4 ms·

> I recently saw SF helmet-cam footage of an intelligent, conscientious biking coworker, who decided to pass a van on the right, only to find that the van was t

> I recently saw SF helmet-cam footage of an intelligent, conscientious biking coworker, who decided to pass a van on the right, only to find that the van was turning right. While trying to make a left in busy traffic, I was ambushed by a bike-bro in North Beach I can't speak to those locations but FYI, in Massachusetts, the driver would be eligible for a citation in those instances, even without a collision. Turning traffic always yields right of way to straight-through traffic. Speaking with cyclists who practice such "momentum hacks", I often get the response along the lines of "Even obeying the law, drivers nearly kill me every day so what good is the law?".

twoodfin 8y ago
Do bikes in MA have a right to pass a left turning car in the far left lane? That would be surprising. For right turns it makes sense since the bike nominally has a travel lane that’s being crossed. (I’m interpreting GP’s comment as if both the car and bike were traveling in the same direction.)
- Steltek 8y ago
  That seems like a extremely unlikely scenario to me but I suppose it's possible. I've seen bikes pass on the left but only to make a left turn in gridlocked traffic. But then again, crossing the double yellow to pass is a common practice for drivers as well.
privacypoller 8y ago
I don't know MA law but I'm skeptical that a bike passing on the shoulder of the outside lane has right-away over a car making a legal right turn. If the car wasn't in the outside through traffic lane then that would be an illegal right anywhere. The biggest conflict with cars & bikes I see is spacing; either bikes move to the side and let cars pull up or (more likely) bikes swim up through traffic to the front. The biker is always the loser. Speed differential is the other conflict, with bike &cars, bikes & pedestrians, fast bikes & slow bikes. Either the vehicles have an inherent diff, or the terrain is too fast/slow for one of the parties. Your best bet is too assume the worst of everyone else and try and keep the interaction in perspective of the bigger picture.
- Steltek 8y ago
  > I don't know MA law but I'm skeptical that a bike passing on the shoulder of the outside lane has right-away over a car making a legal right turn. If the car wasn't in the outside through traffic lane then that would be an illegal right anywhere. In MA, bikes may explicitly ride to the right of cars if desired. Cars may pass bikes on the shoulder if "safe and reasonable" but peculiarly, that language is omitted for bikes. More here: http://www.massbike.org/laws http://www.massbike.org/laws > Speed differential is the other conflict, with bike &cars, bikes & pedestrians, fast bikes & slow bikes. Either the vehicles have an inherent diff, or the terrain is too fast/slow for one of the parties. Your best bet is too assume the worst of everyone else and try and keep the interaction in perspective of the bigger picture. In Boston, you'd be a fool not to assume the worst of everyone else ;).

twoodfin 8y ago

Do bikes in MA have a right to pass a left turning car in the far left lane? That would be surprising. For right turns it makes sense since the bike nominally has a travel lane that’s being crossed. (I’m interpreting GP’s comment as if both the car and bike were traveling in the same direction.)

Steltek 8y ago
That seems like a extremely unlikely scenario to me but I suppose it's possible. I've seen bikes pass on the left but only to make a left turn in gridlocked traffic. But then again, crossing the double yellow to pass is a common practice for drivers as well.

privacypoller 8y ago

I don't know MA law but I'm skeptical that a bike passing on the shoulder of the outside lane has right-away over a car making a legal right turn. If the car wasn't in the outside through traffic lane then that would be an illegal right anywhere. The biggest conflict with cars & bikes I see is spacing; either bikes move to the side and let cars pull up or (more likely) bikes swim up through traffic to the front. The biker is always the loser. Speed differential is the other conflict, with bike &cars, bikes & pedestrians, fast bikes & slow bikes. Either the vehicles have an inherent diff, or the terrain is too fast/slow for one of the parties. Your best bet is too assume the worst of everyone else and try and keep the interaction in perspective of the bigger picture.

Steltek 8y ago
> I don't know MA law but I'm skeptical that a bike passing on the shoulder of the outside lane has right-away over a car making a legal right turn. If the car wasn't in the outside through traffic lane then that would be an illegal right anywhere. In MA, bikes may explicitly ride to the right of cars if desired. Cars may pass bikes on the shoulder if "safe and reasonable" but peculiarly, that language is omitted for bikes. More here: http://www.massbike.org/laws http://www.massbike.org/laws > Speed differential is the other conflict, with bike &cars, bikes & pedestrians, fast bikes & slow bikes. Either the vehicles have an inherent diff, or the terrain is too fast/slow for one of the parties. Your best bet is too assume the worst of everyone else and try and keep the interaction in perspective of the bigger picture. In Boston, you'd be a fool not to assume the worst of everyone else ;).