maneuvering in city streets

I just started commuting to work last week and am really enjoying it, although I'm not certain I'm following the proper road etiquette rules in the city streets. People keep telling me to be assertive, which I am, but I'm not sure what to do about the bus lane. In my route, I'm on a one-way street with 2 lanes plus a bus lane on the right. I've ridden in the bus lane but then I get caught behind the bus making stops as well as the nasty fumes. So, then I've ridden in the right lane (but left of the bus lane) but the buses are merging into that lane as well. Is it ok to stay in the right lane (but left of the buses) or should I stay in the bus lane, close to the curb? Or should I pick a different route?!

First, remember the basic rules about riding in and with traffic:

1. Drive on the right side of the roadway; never on the left, and never on the sidewalk.
2. Obey all traffic signs and signals.
3. When you reach a more important or larger road than you are on, yield to crossing traffic.
4. When you intend to change lanes or move laterally on the roadway, yield to traffic in the new lane or line of travel. Never move laterally (sideways) on the roadway without checking behind you first to be sure the way is clear.
5. When approaching an intersection, position yourself with respect to the direction of your destination – Right turners are next to the curb, left turners are near the centerline, straight through drivers are between these positions.
6. Ride in the right-most lane that’s going in the direction you want to go.
7. Between intersections, position yourself according to your speed relative to other traffic. Parked drivers are at the curb, slow drivers are next to them, and fast drivers are near the centerline. Never pass or overtake on the right, generally overtake on the left.

Buses and large trucks pose a special hazard to cyclists. First, because they're so derned big, it takes a long of energy to get them moving, and it takes longer for them to stop when they do decide to do so.

Secondly, they have big blind spots... directly behind them and to their left and right rear quarter. You need to recognize these "NO-Zones" and stay well clear of them. The bus driver can't see you there (presuming that he or she is looking out for cyclists in the first place) and can easily right-hook you. Likewise, a number of cyclists have been killed recently when they were riding along the right hand side of the road or in a bike lane adjacent to a bus stop, and were hit when a bus came barreling in there to the stop. Don't put yourself in a position where you can get squeezed into the gutter, or worse, hit.

So here's some basic precautions. When you're riding around a bus or a big truck, imagine that they're a wild elephant, bent on stomping you into the pavement. Give them plenty of room, learn where their blind spots are, and stay out of those areas.

When you come to a bus that’s nearing or stopped at a bus stop, don’t pass on the right. You might get squeezed into the curb or hit a passenger who's bailing off the bus.

When you pass a bus with its rear end angled out into traffic, pass on the left and look around carefully. Pass the front of the bus with plenty of room in case it pulls out suddenly or pedestrians appear.

Don’t pass a bus to turn right immediately in front of it. Buses sometimes speed up suddenly or start moving before the traffic light turns green.

If there's a specific bus lane and buses are always weaving in and out of it, or pulling over for their stops, scan behind you, signal, and move over into the next rightmost traffic lane. It's much better than continually playing leapfrog with the bus...

Dave Glowacs' little book, Urban Bikers' Tips & Tricks: Low-Tech and No-Tech Ways to Find, Ride, and Keep a Bicycle (Wordspace Press, Chicago, IL, (1997)) has some excellent advice, with diagrams, for dealing with buses and other urban hazards. I don't (officially or at least in the presence of witnesses) use or recommend some of the stuff that Dave has in this book, but it's a really good handbook for city cyclists.

Tom

Thanks for the lenthy response, Tom. In my route home I sometimes ride on the left side (again, all one-way streets) because I will eventually be turning left in a couple blocks and also to avoid those elephants. Is that still a no-no? Seems safer that way and I'm probably more predictable to drivers.

Thanks!
Rebecca

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Originally Posted by hawkeyerider

Thanks for the lenthy response, Tom. In my route home I sometimes ride on the left side (again, all one-way streets) because I will eventually be turning left in a couple blocks and also to avoid those elephants. Is that still a no-no? Seems safer that way and I'm probably more predictable to drivers.

Thanks!
Rebecca

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Rebecca:

On a one-way street, you may ride in either the left or the right lane. Remember the rule about speed positioning (stopped vehicles at the curb, slower vehicles to the right, faster vehicles to the left), but if you're setting yourself up for a left turn, or there are hazards in the right lane (like debris, parked cars, or stopped buses) ride as far to the left as you feel you need to be safe.

Give yourself some time to set yourself up and move over to the left lane if you're making a left turn. You should be looking and thinking at least one, preferably two blocks ahead of where you actually are... this gives you a little space to yield to overtaking traffic, signal, and smoothly move to the left turn lane.

It's really bad practice to make a left turn from the far right side of the roadway (e.g., your typical bike lane), because you have to cross all those traffic lanes suddenly to get where you need to be. Look and plan ahead, and give yourself room to be safe.

tom

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Originally Posted by PscyclePath

It's really bad practice to make a left turn from the far right side of the roadway (e.g., your typical bike lane), because you have to cross all those traffic lanes suddenly to get where you need to be. Look and plan ahead, and give yourself room to be safe.

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How I wish all cyclists would know and understand this one concept fully, if nothing else. Every day I see bicyclists setting themselves up in very dangerous situations by doing just that. :(

The route you take in a car may not be the best bike route. My bicycle route is totally different from the route I take in a car. It's about a mile longer but there is room for cars to go around me and better sight distances.

So you might want to take a look at alternative routes, side streets, bike paths etc.

Thank you!

I'm feeling more comfortable every day with this and am really enjoying my commute.

Do you all use hand signals when you turn? (I mean the directional ones--not the nasty ones :rolleyes:) I'm wondering if that would help or confuse drivers more.

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Originally Posted by lovelylibrarian

Do you all use hand signals when you turn? (I mean the directional ones--not the nasty ones :rolleyes:) I'm wondering if that would help or confuse drivers more.

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Yes. Most state laws require that you signal your intent to turn or to slow down,and prescribe a hand signal for each.

Communicating with drivers on the roads and streets is an important part of negotiating trafic, helps your being perceived as predictable, and lessens the chance that someone will turn into you or fail to yield appropriately. Not only the sign language of hand signals, but your body language as well can communicate your intent... for example, scanning to your rear should indicate that you're about to change lanes, or at least that you're aware that someone may be behind you...

I signal to drivers behind me, ahead of me at side streets, and ones making left turns from opposite lanes.

If I am going straight through a blinking yellow light, I stick my arm out forward. Since I have no turn signals, these people don't know and may try to get in front to turn right.

I also "ask" drivers to come out in a lane. I look behind me, point at the lane with a "n'est ce pas?" look on my face, and try to make some kind of eye contact. If the car slows, I come out carefully and then give a thumbs up and a wave.

Even though we look down our nose at the lowly automobile drivers trapped in their steel and plastic prisons, we can pretend that we are appreciative of their sharing their roads with us. ;)

Yes, I always use hand signals and am good about giving other cues if I'm about to switch lanes. So far I haven't gotten any horns or obscene gestures!

For the most part, car drivers greatly appreciate it when we give big obvious hand signals letting them know our intentions beforehand. At a stop light, when everyone is waiting for the green light, I look all around me and make a BIG signal letting everyone know which way I'm going to go on the green light (and of course i'm in the left part of the lane if I'm planning on making a left). If I plan to go straight I make a big pointing straight ahead gesture with my whole arm, twice. I see so many drivers nodding and smiling when they see my turn signaling. It's so much safer to be visible and make big gestures.

I don't know why this never occurred to me before, but indicating that I'm going straight with the whole arm is a GREAT idea!! I have been almost hit 4 times in the past week because of cars turning into me or cutting me off at intersections (where there are no lights). This is partly due to those 'wrong way' cyclists getting in the way, but I think that had I thought to clearly indicate that I was continuing in the straight ahead direction, it would have helped at least half of the incidents.

Is it me, or is it getting MORE dangerous out there lately? I don't know why I'm all of a sudden having so many near misses on the same roads and intersections I've been riding for months with no problems. :confused:

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Originally Posted by GLC1968

Is it me, or is it getting MORE dangerous out there lately? I don't know why I'm all of a sudden having so many near misses on the same roads and intersections I've been riding for months with no problems.

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Traffic has been better here. Of course this is a college town in summer. But with 6% drop in miles driven I don't see how it could be anything but better.

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Originally Posted by GLC1968

I don't know why this never occurred to me before, but indicating that I'm going straight with the whole arm is a GREAT idea!! I have been almost hit 4 times in the past week because of cars turning into me or cutting me off at intersections (where there are no lights). This is partly due to those 'wrong way' cyclists getting in the way, but I think that had I thought to clearly indicate that I was continuing in the straight ahead direction, it would have helped at least half of the incidents.

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If you like that idea, then by all means go all the way like I do and TAKE THE LANE just like a car at the intersection if you mean to go straight.
I carefully maneuver into the middle of the lane as I am approaching an intersection, and I wait my turn in the line just like a car. As the light turns green or as I'm coming into the crossing, I am in the middle of the lane and i make my big clear pointing ahead signals for all to see as I'm coming through the intersection. (sort of like the charge of the Light Brigade in slow motion). You'd be amazed at how cars suddenly treat you like any other car. They don't drive around you, try to turn around you, or ignore you. I've never been honked at or cursed at for doing this- only smiled at by grateful drivers who don't have to guess what the biker is going to do.
As soon as I am clear of the intersction I swing back to the right edge of the lane or the shoulder to allow cars to pass me again. Works like a charm, and everyone seems happy. Car drivers LIKE knowing what cyclists are planning to do. It's safer and more courteous to let them all know clearly ahead of time and during any tricky situation like a traffic turn.

(don't let this get you offguard though....you should still EXPECT cars to do something stupid at any second, or not to see you. Anticipate the worst and you will always be prepared for anything.) :)

Oh Lisa - I do take the lane when stopped at an intersection. Every time!

My problem is at intersections where there is no light. I'm on the road with the right of way. It's the cars turning left or the ones waiting at a stop sign to pull out (they are to my right), that are causing the problems.

Just today, I was approaching a side street that had a stop sign (I was on the main road). I'm always aware of cars pulling into the street because unless I make eye contact, I assume they don't see me. There were two cars at the stop. The first one saw me and assumed they could 'beat' me so she pulled out in front of me. She was ok doing so, but I did slow a bit to see what the car behind her would do. He stopped, so I kept going. Then, at the last minute, he pulled out in front of me. I screetched to a halt jumping off the saddle and just barely kept from slamming into his car. I yell at him to just GO now that he's blocking the road and he indicates that he can't because now there are other cars on the street that I was on. Yes. He had no intention of stopping for me, but he only stopped because there were cars on the road with me. And yes, this guy looked right at me and smiled before he pulled out. He showed no concern at all that he'd almost hit me. This is the 4th such incident in the past 5 days and my commute is only 2 miles each way!!

H's theory is that the local drivers are getting fed up with all the new cyclists who don't follow the rules of the road that they are taking it out on all of us.

Admittedly, as a driver, I'm finding a LOT of the new cyclists to be extremely dangerous and quite annoying...so I'm frustrated.

I don't know...maybe it's just a coincidence and bad timing. :confused:

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Originally Posted by GLC1968

Just today, I was approaching a side street that had a stop sign (I was on the main road). I'm always aware of cars pulling into the street because unless I make eye contact, I assume they don't see me. There were two cars at the stop. The first one saw me and assumed they could 'beat' me so she pulled out in front of me. She was ok doing so, but I did slow a bit to see what the car behind her would do. He stopped, so I kept going. Then, at the last minute, he pulled out in front of me. I screetched to a halt jumping off the saddle and just barely kept from slamming into his car. I yell at him to just GO now that he's blocking the road and he indicates that he can't because now there are other cars on the street that I was on. Yes. He had no intention of stopping for me, but he only stopped because there were cars on the road with me. And yes, this guy looked right at me and smiled before he pulled out. He showed no concern at all that he'd almost hit me. This is the 4th such incident in the past 5 days and my commute is only 2 miles each way!!

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What I see in this scenario is that this kind of thing has always happened to cyclists and always will. People make bad decisions whether they are driving cars or riding bikes, and that will never change. The difference here is that YOU were ready for his bizarre move- in the back of your mind you knew there was a freakin' tiny possibility of him pulling out unexpectedly at the last moment. That gave you a big edge over other cyclists who would have blithely accelerated at that moment, thinking the coast was all clear and safe. They likely would have slammed right into him and been totally surprised by the whole incident. YOU knew better than to be that confident. So I see it as wonderful proof of your defensive biking technique. You avoided all your recent near collisions because you expected the cars to do the wrong thing. This is defensive biking at its best. :)

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H's theory is that the local drivers are getting fed up with all the new cyclists who don't follow the rules of the road that they are taking it out on all of us.
Admittedly, as a driver, I'm finding a LOT of the new cyclists to be extremely dangerous and quite annoying...so I'm frustrated.

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I think this is partly true as well. I'm seeing way more people on bikes this year than the past few years. And I see them biking in ways that make me shudder. They are astounded when cars don't see them and they also ride so timidly that it puts them into dangerous situations (such as riding along in the 'door zone' without any idea what could happen) and they ride in such a way as to make cars unsure of what they are going to do, which just compounds the danger.

Where there's no stop or yield signs, or no traffic light, the right-of-way rule at "uncontrolled" intersctions is "first come -- first served." The driver who gets there first gets to take his turn going thru first. If two or more drivers get there at the same time, then the driver on the right goes first.

For Europe, it's different. If you're on what they designate and sign as the "priority road," then traffic on the priority road has right of way. In the absence of a priority road sign, then it's always the vehicle farthest to the right that has right of way.

We do an extremely poor job of driver education here in the States, with few ever again cracking the cover on the rule book once they get their learner's permit as a teen-ager. That leads to the common, but false presumption that the bigger the vehicle you drive, the more right-of-way you should have ;-)

Scary stuff, GLC!!

Here's my hopefully-a-little-bit-helpful 2 cents... for what it's worth.

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Originally Posted by GLC1968

Just today, I was approaching a side street that had a stop sign (I was on the main road). I'm always aware of cars pulling into the street because unless I make eye contact, I assume they don't see me.

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Personally, I don't assume that they see me. I usually smile or gently wave, too. If I don't get some form of acknowledgment back, and I think that it will matter, I make a bigger sign.

I find that female driver in particular (maybe because I'm female, or for another reason???) very often do not respond non-verbally as well. They just stay there staring at you, and it's impossible to tell whether they've seen you or not.

Anyway it's not always possible, but I try to smile to drivers whenever I make eye contact, especially since I'm wearing shades on the bike most of the time.

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He stopped, so I kept going. Then, at the last minute, he pulled out in front of me. (...) And yes, this guy looked right at me and smiled before he pulled out.

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Remember the moonwalking gorilla? Maybe the guy was not looking for you at all... :(

Don't be shy and "tell" drivers not to go by flashing them a universal stop sign, i.e. showing the the palm of your hand (fingers up... ALL fingers ;) ) with your arm extended. I find that car drivers respond to that immediately, maybe because it's pretty hard wired in their brain or because it makes me look like a traffic cop. I don't know. In the last two years I've been using that move quite a bit when I felt that the driver could be making a bad decision. I have had only one person "override" my "stop signal" and he did it fast enough that he did not endanger me.

Disclaimer: I live in Vancouver, B.C., and the drivers are generally quite shy and not especially confident at reading the signs of the road, in part because many of them have learned to drive later in their adult life. They are relatively easy to deal with, they seem to appreciate having others making their driving decisions for them. This might not work as well with a middle-aged owner of a big fat pickup truck who's been driving since he was 7 years old and doesn't need a cyclist to boss him around. Your mileage may vary...

'I carefully maneuver into the middle of the lane as I am approaching an intersection, and I wait my turn in the line just like a car.'

Hmm. I've been told by other cyclists that it's ok to move up to the front of the line while cars are waiting at an intersection. I'm off to the side but not in the right-turn lane. Is that poor etiquette?

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Originally Posted by hawkeyerider

'I carefully maneuver into the middle of the lane as I am approaching an intersection, and I wait my turn in the line just like a car.'

Hmm. I've been told by other cyclists that it's ok to move up to the front of the line while cars are waiting at an intersection. I'm off to the side but not in the right-turn lane. Is that poor etiquette?

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My friend was "doored" by a passenger coming out of a car recently as she was passing it to the right, trying to get to the stop sign ahead. Thankfully nobody was hurt. It was not very nice for me (and her!), but I had to tell her that she was not supposed to be there and that most likely the passenger would not be considered at fault if she complained. She even could have hurt the passenger if they had collided, and it would have been my friend's fault.

I am not 100% sure about your state, but where I live it depends on whether there actually is a lane for bikes.

Generally, it is prohibited to pass vehicles on the right, if only because it's quite dangerous. You're vulnerable to doors, sudden movements of the cars to the right, etc. Drivers are trained to see trouble coming from the left, not from the right. (Note that many cars do not have a rear-view mirror on the right side of the car.)

If there is a bike lane, or A LOT of space, I do pass on the right and get to the front of the line. If there is no lane, and the space is not wide enough, I wait for my turn in the middle of the car lane. It annoys me to see other cyclists buzzing around and going through the intersection directly, but I'd rather stay where I am and 1) be safe and 2) show drivers that at least some cyclists follow the rules of the road.

Ditto Grog on the passing on the right at an intersection, it's dangerous. In fact, where I commute, there is a bike lane for most of it. I've been known to come up to intersections in the bike lane and hold back behind a car if they are already at the intersection waiting to turn right (if I'm going straight). I figure that it's only fair since they got their first. If there are other cars coming, I move into the lane behind the car to hold my own place in line while waiting for them to turn.

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Originally Posted by hawkeyerider

Hmm. I've been told by other cyclists that it's ok to move up to the front of the line while cars are waiting at an intersection. I'm off to the side but not in the right-turn lane. Is that poor etiquette?

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Etiquette and manners aside.....it's DANGEROUS.

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Originally Posted by Grog

If there is a bike lane, or A LOT of space, I do pass on the right and get to the front of the line. If there is no lane, and the space is not wide enough, I wait for my turn in the middle of the car lane.

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Same here - unless there is a wide, designated bike lane (and sometimes even if there is one...) I prefer to move into the middle of the intersection so that its clear that I am there and my intention is to go straight. The only other time I would feel OK passing on the right would be if traffic was entirely snarled to a stop. Then I feel little that compels me to not use my advantages as a bike and move freely :D (smiling the whole time too)

One thing that does bug me is people who don't stop until they are half way into an intersection... yeah I get it that you can't see around parked cars, but you are supposed to stop behind the stop line, then if you don't have a clear view, slowly pull forward until you can see, then proceed. I yelled at a guy who was plowing through a stop from a side street onto the arterial that I was on yesterday. Nothing bad, just "hey" because I didn't think he was stopping at all. He had his window open and he apparently couldn't figure out why I yelled.... dude how am I supposed to know you are stopping if you don't stop....

Just to clarify, we're not in the right-turn lane; we are all going straight.

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Originally Posted by hawkeyerider

Just to clarify, we're not in the right-turn lane; we are all going straight.

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That's exactly what I thought, and the others as well I think.

I don't know any jurisdiction where you're allowed to pass on the right. That includes cyclists.

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Originally Posted by Grog

That's exactly what I thought, and the others as well I think.

I don't know any jurisdiction where you're allowed to pass on the right. That includes cyclists.

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Here in the city when the road is 2 lanes and not a highway it is legal to pass on the right. Otherwise no one would be able to pass left hand turners :p. It is also legal for bicycles to pass on the right when they are occupying a bike lane. Now, there is legal and there is safe..... most of our bike lanes are not particularly safe.... and passing on the right totally tempts being right hooked. While it is not legal to turn across a lane of traffic (ie a bike lane) without making sure its unoccupied, that certainly doesn't stop people from doing it.

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Originally Posted by Grog

That's exactly what I thought, and the others as well I think.

I don't know any jurisdiction where you're allowed to pass on the right. That includes cyclists.

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This has been one of the points of contention with the Advanced Stop Lines, or so-called "bike boxes" that Portland, OR and several other cities have been trying over the past year.

A "bike box" is where the automobile stop line is moved back about 10 to 12 feet, and a painted box is established for bicycles immediately at the crosswalk. Cyclists are allowed to filter forward to the bike box and take their place in line ahead of motorists at the stop lights where these boxes have been marked. (See http://www.portlandonline.com/TRANSP...ex.cfm?c=46717 for examples).

While these are intended to get bikes out in front of cars, and especially heavy vehicles in an attempt to avoid collisions with right-turning and left-turning vehicles at intersections, the boxes frequently encourage the bad habit of cyclists moving up on the right side of these vehicles, directly in the spot where most buses and heavy trucks have a blind spot. Also, to make this concept work, you have to ban a right-turn-on-red option at these intersections. That's the case in almost all places in Europe, where the bike box idea originated, but most drivers here in the States at least take right-turn-on-red to be a God-given right... sort of like cyclists thinking that since they're not cars, traffic signs shouldn't apply to them :rolleyes:

Filtering forward on the right at stop lights and stop signs is bad business for the following reasons:

1) It puts you on the right-hand side of a potentially right-turning vehicle, in his blind spot and in a position where motorists are not accustomed to looking for cyclists or other motorists alike. They're not looking for you to be there.

2) Especially for trucks and buses, it puts you in the "NO-ZONE" where not only can the driver not see you, but you're even more likely to be hit as he swings wide to turn right.

3) The car or truck often masks you from oncoming motorists when you're positioned there... so if you don't get right-hooked by the guy you just passed, you're likely to get left-hooked as well by a motorist turning left and not looking for you behind that other vehicle.

4) If the motorist just passed you back down the street so that he could beat you to that red light 100 feet down the road, his road rage level is going to spiral upward and onward as you blithely get back in front of him and now he has to pass you all over again (just because he can).

5) Right-turning motorists often roll through stops, and aren't looking for anyone to be on their right side... and then you have the yahoos are aren't thinking ahead and turn right from the left lane, and right-hook the unwary cyclist who's sneaking up closer to the stop light to spare momentum, or get a head start when the light turns green again. Turning right illegally from one lane over like that is not all that unusual, and the prudent cyclist adopts behavior that anticipates these moves, attempts to reduce the likelihood of encountering one, and to be prepared to avoid it. The main right-hook-managing habits I know are:

1. Clearly control narrow lanes.
2. Use destination positioning (move left even in wide lanes at all intersection or junction approaches), and do it early (at least 5 to 10 seconds before reaching the intersection).
3. Glance back over your left shoulder at all approaches to potential right hook situations to see if you're vulnerable to one and adjust accordingly (and to look for reasons/opportunity to move left).
4. Observe motorist behavior and be alert for tell-tale signs.

Tom

Yes why is it they are looking right at you when you have the right of way and they still pull out? I have tried the eye contact trick, no luck. Don't bother waving for attention, that would just confuse them (I know I would be confused). You could maybe point and say...don't you dare?!

From the cyclists I know that have been in an accident, they have all happened at intersections, either they were traveling and the person didn't stop or the cyclist thought they were going to stop and the car didn't. Either case, when I see a car at an intersection, I anticipate them pulling out so I'm ready. It's helped me out several times...