Turn-right-lane question
 

I just got myself a bike a couple of days ago. Last time I rode a bike was more than 10 years ago (I was around 14) and I didn't have to know about traffic rules since it was just for fun. Now that I got this bike I've been reading about rules in the street, what to do, what not to do, etc. However, there is a point that is unclear to me. I understand bicycles should ride on the right side of the street, close to the sidewalk; however, here we have "turn-right-only" lanes for cars. If I stay all the way to the right of the street, I will eventually end up in a turn-right-only lane. Should I move to the middle lane if I intend to keep going straight? or should I take the turn-right-only lane and keep going straight (after making a stop, of course)???

I am a total newbie on this, and I'm trying not to make mistakes. Any feedback would be appreciated.

Move left to the right-most lane of straight travel. Some would say "take the lane" but I myself would probably stay towards the right side of the straight lane.

Also if the road widens out where the right-turn-only lane is, you should take the lane prior to that right turn lane, so you don't have a car to your left trying to move into the right turn lane and possibly hit you. That keeps any right-turning cars behind in just that location - behind you.

I always take the right side of the straight lane and not at the last second before your in the turn lane. That way the cars know what your doing and thats what keeps you safe. I f you take th turn lane then you have to wait for all the cars turning right and then the next green light and that sucks.

Your first statement is a misunderstanding. The laws in most states say something like "as far to the right as practical and safe". This does not mean as far to the right as you possibly can ride. Riding all the way to the right has several real hazards.

When passing parked cars, stay far enough to the left to avoid the "door zone". Do not weave from the edge of parked cars to the gutter zone, in between parked cars. Maintain a line just outside the "Door Zone", even when there are gaps between parked cars.

When coming to an stop light, I always stay far enough to the left to allow cars to turn right inside of me. If a car passes and signals to turn right in front of me, I signal, and move left. I recently did this where the car passing was an Irvine CA P.D. patrol car. The cop driving gave a wave of acknowledgment.

yes, right side of the straight lane to the left of cars turning. This may feel strange at first (i can remember) going to the left of a car but you will get used to it :). Be safe.

I have one of these on my commute and I almost always take the lane (i.e. center myself in the straight lane behaving as a car).

There is a marked bike shoulder (wouldn't really call it a bike lane, though the city might) that ends before the right turn lane starts, and then resumes after the light. Its a 30 MPH. So when I get close to the shoulder /bike space ending I just signal and hop over into the lane.

Creeping up on the right of the through lane can get sticky if for example you begin to do so while the light is red and then traffic gets moving again with the green. Could find yourself riding between moving traffic in the straight and right turn lanes, and cars in the straight lane are not expecting bikes to be passing on the right in the edge of 'their' lane.

If it's really hairy and I just can't take the lane on the approach I'll just jump over to the sidewalk to clear the intersection.

I see several right turn only lanes on my ride home. They all come just as a designated bike lane ends. If the light is green I move straight through the right turn lane, in the middle of the lane, and proceed to the bike lane on the other side of the intersection. Maybe not legal but I see more cyclists doing that than taking the lane so...whatever. My reasoning is that the right turn guy is going to have to slow anyway on the approach to the turn so I am not impeding him, no sense impeding the through lane that is going 40mph and not expecting a bike in "their" lane plus the bike lane opens back up on the other side so one less thing I have to worry about in merging back over. I am sure it is the wrong thing to do but it is what keeps/makes me feel safe so I go with it.

If I encounter a red light at said intersections then I play it by ear but I tend to filter through between the cars, also probably not legit but it works, and will post up on the front of the right turn only lane on the left side. Leaves room for the right turn guys to turn right and leaves room for the the straight lane guys to haul the mail once the light turns green without wondering where I am going or what I am doing.

I am not suggesting that what I wrote above is the "correct" thing to do or even that it is legal. Just what I do.

(Side note: I know this means nothing really but wanted to point it out. I did the red light procedure posted above next to a cop. He could have cared less. That does not mean it was legal, it could be that he had better stuff to do than ticket a cyclist or it was totally legal and I am in the clear. Either way I got by one cop with the procedure so...)

I should also add that the streets are not very busy with traffic and would handle a busy intersection differently.

I do NOT use a right turn lane for anything except turning right.

I don't make the call for how you ride.

I haven't seen this before. Thanks for sharing the link. It has some good information.

I agree with that and encourage the OP to do the same. Just in my trials what I have been doing works because of the bike lane on the other side. There are a few right turn only spots where the other side does NOT turn in to a bike lane and I take the straight through lane in that case otherwise I am going to have to whip over to that lane anyway once I cross the intersection. It is then much safer for me to be in the lane already.

ckaspar makes a point that is important in my daily commute. I have two right turn lanes I need to traverse and I do both of them differently. The difference is because what is on the other side of the intersection.

The one where I stay towards the side instead of taking the straight lane has a wide shoulder/lane on the other side of the intersection that [typically] happens to last long enough for all the cars that were waiting for the green light to pass me before a long narrow bridge comes up (where I do take the lane because it is narrow and I make a left just after it. This way the cars aren't stuck behind me and because of the wide road before the bridge, I'm not held up either. The down side to this approach is if there are alot more cars then normal, I need to go slower before the bridge to let everyone pass, but so far it always has worked out. If it doesn't, my backup plan is to act like the mountain bikers (and many others) and ride the sidewalk over the bridge. (Legal here, and almost never any pedestrians)

The other one has no right shoulder on the other side of the intersection and the lane isn't all that wide on the other side. It also has two lanes in my travel direction. In that case I take the lane.

I also stay to the right of the right-most straight lane in these situations.

If you are on the right side of the road in a bicycle lane, in some cities, like Portland, Or. It is against the law for a motorist to make a right turn while in the bicycle lane. If there is no bicycle lane, you should be in the far right lane unless you are going to make a left turn up ahead. You should never hug the sidewalk and keep a safe distance from parked cars (door zone). Always place yourself so motorist can see you, and be a predicable as possible (ride straight, don't place yourself that will make you swerve into traffic.)

I come across one pesky right turn lane on a new route I've been taking home. I pull to the left side of the right turn lane and breeze straight through the light. Probably not legal but it's safest because of what is on the other side of the intersection. The posted cager speed is 30mph I believe but this is the main drag through the city, so often times the left (straight through the intersection) lane is backed up. So...on the other side of the intersection there is no space, so even at a green light a line forms in the straight lane. The lane is a turn right only because on the other side of the intersection it becomes a metered parking lane. There's usually plenty of space for me to safely ride between the occasional groups of parked cars and the barely moving left lane traffic. Like I said, it's probably not the most legal but it's the most practical and safest.

Thank you so much for all your comments. Actually, right after posting this I was riding on the bike and saw another biker in front of me. He switched to the straight lane, as many have commented here. So I think that works for me, at least on this case. Lately I pay more attention to other bikers, not only while being on the bicycle myself, but also while driving, so I see what the do on stop signs, turning lanes, etc. One thing I've noticed, however, is that I never see them doing any kind of hand signs when turning or switching lanes. Seems most of them just slow down or wait for no cars coming at all, then switch lanes or turn, but without hand signs. I wonder if it is just a Dallas, TX thing.

I only encounter this scenario at one intersection on my ride home. It happens to be on a 45mph street so I stay in the right turn lane and continue straight. No way am I merging into traffic moving at 40-50 MPH.

If I happen to hit a red light there, then I move into the next lane to let right turners do their thing.

As I read that part of your post it got me thinking. If I did merge left and as I look up I see the light changing and I know I can't make it so I slow down. Driver going 45 figures he has plenty of time but didn't see me merge over so he guns it to make the light. I become a huge gnat on his windshield hand signal that I am stopping or not. That would not make anybody's day I think. That is why I stay right. The right turn guys are gonna slow up regardless of the light color because they gotta turn. Then if I do encounter the red I scoot to the left of the right lane and wave any other guys by. They seem to appreciate the gesture and I get to make it home safely.

Just my .02 again.

I there are no cars in front of me, I move to the extreme left of the right turn lane. I get as far forward as is safe. Cars behind me can still make their right-on-red turns and I will beckon to them and encourage them to do so which is usually quite appreciated.

Don in Austin

right most lane of straight travel.

we have passenger car stop lines and bike stop lines, effectively giving the bikes a few meters of free space in front of the cars, which makes things easier. note, that this is usually built into the bike lane system that's painted onto the asphalt surface.

also, right turn on red doesn't exist here, every turn (left or right) has it's own dedicated signal (sometimes demarcated by a black arrow on top of the solid bulb.)