Car with turn signal--should cyclist approaching from behind stop?

This morning I was traveling eastbound on Kinzie, approaching Wells with a green light. I intended to go straight through the intersection (and ultimately did).

As I approached the intersection, a pickup truck also traveling eastbound was slowing down, with its blinker on, to turn right on Wells.

My first thought was, "I have the right of way here because I am in a traffic lane (the bike lane) and intending to proceed straight." So I didn't slow down.

Of course, the truck "cut me off" and I had to brake abruptly.

Looking back, I feel that this near-accident was foreseeable. Perhaps I should simply have yielded to the turning driver.

At the same time, shouldn't the "right" thing be that a driver wishing to turn right yields to the traffic in the (bike) lane to his right?

Maybe the answer is that, as in so many other instances, it is dangerous to assume drivers know the law and thus the safest action is to ride extremely defensively.

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Permalink Reply by Eli on May 14, 2014 at 2:07am

I can't speak to the law, but if I am proceeding straight past a right-turning driver, I try to do so on their left (which obviously necessitates getting out of the bike lane).

(It's can be different when we both pull up to a red light. In that case, I might stop to the right of the driver, being sure to start moving the instant the light turns green. But even then I more often stop behind or to the left of the driver.)

Obviously, all of this depends on the driver actually signaling their intent to turn. The really dangerous situations are the ones where someone makes an abrupt right turn without signaling.

Permalink Reply by Simon Phearson on May 14, 2014 at 2:47am

Do you drive?

If so - if you were driving in the right-hand through-lane and saw someone in the lane to your left signaling a right turn and giving every indication that they were going to turn right at an approaching intersection (slowing down, moving over, etc.), would you tell yourself that you have the "right of way" and proceed as though they would yield to you? 

If not, why would that be the desired approach on a bike? I don't know what the "rule" here is, but whatever the "rule" is, I'm sure it's beside the point, because drivers will behave like they do regardless. 

Whenever I see a car ahead of me signaling to turn right, I will not pass into their path on their right unless I know that they can see and react to me. If they're at a complete stop, I'll shoal them. If they're moving and about to turn, I'll hang back and let them. If there's a line of turning cars, depending on the circumstances, I might try to interlace behind the front right-turner. I'll never assume that a car I'm overtaking can see me until I'm in the driver's direct field of vision.

This makes sense, I think, for car drivers generally - expecting them to be aware of bike activity coming up on their right at a right turn would require nearly 270 degrees of awareness - but especially at an intersection like Kinzie and Wells, where EB traffic turning south has to be aware of one-way SB car and bike traffic around a sharp corner and El support structures, while being at a slightly lower level than that traffic, and turning onto a poorly-lit stretch of road where pedestrian behavior is erratic. If you know this intersection, you are not trying to assert your rights. You are trying to make the best of a difficult situation. 

One of the cyclist behaviors that really gets to me at this intersection (I turn left off of Wells onto Kinzie every morning) is their tendency to run red lights on Kinzie. It's tough enough hitting the green on Wells while getting from the bike lane to the left lane, avoiding traffic, and not hitting any of the potholes the wrong way, without having some cyclist of indeterminate speed just coast directly into your turning-line crossing Kinzie - but it's happened on multiple occasions. I don't know if you're one of those cyclists, but if you are, kindly knock it off.

Permalink Reply by Alex Z on May 14, 2014 at 2:56am

Not sure what I said that even remotely suggested I would ever run a red light, but, don't worry, I won't. :)

Simon Phearson said:

I don't know if you're one of those cyclists, but if you are, kindly knock it off.

Permalink Reply by Simon Phearson on May 14, 2014 at 2:58am

I have no reason to believe that you would. I just mentioned it because we're talking about that intersection. I'm glad to know that we won't ever almost crash into each other, then!

Alex Z said:

Not sure what I said that even remotely suggested I would ever run a red light, but, don't worry, I won't. :)

Simon Phearson said:

I don't know if you're one of those cyclists, but if you are, kindly knock it off.

Permalink Reply by Brendan Kevenides on May 14, 2014 at 3:30am

Alex,

Yes, and yes.  You should have yielded or passed the driver on the left, not necessarily because that is what the law required, but because, you know, don't get hit.  At the same time, the driver had a duty to look in his right side view mirror before turning.  Here's a write-up on the law:  http://www.mybikeadvocate.com/2010/11/drivers-must-look-for-bicycli...

Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on May 14, 2014 at 3:43am

So it sounds like legally you had the right of way to go straight, but everyone is suggesting you yield to avoid getting hit (copied below from Brendan's blog post) 

9-16-020(f)  Turning right in front of a bicycle
When a motor vehicle and a bicycle are traveling in the same direction on any highway, street or road, the operator of the motor vehicle overtaking such bicycle traveling on the right side of the roadway shall not turn to the right in front of the bicycle at that intersection or at any alley or driveway until such vehicle has overtaken and is safely clear of the bicycle.

Are drivers educated on this (i.e. are there signs, PSAs, significant test questions on the driver's license exams)?

This does seem to be one of the bigger potentials for crashes.  

I was driving on Sunday  and realized how easy it is for drivers who aren't aware that they should look before they make a right for us cyclists who may be going straight.  Although I always use my side mirror and look before I turn right when I'm driving, it's only since I started biking that I am MUCH MORE diligent about it.  I doubt I looked before I started biking. 

Permalink Reply by Chris LaFrombois (8.5 mi - o.w.) on May 14, 2014 at 3:55am

I was just going to post this, Julie. But, like everyone is advocating, it's probably best to slow down or pass on the left if you have room. Living/not-crashing trumps legality sometimes :)

I ride that route every day and 50 percent of the time I have to yield to a driver turning right onto Wells. Comes with the territory.

Julie Hochstadter said:

So it sounds like legally you had the right of way to go straight, but everyone is suggesting you yield to avoid getting hit (copied below from Brendan's blog post) 

9-16-020(f)  Turning right in front of a bicycle
When a motor vehicle and a bicycle are traveling in the same direction on any highway, street or road, the operator of the motor vehicle overtaking such bicycle traveling on the right side of the roadway shall not turn to the right in front of the bicycle at that intersection or at any alley or driveway until such vehicle has overtaken and is safely clear of the bicycle.

Are drivers educated on this (i.e. are there signs, PSAs, significant test questions on the driver's license exams)?

This does seem to be one of the bigger potentials for crashes.  

I was driving on Sunday  and realized how easy it is for drivers who aren't aware that they should look before they make a right for us cyclists who may be going straight.  Although I always use my side mirror and look before I turn right when I'm driving, it's only since I started biking that I am MUCH MORE diligent about it.  I doubt I looked before I started biking. 

Permalink Reply by Chicago Bike Tuner on May 14, 2014 at 4:19am

i ride the streets of chicago all day, every day for a living. to stay alive, i never assume:

traffic see's me,

that i have right of way,

that occupants look before they open doors,

that pedestrians look before they walk, 

that other cyclists have any sense,

that i will live through an accident with a motor vehicles.

i ride defensively,

i ride loud, visual and vocal, rising up and out of my saddle at intersections,

i try to make eye contact with others whenever and where ever possible,

i am polite and give thanks when others i share the road with give me right of way

i apologize when i'm wrong,

i resist the urge to rage when i'm wronged,

i give thanks for another successful journey, destination and day of accident free riding.

ps. i'm also human. i admit to OCCASIONALLY taking unnecessary risks, running lights, checking my phone, being distracted, riding w/out a helmet and of course being a complete ass! on these days i'm especially grateful to those i share the road with!

Permalink Reply by ad on May 14, 2014 at 5:04am

I think it is important to keep in mind a car's (or even worse, a truck's) blindspot in this type of situation:

If you're a cyclist approaching an intersection in a bike lane where a car is already waiting to turn right, there is a pretty good likelihood that they might not be able to see you before they make the turn due to the vehicle's blindspot--even if they are actively looking for a cyclist, which I'm not confident most cars or trucks do anyway before turning right.    

Permalink Reply by Chris LaFrombois (8.5 mi - o.w.) on May 14, 2014 at 5:41am

Best words of advice come from a sticker on the back of most semis:

"If you can't see me in my mirrors, I can't see you."

ad said:

I think it is important to keep in mind a car's (or even worse, a truck's) blindspot in this type of situation:

If you're a cyclist approaching an intersection in a bike lane where a car is already waiting to turn right, there is a pretty good likelihood that they might not be able to see you before they make the turn due to the vehicle's blindspot--even if they are actively looking for a cyclist, which I'm not confident most cars or trucks do anyway before turning right.    

Permalink Reply by David Barish on May 14, 2014 at 5:52am

+1

Also, I think both need to think yield and everybody will be ok. As a rider I like to reward drivers who give me a signal. You let  me know where you are going and I will react to it. If I am at a light and there is no signal I will stay where I am and not get out of your way because you were too stupid or unconcerned to give me a signal. AS a driver I am always looking in my right mirror to see what is coming from behind before I make a right turn. I use a garage on Wells St. downtown and will always look to make sure no bikes are coming in that high bike traffic area before I make a right turn into the lot. 

If you are behind the driver, stay there and let him/her turn. If you are  ahead I think its ok to maintain or  increase your speed to stay ahead.

Brendan Kevenides said:

Alex,

Yes, and yes.  You should have yielded or passed the driver on the left, not necessarily because that is what the law required, but because, you know, don't get hit.  At the same time, the driver had a duty to look in his right side view mirror before turning.  Here's a write-up on the law:  http://www.mybikeadvocate.com/2010/11/drivers-must-look-for-bicycli...

Permalink Reply by Alex Z on May 14, 2014 at 5:55am

Julie, yes--thanks to you, Brendan, and all who've responded.

While I agree that the safer course of action is to yield, I have to say I'm surprised by the unanimous view in favor of yielding. I feel like I see cyclists assert their right-of-way in this situation by not yielding all the time. Perhaps Chainlinkers are more enlightened than the average Chicago cyclist. :)



Julie Hochstadter said:

So it sounds like legally you had the right of way to go straight, but everyone is suggesting you yield to avoid getting hit (copied below from Brendan's blog post) 

9-16-020(f)  Turning right in front of a bicycle
When a motor vehicle and a bicycle are traveling in the same direction on any highway, street or road, the operator of the motor vehicle overtaking such bicycle traveling on the right side of the roadway shall not turn to the right in front of the bicycle at that intersection or at any alley or driveway until such vehicle has overtaken and is safely clear of the bicycle.

Are drivers educated on this (i.e. are there signs, PSAs, significant test questions on the driver's license exams)?

This does seem to be one of the bigger potentials for crashes.  

I was driving on Sunday  and realized how easy it is for drivers who aren't aware that they should look before they make a right for us cyclists who may be going straight.  Although I always use my side mirror and look before I turn right when I'm driving, it's only since I started biking that I am MUCH MORE diligent about it.  I doubt I looked before I started biking. 

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