stop. Then there is another 4-way stop about 50 or 60 ft away. I NEVER try to pull to the right or left of the vehicles here because I've learned that about 90% of people turning at this intersection do not signal regardless if they are going left or right, possibly because the distance between stop signs is less than 100ft that they forget to do so. Since it is impossible for there to be more than two cars in front of me here, I always take the lane and just wait my turn. It takes longer than just moving to the front, but at least I'll know I'll make it home.

At another intersection near home, the right most portion of the road is striped for right turn and for whatever reason I always see bicyclists stopped right up against the curb (usually seated with one foot on the curb) and have seen more than a few close calls because they try to proceed straight when cars are attempting to turn right.

jsdavis

If it's an intersection you frequently use, it won't take long to figure out the behavior of motorists. At one intersection that I use daily when going home, I make a right at a 4-way stop. Then there is another 4-way stop about 50 or 60 ft away. I NEVER try to pull to the right or left of the vehicles here because I've learned that about 90% of people turning at this intersection do not signal regardless if they are going left or right, possibly because the distance between stop signs is less than 100ft that they forget to do so. Since it is impossible for there to be more than two cars in front of me here, I always take the lane and just wait my turn. It takes longer than just moving to the front, but at least I'll know I'll make it home.

At another intersection near home, the right most portion of the road is striped for right turn and for whatever reason I always see bicyclists stopped right up against the curb (usually seated with one foot on the curb) and have seen more than a few close calls because they try to proceed straight when cars are attempting to turn right.

LesterOfPuppets

If there's a bike lane striped all the way to the corner on the right side of the roadway I'll often get out of it and get in the left tire track of the rightmost "car lane" several yards before I get to the corner.

If I'm first in line sitting at a red I'll wave through right-turning cars behind me if there's room. I take the left side of the lane to help make room for them. It often makes them happy.

mtalinm

if you can, try to figure out whether the driver is holding a cell phone. if so, there's an increased chance s/he will turn right without signaling. it's difficult to have one hand on a phone, one hand on the wheel, and still use your turn signals.

gmt13

Never, ever put yourself at risk by passing a right-turning car on the right. Bike lanes are for your convenience, but usually have no real right-of-way. I have seen BLs in some areas that have a dedicated right-turn lane to the right of the bike lane.

-Gary

tsl

First come, first served. The car has the right of way, just as you would if you were in front.

cooker

Bikes passing on the right is so prevalent where I ride, that motorists have come to expect it, and since I don't do it, I get into these Mexican standoffs where I'm waiting for them to turn and they're waiting for me to pass. However I hate to yell at them for doing it, because they've been taught to be careful by other, more reckless cyclists.

streetstomper

Move into the lane directly behind the car and there will be no standoffs since it will be clear that you have no intention of passing it.

Metal Man

We went for a little family picnic today and on the way there I brought this up to my 15yr old daughter who just started riding with traffic. She gave me a good enough answer to my question.
So I took my road bike with to ride the 35 miles home. I'm coming into a town with a little more traffic and a red light just ahead with a car stopped. I move to the right tire track to keep from being on the right side of any cars. This guy rolls past me, didn't squeeze me hard, but was close. He wasn't going anywhere because the one stopped at the light. His rt window was down and I yell "what are you doing"? All he could do is point to the side of the road and say that's where I should be. I ended up in front of him and we had a little mouth battle. I told him I had every right to be on the road, but he didn't get it.
My mistake was leaving any room for him on my left.

cooker

Often there are one or two cars behind the one who wants to turn.

LesterOfPuppets

Okie-Dokie. Get behind the one or two cars behind the one that wants to turn.

Wow!

Why should you care if the car is waiting for you to pass them on the right. Just sit right behind them and put your foot down. Whether they go right away or hesitate because they're expecting you to pass on the right should have little effect on you.

Cyclomania

Take the lane, check if safe prior to merge, pass on left. End of story!!!

If car doesn't signal and does a right, turn in toward car to allow for quick right turn with car.

BarracksSi

Remember what it's like to drive and waiting to make a right turn? You would be looking out the windshield to make sure that nobody's walking in the crosswalk, and you're looking out the left window to see the next good gap in traffic.

Notice that I didn't mention anything about using the right side mirror, nor did I say anything about doing a shoulder check over the right shoulder and over the trunklid (assuming it's a sedan; SUVs are worse, Lamborghinis must be horrible). How often do you think the average driver does that?

+124121 to "get in line behind the right-turning car and go straight when it's your turn."

silmarillion

I have a similar problem, but different.

As I'm riding along the roads on my route, specifically on the way home...There are 3 streets that are on my right. At least once or twice a month, someone will pull out directly in front of me... see me coming and stop directly in my path!

Sometimes they like to play beat the cyclist. Peeling out into the street in front of me. 9 times out of 10 to stop at the light down the street.

I have the right of way if I am the oncoming vehicle. They must give me right of way if I'm within a couple of car lengths of reaching them. Funny if I'm in my car or truck, they don't pull out in front of me like that.

So now, I will ride like I always do, and as I come up on these side streets, I signal that I'm taking the lane, I get in the middle of the lane, look into the street to be sure no one is going to dart out in front of me. When I'm clear I usually move right back over to the right and continue on. I think that most people that may be behind me can see what I'm doing and can appreciate it.

jeffs223

I find the best practice for anyone to safely ride a bike and the advice I give most bike newbies is,

Ride your bike like you drive a car. Follow the same rules. If you were driving a car you wouldn't pass a car on the tight would you? Anther pointer is look at the arrows for the lanes at a intersection if the right lane is for right turns only you want to be on the far left of that lane.

However if there is a line of cars I will pass on the right and just proceed with caution, sometimes I will snake in between cars to get around to left left side the migrate back to the right after the intersection.

Skimble

Thanks everybody. Not sure why, but I often find it a confusing situation. Get in line and wait definitely sounds like the best advice. Though if there is no other traffic or it's safe it sounds like its fair to pass on the left. (What would you do if you were in a car. I'd go around the right turning vehicle on the left if it were safe to do so.)