A Few Clarifications on Sharing the Road With Bicyclists

WHEN A CYCLIST CREATES HIS/HER OWN LANE: Marilyn-n-john says via email, “Often in the right outer lane with no bicycle lane, a biker will squeeze between a car in that lane and the curb.”

And the problem is this: “When the light turns green and the car has right-turn flashers on to turn right, there is this biker between the car and the curb wanting to proceed straight ahead! Is this legal for the biker to use this non-lane space to ride or stop at an intersection instead of staying in the lane itself?”

Diane Albert, an Albuquerque attorney and member of the Greater Albuquerque Bicycling Advisory Committee and board member of the Bicycle Coalition of New Mexico and BikeABQ, says it boils down to what state statutes say about passing on the right.

According to NMMA 66-7-311, passing on the right is only allowed when the vehicle being passed is going to turn left or when there is enough width for two or more lines of moving vehicles in that direction. The passing must be done “only under conditions permitting such movement in safety. In no event shall such movement be made by driving off the pavement or main-traveled portion of the roadway.”

Albert says “practically, if a bicyclist waits in line behind every vehicle stopped at a light, the cyclist’s smaller acceleration will obstruct vehicles lined up behind him, and that bicyclist may not reach the intersection to make it through on the green. If indeed the lane is so narrow that a bicyclist is ‘squeezing’ past cars, then the bicyclist will indeed need to ‘take the lane’ so motorists aren’t squeezing past her!

“My solution to the challenging situation when I pass on the right all the way to the intersection is to look at the first motorist in (the) line’s turn signal, and if that motorist wishes to turn right, I move my bike to the left enough for that motorist to turn right, make eye contact, and wave that motorist through.

“Bike boxes are installed to address this very situation.”

DO I STOP AT THOSE BIKE BOXES? That brings us to brenda.g.mckenna, who says in an email, “It is not clear to me how auto drivers should regard the yellow, diamond-shaped bicyclist signs. I have stopped to allow the bicyclist pass, but I don’t see other drivers doing the same.”

Because drivers don’t have to.

Albert says the pavement marking comes from the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices — “the official guideline for design, use and placement of all signs placed along public roadways.”

The MUTCD says ” the Bicycle Warning sign alerts the road user to unexpected entries into the roadway by bicyclists and other crossing activities that might cause conflicts. These conflicts might be relatively confined or might occur randomly over a segment of roadway.”

And Albert says “the motorist does not need to stop to let the bicyclist pass. The motorist simply must be extra vigilant and cautious, because this is a stretch of road where bicyclists will commonly be found.”

10 TIPS FOR SHARING THE ROAD: And John Hooker recently forwarded a copy of “Coexisting With Bicyclists: 10 Rules for Drivers” from BicycleLaw.com, and they’re worth passing on (the full versions are online):

1. Appreciate Bicyclist Vulnerability: A car weighs 2 tons or so, while the average bike is a mere 20 pounds.

2. Know Bicyclists’ Rights: … bicycles in the roadway are considered vehicles.

3. Adjust That Attitude: … Drivers who get impatient with bicyclists might want to stop for a moment and think about the human being on that bike.

4. Consider the Benefits of Bicycling — for Drivers: “One cyclist on the road is one less car.”

5. Spare Them the Right Hook: Intersections are venues for serious car-cycle collisions. Drivers making right turns, especially, should watch out for cyclists.

6. Beware the Left Turn: A driver trying to make a left turn sees an oncoming bicyclist, but the driver figures he has plenty of time to complete the turn. Sometimes, that’s not true.

7. Give Cyclists 3 Feet of Clearance: Twenty states have now passed laws requiring motorists to give bicycles on the roadway about 3 feet of space. (That’s 5 feet in Albuquerque).

8. Look Around: … drivers who have hit cyclists almost always say the same frightening, sobering thing: “I never saw him before I hit him.”

9. Look Before You Exit Your Car: … Imagine a rider pedaling along next to a row of parked cars. Suddenly, a driver flings her door open. The impact can send the cyclist flying, and riders have died when they’ve been thrown into traffic.

10. Accept That Bicyclists Are Here To Stay: Bicycling is on the rise. … It’s time to make peace with (cyclists) — for everyone’s safety.

Assistant editorial page editor D’Val Westphal tackles commuter issues for the Metro area on Mondays and West Siders and Rio Ranchoans on Thursdays. Reach her at 823-3858; road@abqjournal.com; P.O. Drawer J, Albuquerque, NM 87103; or go to ABQjournal.com/traffic to read previous columns and join in the conversation.
— This article appeared on page D1 of the Albuquerque Journal