Michael: Some quick answers to your email:
1. Yes, you should position yourself as you would if you were in a car at an intersection. I nearly always position myself as you did when going straight, unless a bike lane runs all the way up to the stop bar. In fact, this is the precise purpose of the few bike boxes you see around town - to allow bikes going straight to position themselves in the straight-through lane. 2. Kids in trucks... not much to say. 3. You are correct that state law now allows vehicles to cross a solid yellow line in order to pass slow moving vehicles (less than half the posted speed) when it is safe to do so. The reason that this was allowed was for situations exactly like yours. No passing zones are put in place with the assumption that traffic is moving close to the speed limit and that it will take a significant distance for one car to pass another. Obviously, this generally isn't the case when passing bicyclists - the pass occurs much quicker and the car often doesn't have to fully leave its lane. Such passes are safe in *some* no-passing zones, and it sounds like it wasn't a problem for you (other than being harassed by the cyclist). I agree that we need a lot more education out there - for bicyclists AND motorists alike. The Bike Fed's Share & Be Aware campaign has been spreading some of the information, but it would be nice to see an even larger campaign carried out statewide over the next few years. And to have more info in driver's ed classes and on the drivers exam. I believe you were behaving appropriately and legally in all three situations you described. Kevin ------------------------------------ *Kevin Luecke* Head of Planning, Policy & Legislation Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin www.bfw.org | 608-251-4456
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