How to safely turn right when there is a bike lane?

In every major city around the world, the roads have to be shared by public and private transportation, be it bus, taxi, car, motorcycle, or bicycle. Because bicycles travel much slower than all the others, they usually have a dedicated bike path that only they can access.

So what if you live in one of these cities with a dedicated bike path? What if the bike path is actually on the shoulder of the road, and you need to cross it to make a turn? What if your city penalizes you for doing so?

Well, in a word, you’re technically screwed. In a city like Metro Manila, it’s supposed to be illegal to drive in the bike lane, and depending on who’s watching the city’s CCTV network at any given time, the penalty for being caught in the bike lane is a hefty 5,000 Philippine Pesos.

But we can’t all keep turning left and never turning right. Otherwise, we’d get nowhere. So how are you supposed to turn when there’s a bike lane?

How to do it right

This problem isn’t new, and other cities have tackled it by defining what it means to enter the bike lane, drive in it, and the difference between them. It’s a move that’s clarified many of the same questions many Manila residents have been asking since the bike lanes were placed. A vehicle enters the bike lane when the wheels cross the boundary between the motorized vehicle lane and the bike lane. In contrast, a vehicle drives in the bike lane when the motorized vehicle stays in the bike lane for longer than a pre-approved distance, usually 50 meters. The former is not a punishable offense, but the latter is.

Why 50 meters? In essence, if you’re making a turn, you should be in the turning lane no more than 50 meters before your turnoff.

For example: If a vehicle turns off of EDSA into a gasoline station, said vehicle should be in the right-most lane (and straddling the bike lane along EDSA) no more than 50 meters before the gasoline station. Any more than that, and it should technically be classified as driving in the bike lane.

Now, we get to the obvious follow-up question: What happens if I wait as close as possible before entering the bike lane? I’m within 50 meters,right? You end up swerving into the gas station if you wait until the last minute to make your turn. That’s a different offense altogether and is more dangerous because you’d be at risk of sideswiping a cyclist or worse.

Here’s a rule of thumb that works wonders: If you’re turning at an intersection, generally, the lane markings (arrows that point in the direction you can go while in that lane) indicate a good amount of distance when they’re within view and easily legible. Once you see and can read them, start moving into the lane you need to be in to turn – generally, this is an acceptable distance before an intersection to switch lanes.

If you’re turning into an establishment and there are no indicators where you can turn off, if a vehicle about five car lengths in front of you passes the building, that’s roughly 50 meters. It would be best to start moving into the rightmost lane to turn off.

Not taught, not practiced

According to the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, vehicles should always make a right turn from the right lane. A car should therefore turn right from the rightmost lane, even if this is the bicycle lane. Turning right from the second lane is incorrect and unsafe.

The group created this graphic to demonstrate the ideal way motorists can turn right when there's a bicycle lane.

The key takeaway from this graphic is how the rider should pass on the left of the vehicle turning right. The rider is expected to return to the bike lane as soon as he crosses the intersection. It's a simple and elegant solution to the confusion for motorists and bicycle riders alike.

Finally, here's a safety tip: Don’t forget to always check your side mirrors. Cyclists will thank you for taking the time to do that.