Bike lane at Willow & Highland: is this legal?

[serious-noir.livejournal.com]

I've never quite understood the auto rules for the bike lane at the intersection of Willow & Highand (one of life's little mysteries).

I was driving there yesterday approaching the light and preparing to turn right (east) on to Highland. I was in the left-most lane (to the left of the bike lane in the image). Cars were passing me on the right in the far right lane and making the right turn. Needless to say, something felt off.

Usually the right-most lane has parked cars but it was street cleaning day so it was empty.

Was I in the wrong lane to make a right turn or were the drivers passing me on the right being jerks?

Comments

[pearlythebunny.livejournal.com]

When I was taking driving lessons (many years ago), one of the first things they taught me was that when you are making a right turn, you want to get over as far to the right as possible. (Use common sense, of course, and look out for bicycles.)

They also taught me that when making a left turn, you want to pull into the intersection and wait until it is clear to make the left turn. Sometimes this means you wait until your green light turns red, and then you turn. This ensures that at least one left-turner per light cycle gets through the intersection.

One other thing that drivers seem to get confused about is four-way stops. Again, when I was taking driving lessons, they taught me that the two cars facing each other on Road A go at the same time. Then the two cars facing each other on Road B go at the same time. In other words, people on your street take turns with the people on the perpendicular street. (Some people seem to think that you go around in a circle, and your turn comes every fourth time.)

I've never completely figured out what you do at 5-way stops, which I encounter every now and then. Mostly, be careful, go slow, and take turns.

[paradoox.livejournal.com]

> They also taught me that when making a left turn, you want to pull into the intersection and wait until it is clear to make the left turn. Sometimes this means you wait until your green light turns red, and then you turn. This ensures that at least one left-turner per light cycle gets through the intersection.

YES. THIS. This is one of the most annoying things about Boston traffic to me. People either don't pull into the intersection when making a left turn or they are too far over to the right. When making a left turn you should be as far over to the left as possible - within inches of the yellow line. What is worse than at least one car not getting to make a left turn per light cycle is when there is a line of cars trying to to straight stuck behind the person who doesn't know how to make a left turn.

[bikergeek.livejournal.com]

I learned to do it that way, too, but it's been pointed out to me that there are states where that behavior is illegal and you'll be ticketed for it. The theory is that you're not supposed to enter an intersection unless you have a clear exit, and then when the light turns red and you haven't made your turn yet, you're blocking the intersection.

[paradoox.livejournal.com]

It's also illegal to drive 66 on the Mass Pike or 56 on 128.

Some laws just have to be broken ...

More seriously, if someone can point out which states this (IMO) rational behavior is illegal in, I'd be curious to know.

[irilyth]

CA definitely considers you to have run a red light if you aren't out of the intersection by the time the light turns red. You're probably less likely to get busted for it if you're turning out of the intersection, than if you're racing into the intersection just as the yellow turns red trying to beat the light.

I thought MA actually had the same law, but am too lazy to check.

(The CA law changed over the course of my lifetime, I think in between two of the times I lived there.)

[sairaali.livejournal.com]

It's pretty strictly enforced in NYC, but that's definitely rational because otherwise all the intersections would be blocked forever and ever. Also most intersections have protected left turn signals.

[rmd.livejournal.com]

I'm curious if NYC tickets the opposite, where people jump the light and head into the intersection just before a red light turns green.

There's a driving cultural thing where a region has to choose only one of the two options. Option one is for people to run the light just after it turns red. Option two is for people to jump the light just before it turns green. NYC has settled on the latter, and Boston on the former. Trying to have both is a recipe for disaster.

[bobobb.livejournal.com]

As mentioned above, this is illegal in California which drives me crazy, because how else are you supposed to turn???!?!