RIP NJ cyclist

[stb222]

It addresses the shoulder in the fact that the shoulder is not actually part of the road. As I mentioned before, the law doesn't recognize it as a legal place for a cyclist to ride. So this comes back to my view that you have to use your judgement. I ride in the shoulder where it makes sense, but at most intersections I'll come of the shoulder into the lane and take the lane.

As mentioned before, it's a continually changing thing. Some intersections I'll do this because I want to be out and visible for any cars that would make a right at the intersection possibly killing me. If there's a turning lane, I'm definitely in the lane of the direction I'm going. Some roads with a clear shoulder through the intersection I won't be in the lane.

It's not easy, our infrastructure sucks, and the laws aren't always clear. Balancing act of not being a asshole and staying alive.

It address the shoulder issue here:
39:4-14.2, 39:4-10.11 Operating Regulations. Every person riding a bicycle on a roadway shall ride as near to the right roadside as practicable, exercising due care when passing a standing vehicle or one proceeding in the same direction. A bicyclist may move left under any of the following conditions:

The roadside is the edge of pavement to edge of pavement as per the FHWA rules for what is the roadway. The shoulder is within the roadway. This is further supported in the law where it says you can move into the lane.

At the end of the day, most drivers do not care about the laws of bicyclist.

 

[Santapez]

but what are the behaviors/skills/equipment to minimize the chance
of an accident (you know they are called accidents for a reason)

Being visible and predictable. Predictable is part of why you would follow the law. Riding what looks erraticly by the driver does not allow them to properly ride with you. Just as if you were riding unpredictably in a car.

It address the shoulder issue here:
39:4-14.2, 39:4-10.11 Operating Regulations. Every person riding a bicycle on a roadway shall ride as near to the right roadside as practicable, exercising due care when passing a standing vehicle or one proceeding in the same direction. A bicyclist may move left under any of the following conditions:

The roadside is the edge of pavement to edge of pavement as per the FHWA rules for what is the roadway. The shoulder is within the roadway. This is further supported in the law where it says you can move into the lane.

At the end of the day, most drivers do not care about the laws of bicyclist.

From
2013 New Jersey Revised Statutes
Title 39 - MOTOR VEHICLES AND TRAFFIC REGULATION
Section 39:1-1 - Words and phrases defined:

"Roadway" means that portion of a highway improved, designed, or ordinarily used for vehicular travel, exclusive of the berm or shoulder. In the event a highway includes two or more separate roadways, the term "roadway" as used herein shall refer to any such roadway separately, but not to all such roadways, collectively.

Get's complicated. I'm not necessarily disagreeing with you, it's all gray areas.

 

[stb222]

Being visible and predictable. Predictable is part of why you would follow the law. Riding what looks erraticly by the driver does not allow them to properly ride with you. Just as if you were riding unpredictably in a car.



From
2013 New Jersey Revised Statutes
Title 39 - MOTOR VEHICLES AND TRAFFIC REGULATION
Section 39:1-1 - Words and phrases defined:

"Roadway" means that portion of a highway improved, designed, or ordinarily used for vehicular travel, exclusive of the berm or shoulder. In the event a highway includes two or more separate roadways, the term "roadway" as used herein shall refer to any such roadway separately, but not to all such roadways, collectively.

Get's complicated. I'm not necessarily disagreeing with you, it's all gray areas.

Fart noise.
Interesting article on the topic:
http://walkbikejersey.blogspot.com/2012/12/bicyclist-ticketed-for-riding-in.html

That case had the court rule on the legality of shoulder cycling and the court declared:

Bicyclists do not have special privileges on a roadway’s shoulder. Indeed, a bicycle rider is directed to ride on the furthest right hand side of the roadway, not on the roadway’s shoulder. The Motor Vehicle Code does not designate the roadway’s shoulder as a bicycle lane.


So it would appear that a designated bike lane is a “lane” for bikes. If you look at the streeview in the article, I would be 100% on that shoulder. But like @fidodie says, doesn’t matter until you in a legal case....

 

[JimN]

So we're not supposed to ride in the shoulder? Can you imagine how much more drivers will hate us if we start riding in the actual car lane?

 

[rick81721]

Fart noise.
Interesting article on the topic:
http://walkbikejersey.blogspot.com/2012/12/bicyclist-ticketed-for-riding-in.html

That case had the court rule on the legality of shoulder cycling and the court declared:

Bicyclists do not have special privileges on a roadway’s shoulder. Indeed, a bicycle rider is directed to ride on the furthest right hand side of the roadway, not on the roadway’s shoulder. The Motor Vehicle Code does not designate the roadway’s shoulder as a bicycle lane.

.

At least the cyclist being at fault in this instance makes sense. Traffic in the roadway was stopped and the cyclist was "filtering". If a car did the same thing, they would also be at fault.

 

[rick81721]

So we're not supposed to ride in the shoulder? Can you imagine how much more drivers will hate us if we start riding in the actual car lane?

We would have to go faster. Class 3 ebikes mandatory on the road!

 

[stb222]

We would have to go faster. Class 3 ebikes mandatory on the road!

This law supported by bike shops that deal ebikes.

 

[mfennell]

So we're not supposed to ride in the shoulder? Can you imagine how much more drivers will hate us if we start riding in the actual car lane?

Hah. When I'm on the road, I have three objectives, in descending order of importance

1) Not die
2) Not annoy drivers (which can be supportive of (1))
3) Follow all the rules of the road

(3) is waaaaay back on my priorities list. There are plenty of times when breaking the law makes things easier on everyone. A common intersection layout on my lunch rides has a wide-ish two lane becoming two, narrower through lanes and a left turn lane. On red lights, I filter through to the front and go through the red when it's safe. I'm past the narrow area on the other side and easily passable by the time the lights turn green. Legally, I guess I'm supposed to sit in line, then follow traffic when the light turns green. It's too narrow to pass me and I can't keep up with traffic, so I'm annoying people in 4000lb vehicles that can kill me.

I've never had a negative reaction. The rare person who's actually aware of his or her surroundings will often move over a little bit to make it easier on me. These are lunchtime rides though. Grumpy commuters in busy areas might react differently.

In general, I find drivers considerate around here. Maybe I'm in the kinder, gentler part of NJ?

 

[xc62701]

A couple of years ago an aggressive driver clipped me with his mirror at a light before trying to run me down. I reported this to the cops and I got his plate. When the cop came to the house he said that I should be riding on the sidewalk. I told him that was absolutely false and he needs to check the laws. He went to his cruiser for a few minutes and then came back to apologize. He said I was right and then knew the guy that was the offender. The driver ended up losing his license for a year as this was not the first road rage incident.

 

[Xler8]

In general, I find drivers considerate around here. Maybe I'm in the kinder, gentler part of NJ?

Imagine if there more parts of Jersey like that...

 

[Carson]

@Carson compared to motorcycles, are bicycles not being visible an issue or is it more the fact that they continually get passed and get run off the road that way? I feel like speed is generally what hurts/kills motorcyclists (besides cars turning left in front of them) and with bikes it’s that they can’t keep up with the flow of traffic and end up in the wrong spot at the right time.

I don't know what the empirical data shows. But I would say some combination of lack of visibility and sheer numbers of cars overtaking a cyclist. It's a numbers game. Figure if X cars an hour go past a fixed point (which a cyclist at 15-20mph is essentially a fixed point to vehicles traveling at 50mph), Y number are distracted for some reason and Z number drift out of their lane. If they happen to drift at the same time they are overtaking a cyclist, it's bad news. Good lights and high visibility clothing hopefully catch the attention of the distracted driver before the collision. At least that's how it always plays it out in my head.

But then again most of the fatal collisions involving bicyclists in our town have been at intersections with the bicyclist disregarding a red signal on a highway (50+mph).

It addresses the shoulder in the fact that the shoulder is not actually part of the road. As I mentioned before, the law doesn't recognize it as a legal place for a cyclist to ride. So this comes back to my view that you have to use your judgement. I ride in the shoulder where it makes sense, but at most intersections I'll come of the shoulder into the lane and take the lane.

As mentioned before, it's a continually changing thing. Some intersections I'll do this because I want to be out and visible for any cars that would make a right at the intersection possibly killing me. If there's a turning lane, I'm definitely in the lane of the direction I'm going. Some roads with a clear shoulder through the intersection I won't be in the lane.

It's not easy, our infrastructure sucks, and the laws aren't always clear. Balancing act of not being a asshole and staying alive.

Technically, the road is curb to curb or unimproved road edge to unimproved road edge. Vehicles travel on the roadway; the road is the entire improved surface that includes vehicle traffic, breakdown lanes, cycle lanes, turning lanes, etc.

 

[Carson]

A couple of years ago an aggressive driver clipped me with his mirror at a light before trying to run me down. I reported this to the cops and I got his plate. When the cop came to the house he said that I should be riding on the sidewalk. I told him that was absolutely false and he needs to check the laws. He went to his cruiser for a few minutes and then came back to apologize. He said I was right and then knew the guy that was the offender. The driver ended up losing his license for a year as this was not the first road rage incident.

Kind of proves my point. I'm glad he took the time to research it. Too many of us would not.

I actually have had 2 Millennial cops not know that when you make a left turn onto a divided 4 lane highway, you turn into the fast lane then signal into the slow lane. I asked after I saw them not complying in marked patrol cars.

 

[MadisonDan]

when you make a left turn onto a divided 4 lane highway, you turn into the fast lane then signal into the slow lane.

Isn't that just part of passing the road test for a license?

 

[Carson]

[QUOTE="Carson, post: 840041, member: 4889"when you make a left turn onto a divided 4 lane highway, you turn into the fast lane then signal into the slow lane.

Isn't that just part of passing the road test for a license?[/QUOTE]

Yep, right out of the manual. But somehow, after the Academy makes millennial recruits write their names in their underwear, they forget.

 

[Patrick]

Isn't that just part of passing the road test for a license?

Yep, right out of the manual. But somehow, after the Academy makes millennial recruits write their names in their underwear, they forget.[/QUOTE]

i see this all the time - not the underwear thing.

it does get a little weird on 202 when it is a single lane crossing a 4-lane divided, and cars going in both directions are turning left or going straight.
(whiton rd in b'burg)

 

[The Kalmyk]

I actually have had 2 Millennial cops not know that when you make a left turn onto a divided 4 lane highway, you turn into the fast lane then signal into the slow lane.

I willing to bet over half the drivers on the road don't know this.

 

[Patrick]

I willing to bet over half the drivers on the road don't know this.

i think what really bothers me about this is that it is really a good idea - if you miss someone because they disabled their daytime lights,
or sun glare, or whatever, it leaves them a way out.

shall we talk acceleration lanes too, and why they might be called that? ugh - i've got a ton of paperwork sitting in front of me.

 

[JDurk]

shall we talk acceleration lanes too, and why they might be called that?

I really wish other drivers would realize this.

 

[rick81721]

I actually have had 2 Millennial cops not know that when you make a left turn onto a divided 4 lane highway, you turn into the fast lane then signal into the slow lane. I asked after I saw them not complying in marked patrol cars.

Since when do cops follow the rules of the road? I thought a badge was a ticket to drive like Max Rockatansky

 

[mfennell]

I willing to bet over half the drivers on the road don't know this.

I watched a left-turner-into-the-right-lane guy go ballistic because another driver coming from the other direction turned right into the right lane at about the same time, cutting him off. We both turned into the same lot and I briefly considered explaining to the guy that he was in the wrong. Briefly.