Overtaking left turning car on the left...

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InTheWoods
Posts: 1900
Joined: Sun Jul 31, 2011 2:34 pm
Location: Brisbane

Overtaking left turning car on the left...

Postby InTheWoods » Thu Mar 07, 2013 5:50 pm

Land St in Toowong heading inbound ... yeh you know the one ...



What are you really meant to do here? My reading of the rules is that if a car is there trying to turn left from the leftmost car lane, bikes in the [actually real] bike lane need to give way, but this doesn't seem to happen and the car gets stuck partway into the intersection while 50 bikes go past. I prefer to enter the car lane and wait behind the car so I am communicating with them my intention to wait and its easier for the driver to see me, but then I get stuck there while bikes continue to undertake.

Rule 141 (2) says
(2) The rider of a bicycle must not ride past, or overtake, to the
left of a vehicle that is turning left and is giving a left change
of direction signal.
It seems pretty clear to me but I could be wrong.

Some could argue that the car should have changed lanes to be in the bike lane but you can imagine the abuse they would cop for that, plus I don't actually think it would be allowed. A normal car can drive for up to 50m in a bike lane in certain circumstances only, and the only one that comes close is "(a) to enter or leave the road;", which to my mind means when entering or leaving the road to a driveway or the shoulder etc. You aren't "leaving the road" when you turn at an intersection - at all times you are still "on the road".

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KenGS
Posts: 1474
Joined: Thu Sep 10, 2009 10:31 pm
Location: Rosanna, Victoria

Re: Overtaking left turning car on the left...

Postby KenGS » Thu Mar 07, 2013 8:46 pm

InTheWoods wrote:A normal car can drive for up to 50m in a bike lane in certain circumstances only, and the only one that comes close is "(a) to enter or leave the road;", which to my mind means when entering or leaving the road to a driveway or the shoulder etc. You aren't "leaving the road" when you turn at an intersection - at all times you are still "on the road".
You are leaving the road to enter the road you are turning into.
Nevertheless, I would do what you do
--Ken
Helmets! Bells! Rego!

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