I cycled every day for 7 years all over the San Francisco Bay Area without ever once being hit by a car or getting a door prize. I didn't run red lights and I maintained situational awareness at all times. And I was one of those guys who rode in the middle of the car lane even when a bicycle lane was available.
Thank you. As both a biker and a driver, I appreciate this. Too many bikers don't do this, and I've witnessed too many close calls for those that don't. I've been heckled by other bikers for stopping at red lights, so I know that sometimes this can be a pain to actually stick to.
I do this to "take the lane"; essentially, if I'm in the middle of a lane, there is some reason why I want that lane — usually my own safety due to some other hazard, or perhaps I'm going to make an upcoming left — and I want/need drivers near me to essentially give me the same respect they'd give a car.
Typically, the idea is that I would like drivers behind me to not pass me in the same lane that I'm in — that is, I'm trying to avoid having a driver do the typical half-assed job of passing by trying to squeeze their SUV in the same lane as me. (i.e., if you want to pass me, use another lane, not this one. If there isn't another lane: tough, I'll be out of your way ASAP — I don't like having a car behind me any more than a driver likes having a biker in front of them.)
> Wouldn't this slow the traffic.
Sometimes, yes. For me, most of the routes I take the car traffic moves at approximately the same speed or slower. If there's a huge speed difference and traffic is much faster, I'll usually avoid left turns and use a crosswalk to "turn", if I think that's safer. (Which has its own tradeoffs: one has to be very careful and ensure that drivers in the lane next to you are going to actually stop at the crosswalk before you enter it. Just because the light is red hardly means anything, and a lot of drivers will overshoot the stop line if they don't think anyone is going to be in the crosswalk when they do so.)
Yea I never understood how cyclists are expected to make left turns. If there is a bike lane is in the right corner, how and when are they supposed to get into left turn on only lane. I can't even imagine cyclist making yeild left on red, thats absurd amount of risk to take. Left on arrow are not very common, imagine trying to make a fast turn on your bike while a speeding car is coming right at you.
Only safe way to make a left turn is to get off the bike and do it like pedestrians.
You do it just like a car. Merge from the lane to the turn lane. Signal your move. Stop in the intersection if you need to yield. Take your time waiting for an appropriate gap, then turn left. Don’t worry about cars behind you, they would have to wait for their own gap anyway.
Behaving like a car as much as possible makes you more predictable, and keeps everyone out of trouble. I stop at red lights too.
If traffic is light and not too fast, I just signal, merge into the turn lane, and turn as if I were a car. If it's a multi-lane road, that means "taking the lane" for a bit. I try to minimize that, but it happens.
If traffic is heavy or fast, I will signal, pull off to the side, and cross like a pedestrian.
Generally speaking, I try to be as "car-like" and predictable as possible.
Bright flashers even in the day time. Slowing and waiting for an opening to get over in the center or turn lane, and obviously signalling. It's best to get over when everyone is slowing or stopping for a red so you have more time and space to maneuver into the turn lane. If you make it obvious you're turning to a slow car behind you they serve as decent protection from any cars arriving at an intersection that might otherwise not see you. It feels dangerous at first but you get skilled at it the more you ride.
Personally, for bike lanes I love the protected turns I saw in Germany. A separated bike lane will cross an intersection with a dedicated light. On the far side of the intersection, there will be a fork in the path with another dedicated bike signal to cross the road you were parallel with. I'll see if I can find an example.
There's also the "Copenhagen left". Which is, pull over to the _right_ into the crosswalk of the intersection where you want to go left. Wait for the light to change. (Google it for a picture.)
In Australia, we call this a "hook turn" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hook_turn . Cars must do it in a limited number of intersections to avoid blocking trams. Cyclists are allowed to make a hook turn in any intersection (unless signposted otherwise). Edit - in Australia we drive on the left side of the road - so it's opposite to Denmark / US / Most the rest of the world.
I'd argue it could be marginally safer to do it the way the other person suggested: like any other vehicle is supposed to, from the left turn lane.
If you think merging across lanes is scary, do it sooner. The more time you give yourself and the people around you to process the maneuver, the easier it gets.
One you know the road, you can even exit an earlier intersection in a way that makes you magically end up in the right lane to begin with.
Sure it slows traffic, but it's not really the bicyclist's fault if the bicycle lane is filled with unloading delivery trucks or the city planners made it too narrow.
