Thanks Paul, that definitely makes sense. I think my problem is that I
hate having to wait at stop signs and suck down fumes. So if there's a
long line of cars making right-hand turns, and I want to make a right hand
turn from the bike lane, I have to wait in line... But I've been trying to
be a good boy lately and stop at all the traffic lights, so I guess I
should get used to this too- for the benefit of keeping good car-bike vibes.
By the way, did anyone notice who won the most congested city
award? L.A. If that isn't the best argument that expanding roads doesn't
lead to less congestion than I'll eat a pound of asphalt. They have the
biggest roads of anywhere. I read somewhere that the %-age of L.A.'s areal
landmass covered in pavement, including roads parking lots and driveways,
exceeded 50% by a comfortable margin. Hmm. If they can't build their way
out of congestion, and they've sure tried, then it's a pretty dumb to think
that anyone can.
At 11:45 PM 5/7/01 -0500, Paul T. O'Leary wrote:
>Others could obviously provide a more "official" answer, but my understanding
>of it is that that's the lane from which cars are _supposed_ to turn right.
>Imagine if they didn't. Rather than pulling in front of you, slowing down,
>then
>turning, they'd be turning from the lane to your left. That's a helluva lot
>more dangerous, 'cuz they're then crossing your path.
>
>I get a bug when cars _don't_ use the lane for that purpose. It happens most
>frequently on E-bound E. Johnson St. (hey, who's got the historical reason
>why
>the bike lane is the left lane there, anyway?). People routinely turn into
>driveways and side-streets from the traffic lane beyond the curb lane,
>presenting their (in this case) left side to bike traffic. I'd rather be
>traveling behind such a person, in the same direction, presuming I have to
>slow
>down, than be surprised by their door or quarter panel across my path.
>Rear-end
>approaches give you more time to react than T-bones.
>
>Plus, if they have to share the lane with you, they're more likely to slow
>down
>and get behind you; at least there's a split chance of it. If the rule
>were to
>turn from the next lane out from the curb, they'd _always_ tear-ass out in
>front of you and then cut across your path.
