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How do you turn left if you're riding in the bike lane?

While riding your bike in a bike lane, when is it appropriate to smack a car (cab waiting to pick person up, car parallel parking or crossing over to turn, etc) blocking your lane?

  • Answer:

    Agreed with Anon and Matt: particularly in the scenarios you're presenting, it is not appropriate to smack these cars. When is it appropriate for a car to hit a biker who's not in a bike lane? But given my own experience with cars in bike lanes for no particular reason, i.e. just double-parking, here are some scenarios where it might be unavoidable: When you have to move into the car lane to get around them, then a car comes up too fast in the traffic lane, pinching you between it and the bikelane car while you're going too slow to have good balance: better to fall onto the stopped car than into the path of the speeding car. When conditions make it unsafe to enter the car lane, and the car is discharging a passenger who opens the door into your path: again you can't turn into the car lane, so probably better to get doored and/or run into the person getting out of the car. Here are a couple where you might make a deliberate, fully-elective choice: If somebody leaves their side door wide open into the bike lane while they are not actively getting in or out of the car, but e.g. getting something out of their trunk, it might be necessary—rude, inappropriate, jerkish, but possibly necessary—to close their door for them as you pass. If the car is owned, driven and insured by a friend of yours and you are messing around.

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Never. As in, not ever. That being said, I have smacked exactly two cars, both of which were being driven directly at me (at low speed) by a driver clearly not paying attention (i.e. texting). Both led to angry confrontations, one led to a minivan being somewhat superficially damaged and requiring a new mirror. I am proud of neither, but both were a better outcome (for me) than if I had been hit by those cars. Smacking a car that has simply inconvenienced you is not acceptable ever. Don't do it.

Greg Burrell

I prefer the emotionally intelligent road rage antitode magnet offered up by Patrick Burns/Daniel Pink here: http://www.danpink.com/archives/2010/12/emotionally-intelligent-magnet-and-road-rage-antidote

John Stinson

I used to do this, but after a few years calmed down. Stuff like this can lead to road rage, and that is not something you want to put up with on your ride home from work. Yes, it sucks to be cut off. Yup, it can be potentially life threatening, but two wrongs don't make a right. In fact, when you're riding you should ride expecting this to happen.

Seth Werkheiser

It is never a good idea. Why provoke someone who you already know is not that smart and who is driving a 2,000+ lbs. missle? You will never win in a fight with a car.

Mike Russell

Get a bell if you just need to get drivers' attention. I live in California, but when I rented a bike in Madison, WI, it was in the vehicle code that cyclists needed to ring their bell when passing (particularly on bike/walking paths).

Kathryn Hedges

I don't know.....when is it appropriate to smack the person in front of you on the sidewalk if they're walking too slow and you'd like to pass? That's right, it's not.

Matt Hendrick

Theres also the chance that the noise you have just created may make the driver think they have clipped another vehicle, causing them to actually turn into the cyclist on reflex. A bad idea in any situation.

Alexander Petricca

i would say no if you do, be sure the car is really stuck and you are not also would be nice to know there are no firearms or remote weapons available and that you cannot be identified or tracked if you are continuing the same direction as the car, you may consider not smacking or antagonizing since presumably now the more irate driver will be following you;;.... wle

Larry English

In the UK you could well be charged with an offence , causing distress. criminal damage and other road rage associated offences . Don't do it, however justified you may think it is . The only time you may get away with it would be if your life/safety is in immediate danger.

Andy Squall

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