How do you make turns?????

Rixtory said:

Please help - I am going to start commuting to work in traffic and am unsure.

I've ridden for 25 years in rural areas where I lived, but we have just moved near a big smelly city (Boston) and I honestly don't know the proper etiquette for making:
- Left turns at intersections (2 traffic lanes each way) with no turning lane
- Left turns at intersections with 1 or more turning lanes
- Going straight thru a light when there is a Right turn Lane.

Where do I line up - In line with the turning cars? Or If I want to turn left, should I turn right instead and go up a bit and pull a U-turn and then go back straight through the intersection on my planned route?
I appreciate any help
Thanks
Rick

You should line up in the same lanes as the cars, usually not a problem in city traffic. But if it's a very busy road I don't see a probem with turning right and doing a u-turn if you can't get over to the left turn lane.

I would recommend against using a left turn lane or turning from the left lane unless there is a left turn light. It's just too vulnerable of a position to be stuck in the middle of an intersection and being forced to turn once the light turns red. The right turn/u-turn trick is better (or cross the street to the curb, and then quickly reposition your bike 90 degrees).

If there is a right turn lane but I am going straight, I usually move to the center/left of the right turn lane so that cars can't pass me to turn and then I continue through the intersection re-merging with the traffic flow on the other side. If there is backed up traffic I split the lane between the right turn lane and the continuing lane or merge into the continuing lane.

In general though, a bicycle is considered a vehicle and it can be safer to act like one rather than hugging the side of the road and acting like a scared bunny - cars can sense fear and will not give you respect unless you demand it.

John Forrester's book, Effective Cycling, is helpful. Might be able to pick up a copy at a used book store, or new. Also, bicyclesafe.com has many good tips.

In general, you are safest if you behave like a car on the road. Obey the same rules of the road, and bike defensively. Make sure you have a rear-view mirror. Light yourself up like the Las Vegas strip at night (the forward-facing headlight is much more important than the rear-facing red blinky, although it's best to have both).

Bike lanes are nice, but can give you a false sense of security. Be sure to watch for traffic that might cross the bike lane, like at driveways. Watch out for the right hook -- especially dangerous if you're headed downhill. Use your mirror!

Good luck!

-Lane in Austin

Following the same rules as in a car is generally the best principle.
Apart from John Forester's book, John Allen's Street Smart covers most of the principles for riding safely.

That being said, I use common sense to decide whether I should turn from the left lane or do a 2-step left turn. I will do a 2-step left turn if:

- traffic is so fast or so heavy that I cannot move left safely (especially if I am tired, had a bad day...);
- I have my 8-year-old daughter riding with me on her own bicycle;
- there is not enough protection for me when I am in the left turn lane, which includes cases where it's a left-turn-or-straight-through lane, where visibility is minimal, or it's at night (especially if more than one factor applies).

endcat said:

Cars can sense fear and will not give you respect unless you demand it.

That is the best single sentence of advice I've ever read on this forum.

Riding on the dilapidated (and narrow!) roads of Western MA, I MUST define my line or I will just be shoved into the potholes and debris of the nonexistent shoulder - not to mention, many road edges are washed out, so that if you fall of the tar, it's a 6 inch drop.

Nope. If I see an approaching car in the mirror, not giving me my "props" I just ease out a bit further and MAKE them slow down and pass safely. Nothing radical, or aggressive... just a little slight kick out in front of them to make sure I am SEEN.

As for making left turns, you have to start making eye contact with the traffic behind you as you approach the intersection. Give them a hand-signal, and take the full right lane... then signal again (if need be) to take the left lane. If traffic has stopped at a light, I ALWAYS take up my position in the lane, and behind the cars that had already passed me b4 the intersection - just like a car would.