SW Terwilliger X Capitol Hwy

[wrinkles]

Observed helplessly from my *car* driver's seat: Yesterday, at evening rush hour, cars stacked up in every direction. Young cyclist in the Terwilliger bike lane steaming outbound toward intersection to cross Cap. Hwy. with the green light. In an instant he overtakes the sluggish line of cars and begins to enter the intersection at the same time the lead car turns right into his path. Cyclist reacts by escaping into the widened portion of Cap. Hwy. that is a bus pullout (minus bus at this moment). He never dismounts, but is able to regain his position and continue south across the intersection and down Terwilliger.
I'm not sure what the lesson is here, except to alert cyclists to exercise extreme caution here. For the right-turning driver, there is so much to watch for at this spot that he/she may not have seen the cyclist even if he/she checked the bike lane. Because of the contortion of the road, the cyclist would not have been visible except at the last instant, when the motorist may already have begun the turn. This is not to excuse the motorist, who may not have signalled. However, if I'm on my bike at this spot, I will dismount and walk across as a pedestrian: I'f I'm dead or maimed, the *fault* becomes irrelevant. I'd rather stay alive and unbroken.
Be careful out there!

[lefty175]

I ride this area a bit for training rides and not at rush hour, but I hate it even then. But, if memory serves me correctly doesn't the bike lane end early there? I always merge back into traffic on the way down that hill and were I travelling down the road during rush hour (passing cars to the right) I'd probably slow down OR merge in earlier. That curve is nasty, at full steam (when I know there's a green light and little traffic) I can clear that curve really really quickly and be through the intersection and if there was a right turning car they'd have to be watching the bicycle lane the entire time. This area is ripe for a bicycle warning light or at least a convex mirror on the right hand side.

[Simple Nature]

A quick look at Google Earth will show you that there is no bike lane through this interesction. Had this cyclist been hit, it would have been an unfortunate accident.

[brock]

I pass through this intersection on the early side, when there are rarely any cars. I take the lane either way.

Not only is there a blind corner behind the intersection, but the bike lane ends and the road really narrows. Not a great spot to be passing on the right, certainly not with any speed.