Right turns and Bike Lanes

[DismalScientist]

@Steve O 117267 wrote:

Traffic light
At a light, if a car is planning a right turn and I pull up beside it on the right in the bike lane, then a couple of things can happen:
– The driver is able to find an opening in traffic and turn right on red while I await the green. No foul.
– The driver does not get an opening in traffic before the light turns green. In this case, the driver is likely looking to her left, and when the light turns may turn across my path as I proceed. (This describes a common problem at the IoD). This is, of course, in violation of law: the car must yield to traffic in a travel lane to its right prior to moving right. I may be right in this case, but I’d rather not be dead right.

I do something different in this situation.
If the car is signalling a right turn, I will pull up on his left and in front in a way that he can turn right behind me. I will probably violate the stop line when doing so.

If the car is not signalling so he likely is going straight, but could turn right, I pull up through the bike lane and stop in front so that I am not in his way if he is going straight and if he is going to make a unsignalled right, he will have to go through me. I glance has his indicator light and if he signals that he will turn right, I will cross in front of him and position myself so that he can turn right on red behind me.

If I am in a bike lane going straight at a light and a car behind me pulls in wanting to turn right, I’ll move a little to the left and let him turn behind me. If the car is not signalling a right turn, I will glare at his indicator and if he signals, I will move over an let him turn behind me.

I delude myself in thinking that this behavior shows a) that I, as a cyclist, am aware of the intentions of other traffic and b) that drivers signalling turns will be rewarded.

[sjclaeys]

I agree with all of the above as good strategies for defensive riding and taking into consideration the reality of how drivers behave. I have engaged in many of these approaches. My question is whether as a matter of law drivers can or should be able to use a solid lined bike path as a right hand turn lane. This is what I have been trying to get to but apparently not in a very clear way. Also, this recently came up because it was on the agenda for the Arlington BAC meeting. What did ACPD say about the matter?

[DismalScientist]

If you travel around Arlington, you will note that some bike lanes have dashed white left lines at intersections and other have solid white lines. There appears to be no rhyme nor reason to where there is one treatment or the other. Federal Guidelines suggest that they should always be dashed.

http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/htm/2009/part9/part9c.htm

http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/htm/2009/part9/fig9c_06_longdesc.htm

I stated that I thought the solid lines were mismarked. In other words, I think drivers are required to use the bike lane when executing a right turn as close as possible to the curb.
https://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+46.2-846

I brought up the subject because I was perplexed by seeing the item on the agenda and I don’t know what was discussed at the BAC meeting.
Lord knows what the ACPD says about any of this.

[dasgeh]

@sjclaeys 117370 wrote:

I agree with all of the above as good strategies for defensive riding and taking into consideration the reality of how drivers behave. I have engaged in many of these approaches. My question is whether as a matter of law drivers can or should be able to use a solid lined bike path as a right hand turn lane. This is what I have been trying to get to but apparently not in a very clear way. Also, this recently came up because it was on the agenda for the Arlington BAC meeting. What did ACPD say about the matter?

ACPD agrees with everyone else: cars should merge into the bike lanes before turning right.

Of course, the officer asserted that he thought . After some back and forth, he realized the issues with his interpretation and is getting an answer from the Commonwealth’s Attorney.

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