Where Do You Take The Lane?

[biciclero]

Ok, then. These are all in Beaverton, along my daily commute route:

0. 153rd @ Cornell: To make left turn onto Cornell from Oak Hills nbrhd.
1. Millikan (EB) between Rose Biggi and Watson: Too narrow/parked cars
2. Watson between Millikan and Farmington: Too narrow, too many buses and non-signaling right-turners
3. *Watson between 3rd and 5th: To make left turn from Watson -> 5th
4. *Hall at some point between 2nd and Millikan: need left lane to make turn from Hall -> Millikan
5. Millikan (WB) between Hall and Rose Biggi: Too narrow/parked cars
6. Murray (NB) between Hwy 26 and Cornell: To make left turn from Murray -> Cornell

* Indicates that there is a bike lane and I am not in it--potentially ticketable offense thanks to mandatory use. Well, OK I guess I wouldn't be ticketed if I could justify what might be considered early "preparation" for a left turn. Don't know what limits are for travel outside the bike lane to be considered preparation for a turn vs. just riding along outside the bike lane.

[Haven_kd7yct]

Originally Posted by Haven_kd7yct

Hey K-Tesh, I saw you last Friday in the lane near Beef Bend!

Hi K-tesh:

I was driving up the hill towards Bull Mtn-- I had to go to the grocery store and the dog store for 40 pounds of dog food. I still haven't found a good way to get groceries and 40 pounds of dog food home on my bike.

So I was incognito in my Forester.

[destroying.angel]

. . . 4th Avenue northbound after the 405, because the new streetcar track runs right down the middle of the right lane. If I try to stay to the right as I would normally do, avoiding construction vehicles and such on the side of the road means crossing back over the tracks and risking the dreaded trolley track take-down.

myyearoflivingcarlessly.blogspot.com

[tjf9]

NE 7th s/b, just north of Broadway because there is a right turn lane there and no bike lane. (Other cyclists need to get hip to taking the lane here too. Almost every morning I see someone either perched in the middle of the right turn lane - blocking traffic, or sitting on the line between right and thru lanes. Just take the lane already!)

NE 7th n/b just south of Weidler (sometimes). The bike lane ends here and there are usually cars parked on 7th between Weidler and Broadway, making a merge with car traffic required. I think taking the lane is actually safer here, but since no one does, it would make that move unexpected and therefore less safe, KWIM? So, generally, I don't. *

NE 7th n/b approaching the traffic circle - too narrow otherwise, and I'm making a left around that thing.

*Anyone else in favor of taking out the parking on that block of 7th? It would be so much safer for the dozens of cyclists going through there every day!

[MrBread]

re: taking out the parking; It's never going to happen because of the Kinko's. I used to work on that corner, and I would pretty much take the lane for all of NE 7th between Schuyler and Weidler ... most of the cars are turning, and it's near-impossible to cross Weidler and Broadway without getting caught by at least one light, so it was never even an issue.

Honestly, though ... I would simply recommend riding on a different street. The handful of times I've felt a driver was being aggressive to the point of intentionally putting me in danger were all on NE 7th. I don't ride down that street anymore unless I have to, and I jump a few blocks over as soon as I can.

[lynnef]

Heading east out of Cedar Hills Crossing on Hall, planning to make a left turn onto Center. I've taken the LEFT lane for many years there - it is my "time trial" section. Yes, get the heavy commute (now brevet/commute) bike up to 20+mph from a dead stop! Then stand in the protected left turn lane (always a red light) and try to recover some oxygen...

[K'Tesh]

Was riding to Sherwood on 99W yesterday... came to the big downhill by Beef Bend Road, and as I do as SOP, signaled my merge into the right lane of traffic as I started down the hill.

As I was cruising at 35 Mph (posted 40 Mph), just about even with the dangerous Beef Bend/99W intersection, some ASSHAT in a large, white, 4 door Pickup comes up from my left horn a-blowin the whole way. His female passenger is pointing to the bike lane to my right... Prime canidate for "The Watch list...", but I was so busy concentrating on the road, I didn't get the license plate. I honestly thought that the MORON was going to pull ahead of me and hit the brakes.

Beef Bend has two hazards, one is right turning vehicles off of 99W, and the other is right turning vehicles onto 99W... I wasn't doing anything wrong by taking the lane.

What I want to know is:
When are motorists going to clue in that when a cyclist leaves a bike lane on a downhill portion, there's probably a good reason for it?

If drivers could only show a moment of patience, cyclists will clear the road as soon as it is safe to do so. Get someone hit by a car, and how more patience will they need if the road is shut down for the incident response?

That ASSHAT totally F**KED up a perfectly good commute!

Same Roads, Same Rights, Same Responsibilities...
K'Tesh

[djasonpenney]

The more you look at this (thanks, Bob Mionske), the more you realize that the Oregon Legislature enacted a sleeping tiger. So, K'Tesh, when you were flying like a little rodent out of hell, you were certainly justified in moving a little ways away from the dirt, sewer drains, and curb.

Emphasis mine:

814.430 Improper use of lanes; exceptions; penalty. (1) A person commits the offense of improper use of lanes by a bicycle if the person is operating a bicycle on a roadway at less than the normal speed of traffic using the roadway at that time and place under the existing conditions and the person does not ride as close as practicable to the right curb or edge of the roadway.

(2) A person is not in violation of the offense under this section if the person is not operating a bicycle as close as practicable to the right curb or edge of the roadway under any of the following circumstances:

<snip>

(c) When reasonably necessary to avoid hazardous conditions including, but not limited to, fixed or moving objects, parked or moving vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians, animals, surface hazards or other conditions that make continued operation along the right curb or edge unsafe or to avoid unsafe operation in a lane on the roadway that is too narrow for a bicycle and vehicle to travel safely side by side. Nothing in this paragraph excuses the operator of a bicycle from the requirements under ORS 811.425 or from the penalties for failure to comply with those requirements.

[rawillis3]

one place I usually ride somewhat to the left of the bike lane stripe is the downhill from the broadway bridge down to hoyt next to the post office. the striped bike lane is narrow, the pavement is poor, and motorists -- especially trucks and vans and other large stuff -- tend to crowd you there, so I have begun just taking the lane. yesterday a woman driving some kind of SUV disagreed with my tactic and sounded her horn. I gestured to the open lane to her left, but eventually accommodated her, as the light was turning red at the bottom of the hill.

(aside: you surely do not want to be trapped in the bike lane if that light is going to be green, with any number of motorists wanting to turn right.)

sure enough, she put on her right turn signal. so there I was in the bike lane, where she wanted me to be.

and somehow it just took me forever to clear the corner, dunno why . . .

[Dillon]

Everywhere.