Intersection navigation questions

[Crankin]

Lisa, you know I am the safest and not particularly aggressive rider around. But, I can envision the first intersection she described because I had a similar situation on my commute to work. No as many turning points, but it kept me from trying the commute for a year because i was scared, even at 6:30 in the morning.
This was an uphill (not really a huge hill) that ended in a T with a busier street. There is a light there. There is a right turn lane for the cars going right, but you cannot make a right on red. I had to turn left here. I would ride up the very right side of the left turn lane, sort of on the line. It was better visibility here and frankly, easier to get started. I have had some really bad experiences trying to start off on little uphills, and having to end up scooting through intersections, pushing with my unclipped foot. So, I was in between the lanes of cars, when usually I always get in the lane and act like a car. If I hadn't done this and ended up behind a car in the left lane, I am almost certain I would not have bee able to start up again. I once fell in the middle of an intersection in a situation like this and I felt safer being between the cars. There was enough room and I know that cars saw me. Maybe because no one was going straight here, it's a different story, but I can see why someone would do what was described.

[Mr. Bloom]

Take the rightmost lane that serves your destination. Your position within the lane may depend on a number of factors, but should never be between the cars.

Being between the cars makes your friends potentially invisible to the drivers and prone to danger.

[OakLeaf]

But, if you're going straight and there's a right turn lane and the light is green, you're between cars. Maybe you take the lane in the intersection itself, but for the length of the lane approaching it (which could be an entire city block), you're in your normal position.

Likewise if you're turning left from a left turn lane. Even more so if there are two left turning lanes (which would mean that even if you take the lane the entire way, there will STILL be traffic on your left in the other lane).

Yes it's scary having cars passing you on both sides, but I think that there's taking the lane, and then there's just plain holding up traffic, and IMO the latter is just inviting road rage.

[Mr. Bloom]

Sorry, I misunderstood thinking that "between the cars" was between two cars in adjacent lanes.

[PscyclePath]

Yep... the proper place to be is taking your turn in line behind the cars, just like you were driving one, too. Filtering forward by passing on the right or splitting a narrow lane is a bad idea, since it puts you in a place where drivers aren't likely to be looking out for you, and thus they'll turn into you.

And besides, cutting in line like that is just bad manners.

It sounds like Grits is doing the right thing as far as the intersection goes. To respond to her question about what to do when negotiating those little islands between divided streets/highways, just remember that since we're usually slower than motor vehicles, we want to position ourselves to the right side of the roadway, but not so far to the right that you tempt other drivers to squeeze you to the curb, or pass you unsafely. What works for me - and we have a lot of these kinds of crossings around here - is to claim the lane and take my turn like the cars do.

Tom
Tom

[ny biker]

I seem to be the only cyclist I know who waits in line with the cars at stop lights. Everyone else rides up the right side to the front of the line. I used to do that too, until I realized how annoying it was from the perspective of the driver, in addition to being dangerous.

I know most people don't care about annoying drivers, but every little bit adds up and creates the overall hostility that so many of them show to cyclists. If we obey the laws and wait our turn like everyone else, it helps us all.

But like I said, I feel like I'm in the minority. At least in the DC area.

[Becky]

For me, it depends on the situation. If there's a shoulder on a very busy road that continues on the other side of the intersection, I may filter to the front but stay on the shoulder. If there's no shoulder, I absolutely take the lane and wait my turn in line.