Bicycle right-of-way question

[michaelrr1]

State laws vary. In most cases bikes are viewed as vehicles and should be on the road. However, people are heading places and it gets gray leaving roadways and bike lanes. As a parent, I always give grace to kids on bikes.

I see a lot of bikes on the road not operating within the law and I’ve looked both ways and coasted through intersections too. However, if cars are there, I act as a vehicle. I almost hit a biker when he ran through a 4-way stop this week.

My biggest issue, and one that I always reinforced with my kids, is that if you are riding on the sidewalk you defer to pedestrian (is called a sidewalk) and most importantly you ride in the direction of road traffic!

I cant count the number of times that I have been at a light or stop sign and am looking left before proceeding…only to have a bike ride through, in front of me, from the right against traffic on the sidewalk. This has to be the number urban cause for bike car wrecks.

to answer your question, in the car if defer to the bikes, but as a biker I expect to have to defer to the car as I am acting as a pediatrician.

You should also be looking to the right for pedestrians. If you're only looking left, that's on you.

 

[BryceC]

Regardless of the law, if you're the one on the bike you should wait so you don't get hit, but if you're in the car you should probably assume they won't stop so that you don't kill someone if the worst case scenario happens.

Agreed. I'm stopping because the alternative of them not stopping and me running somebody over is much, much worse than anything else. If some cop wants to give me a ticket for stopping in the street to avoid running over somebody on a bike that's their choice and I'll deal with it.

 

[3TrueFans]

You should also be looking to the right for pedestrians. If you're only looking left, that's on you.

Momma said look both ways.

 

[Jer]

Oh, come on. I ride A LOT and rarely see this. Walkers and runners, yes. Every one???

Probably an over-generalization but it's very common out here in Waukee. We're not by the big bike paths though so get more casual riders, if that makes a difference?

 

[drmwevr08]

Probably an over-generalization but it's very common out here in Waukee. We're not by the big bike paths though so get more casual riders, if that makes a difference?

Big path right on Hickman. Hopefully its well used.


Bikes stopping when not needed is a problem for bikers. Shouldn't be risking their life though but I suppose that's on them.

 

[cyclonespiker33]

People keep saying this but would it be safer for a couple of parents taking their 5 year old and 7 year old out for a ride to be in the street than on the sidewalk?

Sometimes it is safer to be in the street than on a bike lane or sidewalk. Sometimes it is safer for the cyclist to be in the street.

I do a fair amount of riding and used to ride my bike the 15 mile one way trip to work somewhat regularly. I would take bike trails and bike lanes wherever they were available. There was one stretch of road where there was a hybrid two way bike path/sidewalk on one side of the road. It was quite safe when heading southbound, but when I headed northbound on it I was on the "wrong" side of the road so when all of the cars came up to the stop signs on the cross streets and prepared to turn right they would look left and never look right. They have a stop sign and are required to yield to both the sidewalk and the street traffic. I about got hit several times so I finally I started riding that stretch in the street. I could ride the 25 mph speed limit but would occasionally get yelled at to "Use the bike path!" Sorry, guy, that you are inconvienced to have to get five feet away from the curb to pass me when I am already going the speed limit.

That being said, I have yelled at my share of other cyclists when riding downtown in the city. There are many cyclist who feel that they do not have to follow the rules of the road and run red lights, go the wrong way on one way streets and even go in front of traffic that clearly has the right of way. They succeed in pissing off drivers that then drive aggressively at the majority of cyclists who are trying to do the right thing.

As far as stop signs go I try to be pragmatic about it. If there is no traffic, I will slow and be ready to stop then go carefully through the sign. If there is traffic coming that I will beat I will slow almost to a stop (nearly a track stand) and go so they don't have to wait longer while I have to get my bike started from a complete stop again. If the traffic will tie me or beat me to the intersection I will stop and wait for my turn. I also accept that my bending of these rules for pragmatism may result in my getting a ticket when I don't notice Johnny Law around and I accept that possibility. If I get busted for doing a complete track stand (full stop without putting a foot down) I will fight that ticket. I will bring my bike in to the court room if allowed and demonstrate the track stand to the judge. Some cops have interpreted a bicycle stop as requiring a foot down when not all cyclists need to put a foot down to come to a complete stop.

In Minneapolis they tried to pass an ordinance that would allow cyclists to stop and go when clear at all red lights. The rationale was that all cyclists are doing this anyway. First of all, not everyone is doing this. Second, many who are going through red lights aren't stopping. And third, many who are going through red lights aren't waiting for it to be fully clear. If cross traffic or turning traffic has to slow down or wait it isn't clear. They totally didn't think about oncoming traffic turning left who finally gets their green arrow but can't go because bikes are stopping and going through their red. It was a bad idea and I'm glad it didn't pass.

I know, I know, TL;DR.

I was considering throwing a stipulation into my post but decided against it. I agree not every single person on a bicycle should be on the street, but the majority should.

 

[Jer]

Big path right on Hickman. Hopefully its well used.


Bikes stopping when not needed is a problem for bikers. Shouldn't be risking their life though but I suppose that's on them.

I meant our house isn't by the bike paths - we live out by Sugar Creek golf course.

And cars stopping when not needed is a problem for my commute

 

[Rabbuk]

I'm mainly asking for bicyclists' opinions. Here is the situation:

Car is traveling north on a two lane street with bike lane markings on the right edge of the street (I'd call it more of a bike route marking than a dedicated bike lane). A small group of bicyclists is also traveling north on the sidewalk at a reasonable rate of speed, but slower than vehicles. The car goes past the bicycles and needs to make a right hand turn into a parking lot of a grocery store. The car will get to the entrance/crosswalk first, but the bicyclists would likely need to slow down (yield to the car). Who has the right of way, should the car stop on the road and wait for the bikes to pass or should the bicyclists slow down to yield when they see the car's turn signal from behind?

(For anyone wondering I was an observer of the above situation while outside the grocery store. The car started to turn, but then stopped just prior to the crosswalk when the saw the bicyclists still approaching at the same rate of speed. The bicyclists then stopped and everyone was aggrieved.)

I'd think that the bikers need to slow down, the same way they would if they were in a car and someone turns right in front of them in a car.

 

[drmwevr08]

I meant our house isn't by the bike paths - we live out by Sugar Creek golf course.

And cars stopping when not needed is a problem for my commute

Yeah yeah, but there is a difference you can appreciate, right?

I liked that course. Short and fun. Better once the City bought it - although not sure they should have.

 

[BCClone]

But why should a biker get to run through a no-traffic stop sign and a car can't? I get the noise factor, but every cyclist I see has ear buds in and half think they own the road.

Good point, having ear buds in ears would be a distracted biker like a distracted motorist

 

[Cyforce]

My best answer is even if you're in the right they'd still be dead so you need to figure out their intentions before you proceed.

Kinda like nobody obeys a stop sign anymore if they are turning right. I've thought about ramming them but up to now I've just hit the horn.

 

[simply1]

I was considering throwing a stipulation into my post but decided against it. I agree not every single person on a bicycle should be on the street, but the majority should.

I’d agree if the street infrastructure is built for bike safety. They often are not.

 

[VeloClone]

My best answer is even if you're in the right they'd still be dead so you need to figure out their intentions before you proceed.

Kinda like nobody obeys a stop sign anymore if they are turning right. I've thought about ramming them but up to now I've just hit the horn.

We live by a T intersection with a stop sign. The number of motorist who don't even slow down is amazing. Some of them run the stop sign at an impressive speed almost like they are trying to win a bet that they can take it without slowing up at all. I'm sure it is just a matter of time before we have a pair of cars piled up in our yard.

 

[FerShizzle]

Maritime Law states that the larger vessel always has the right of way.

Hope this helps.

 

[StPaulCyclone]

What does being a doctor have to do with it?

Autocorrect wins again. I need a keyboard for my tablet, clearly.

 

[madguy30]

Maritime Law states that the larger vessel always has the right of way.

Hope this helps.

In WI kayaks and canoes are supposed to have right of way vs. motorized boats.

I've yet to try to impose my ROW will when paddling.

 

[StPaulCyclone]

You should also be looking to the right for pedestrians. If you're only looking left, that's on you.

No #&@&. I do look right, I am talking about bikes coming at speed on the side walk, and through the crosswalk, against traffic. i live in the city and you look a couple times and there is no one there and you don’t expect there to suddenly be a bike where there was just no *pedestrian*. They cover more ground and sometimes have come from behind you and turned in front of you or turn a block away and covered the ground in shorter time than you would have expected a pedestrian. It’s stupid and dangerous, not to mention that you legally have to walk your bike through a crosswalk here.

and to be clear, I am a bike rider.

 

[NorthCyd]

It's amazing how different my perspective is based on what I am doing. When I'm riding my bike everyone in a vehicle drives like an *******, and when I'm driving my car everyone on a bike rides like an *******. Funny how that works. I guess the universe is just out to annoy me.

 

[NWICY]

I was under the assumption bicycles follow the rules of the road. Therefore, the car was ahead of them, car should proceed and bicycles yield.

As a runner, I see so many bicyclists and runners that dont follow proper right of way. They just take it and expect motor vehicles to stop all the time. Also, so many drivers don’t pay attention to anything other than cars and trucks on the road. I can’t count the number of times I’ve had to jump on hoods of cars bc they don’t stop completely and look both ways.

User name is accurate.

 

[NWICY]

What? Regulated intersections, meaning those with stop signs or traffic lights, take precedence over pedestrian right of way in a crosswalk. In other words, at intersections with stop signs or traffic lights, pedestrians must follow those to cross the street/roadway. They cannot simply walk across whenever they want, legally. Am I misunderstanding what you meant?

Ms3r that law must be suspended on Lincoln Way across from campus