Question about bikes in bike lanes and right hand turns.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Cyclists are a law onto themselves.

I've seen cars stopped at a red light waiting their turn for the light to turn green so they can cross the intersection and cyclists just cutting through the cars and stopping right in front of the first car in line. Then when the light changes to green the cyclists slows down the cars in crossing the intersection. Shouldn't the cyclists have to get in line just like the cars waiting for the green light?

No. That particular thing those bicyclists are doing is fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

As a cyclist who stops at red lights and stop signs….

DP

The only bike+bike crash I’ve ever had was with a self-righteous rider like you who slammed his brakes on unexpectedly at the bottom of a hill because he saw a stop sign. No cross traffic, no cars, no walkers, nothing, just a stop sign and an otherwise empty intersection.

So we’re both coming down the hill and I’m maybe 20 feet behind him and we’re both carrying a good bit of speed, and all the sudden he slams his brakes on for no reason. This was on Lowell Street over near the National Cathedral, btw. Not a hugely steep hill, but a nice long steady one, so we were probably both doing maybe 25-30 or so at this point.

Anyways, he panic-stops, and caused me to run right into him. We both went sprawling out into the middle of the road. Bent my fork, taco’d a $300 wheel, trashed my front shifter and front brake lever, skinned up my hands and my hip, just a total mess that trashed about $500 worth of stuff on my bike.

All because he stopped for no reason.


Just stay off the road. You’re an obstacle.

You weren’t paying attention and riding too close. He made the legal choice and you assumed he’d blow through because you always do. I’m sorry you crashed, but poor form dude.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was driving on Irving st NW a few hours ago, and also had a crash involving a cyclist.

The street has a dedicated, marked bike lane on the right side of the roadway. I came to a 4-way stop sign, and was going to turn right. I had my turn signal on and was sitting there for a moment because the car to my left had already stopped for the stop sign on their side, and had started to move across the intersection, so I had to wait for a bit longer than a normal stop before I could turn right.

As I started to pull away from the stop sign and make the turn, this I hear a loud shout, and then a thump, and look over my right shoulder and this guy on a bike was all the way up against the rear right side of my car and just slammed his hand down on the back window.

I stopped right there in the middle of the turn because I didn’t realize right away what had just happened. For a second I thought I’d run over him, but then realized I couldn’t have. And then he pedals around beside and is yelling about how I almost ran over him. Then he kept going. He looked unharmed to me.


Then I started thinking about what had to have happened, and if I was already stopped, and had my signal on and was turning, how could it be my fault? Don’t I have a right of way since I’m already at the stop sign? Is a cyclist allowed to pass a car in front of them that is turning right at a stop sign, if the car is already at the stop sign and starting to make a turn? The only possible way he could have been trying to go around me mid-turn was if he hadn’t stopped at the stop sign, and bikers are supposed to stop at stop signs. So I don’t see how any of this could’ve been me “almost running over him”.

Who is in the wrong here?

You were. Just another oblivious driver behind the wheel not paying attention to your surroundings. People like you are the bane of people like me. The exact same scenario has happened to me several times. I’ve almost run into the sides of cars on several occasions because some idiot turns in front of me. Most cyclists don’t do stop signs. We’re not a car so we’re not required to and it takes too much energy to stop at every block and then get back up to speed again. So we’re trying to maintain our cadence and momentum and when you stop and then turn you literally force us to run into you if we don’t take evasive action. You’re lucky he just pounded on your window. I would’ve smashed your car with my lock.

You are 100% wrong. You are required to stop at a stop sign. When you blow one and get hit, you’ll be charged.

It’s accepted practice that bikes don’t have to stop for stop signs or red lights. I don’t care what the law says. If it’s a law and almost no one follows it then it’s not really a real law. It might be on the books but in reality cyclists do not have to stop for stop signs or red lights. Don’t like that ? Too bad so sad get over it. The whole rest of the world basically disagrees with you so you’re the one in the wrong here regardless of whatever the law says.

When you blow a sign or light and I hit you, I won’t be the one getting hurt. Too bad, so sad, get over it. I remember a guy with your attitude going over the hood of my car and getting helicoptered away, he had to pay for the damage, because, he broke that law that’s not a real law…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your initial post did not indicate that you looked right before turning. You have a responsibility to look right before turning right to ensure there are no pedestrians or cyclists. That’s basic drivers education.

+1 This. That is why we have so many accidents, people don’t know basic driving.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I always assume cyclists won’t stop because I assume all cyclists are a$$holes. My apologies to the responsible cyclists on this thread. I will work on my bias, but I’m still going to assume you won’t stop just in case…

As a cyclist: nope please keep assuming we’re all a$$holes. Enough people are in general that it’s probably safest to assume a cyclist is just in case. (I make this assumption about people in cars too.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cyclists are a law onto themselves.

I've seen cars stopped at a red light waiting their turn for the light to turn green so they can cross the intersection and cyclists just cutting through the cars and stopping right in front of the first car in line. Then when the light changes to green the cyclists slows down the cars in crossing the intersection. Shouldn't the cyclists have to get in line just like the cars waiting for the green light?

Instead of complaining, why don’t you get on a bike, too?

One Less Car.

I've got a bad hip. Hard for me to ride a bike for too long.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cyclists are a law onto themselves.

I've seen cars stopped at a red light waiting their turn for the light to turn green so they can cross the intersection and cyclists just cutting through the cars and stopping right in front of the first car in line. Then when the light changes to green the cyclists slows down the cars in crossing the intersection. Shouldn't the cyclists have to get in line just like the cars waiting for the green light?

No. That particular thing those bicyclists are doing is fine.

But it still not fair or safe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cyclists are a law onto themselves.

I've seen cars stopped at a red light waiting their turn for the light to turn green so they can cross the intersection and cyclists just cutting through the cars and stopping right in front of the first car in line. Then when the light changes to green the cyclists slows down the cars in crossing the intersection. Shouldn't the cyclists have to get in line just like the cars waiting for the green light?

No. That particular thing those bicyclists are doing is fine.

But it still not fair or safe.

What's unsafe about it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cyclists are a law onto themselves.

I've seen cars stopped at a red light waiting their turn for the light to turn green so they can cross the intersection and cyclists just cutting through the cars and stopping right in front of the first car in line. Then when the light changes to green the cyclists slows down the cars in crossing the intersection. Shouldn't the cyclists have to get in line just like the cars waiting for the green light?

No. That particular thing those bicyclists are doing is fine.

But it still not fair or safe.

What's unsafe about it?

Because they can get rear ended. A car is at the front of the line waiting for the light to turn green. How can it be safe for a cyclist to ride his bike between vehicles to essentially cut the line? When they get rear ended it won't be because the car was following too close. It will be because they cut the line.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cyclists are a law onto themselves.

I've seen cars stopped at a red light waiting their turn for the light to turn green so they can cross the intersection and cyclists just cutting through the cars and stopping right in front of the first car in line. Then when the light changes to green the cyclists slows down the cars in crossing the intersection. Shouldn't the cyclists have to get in line just like the cars waiting for the green light?

No. That particular thing those bicyclists are doing is fine.

But it still not fair or safe.

“Waaaaahhh! Waaahhhh! It’s not FAIR!”

You sound like a kindergartner.

[Anonymous]

Hobby cyclist, mostly driver here. Look, few people actually care if cyclists bust through stops signs or red lights when there is little impact on on drivers. But in this case, a cyclist coming up on a busy 4-way stop absolutely needs to follow the law and stop or at least slow to a crawl to assess the situation better.

[Anonymous]

As can seen by this thread, most cyclists themselves don’t know the rules. They just make up rules and expect everyone to know their made up rules.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Cyclists are a law onto themselves.

I've seen cars stopped at a red light waiting their turn for the light to turn green so they can cross the intersection and cyclists just cutting through the cars and stopping right in front of the first car in line. Then when the light changes to green the cyclists slows down the cars in crossing the intersection. Shouldn't the cyclists have to get in line just like the cars waiting for the green light?

Exactly. One set of laws applies to drivers. Another set of laws applies to bicyclists. Yet another set of laws applies to pedestrians. That's literally the law.

Now, does the law require bicyclists to take the lane at intersections where there is a red light? No, the law does not. The law allows - but does not require - bicyclists to take the lane.

As a driver, would you want the law to require bicyclists to take the lane at all times? I doubt it, given all of the complaints from drivers who get "stuck" behind bicyclists going more slowly than the drivers want to go. Anecdotally, as a bicyclist, I usually take the lane at intersections with stop signs or traffic signals, because I don't want to get right-hooked, and I can't count the number of times drivers behind me have honked at me and yelled at me to get the f*** out of their way. And I'm a woman on a $100 all-purpose bike, in yoga mom clothes, riding with an ugly kid's backpack.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I always assume cyclists won’t stop because I assume all cyclists are a$$holes. My apologies to the responsible cyclists on this thread. I will work on my bias, but I’m still going to assume you won’t stop just in case…

Not stopping doesn’t make me an a$$hole any more than you driving a car makes you an a$$hole.

Do better.

If you don’t stop and hit me, a pedestrian, you are indeed an a$$hole and my lawyer will bring the full weight of the law (which says you have to stop) to bear. Do better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I always assume cyclists won’t stop because I assume all cyclists are a$$holes. My apologies to the responsible cyclists on this thread. I will work on my bias, but I’m still going to assume you won’t stop just in case…

Not stopping doesn’t make me an a$$hole any more than you driving a car makes you an a$$hole.

Do better.

If you don’t stop and hit me, a pedestrian, you are indeed an a$$hole and my lawyer will bring the full weight of the law (which says you have to stop) to bear. Do better.

The driver isn’t going to go to prison, and probably doesn’t have enough assets to pay anything.