Cycling in Melbourne Australia
The use and abuse of bike boxes
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Jack on -
You should have right of way, they are designed to release the cyclists first.
Were you turning right, that may have got the motorist angry as he was probably going straight ahead.
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Permalink Reply by Eric Ireland on -
I was going straight ahead, and he was turning right.
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Permalink Reply by Jack on
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Looking at the intersection I can how understand your problem. It is a tough intersection to control.
By the look of it there are left and right turn arrows making it difficult if a bike wants to go straight ahead. In my opinion there should be a bike box across both lanes or none at all. By only having one in the RH lane it confuses things especially if the cyclist and the LH lane want to go straight ahead. Unless the LH land is Left Turn only, in that case the intersection is set up correctly but obviously the Right Turn arrow sequence is not separate to the traffic that wants to go straight ahead.
Actually I just realised that I drive through that intersection at least 5 times a week and cannot ever remember having an issue with cyclists, I will take more notice over the next few days.
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Permalink Reply by Spike Hair on -
If you reverse two clicks along that Google Streetview you can clearly see a left arrow on the left lane of the road and a sign on the roadside pole "Left lane must turn left".
It may also be illegal to cross solid lane marking lines unless unavoidable.
I believe those laws do apply to cyclists.
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Permalink Reply by Eric Ireland on
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Fair enough, in future I won't use the bike box except when I'm the first to arrive at the intersection. In that case, the bike box seems redundant, though.
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Permalink Reply by Spike Hair on
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It might be ok to split the lane though. Stay within the right lane passing vehicles on their left without crossing the solid lane marking line.Maybe not practical in most cases, but theoretically possible.
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Permalink Reply by Adrian Tritschler on -
In my experience nearly every bike box in Melbourne is a waste of paint. I've rarely arrived at an intersection that has one that has not got a motorist parked over them, or that has one drive into it behind or around a bike. Good luck in finding anyone who drives and doesn't ride who knows what they're supposed to do with them and even better luck in finding any instance anywhere of police enforcing the laws regarding them.
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Permalink Reply by Sarah B. on
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You are actually in the right, Eric. I know this intersection well. The left lane is a left turn only lane for cars, so to me good bike etiquette says keep out of the left lane. The right lane is a regular lane, cars can go straight or turn right from here. I stay in the left hand corner of the bike box, in the right lane. This way you can keep to the left when the light goes green, for 2 reasons...1, if you are turning right and are not sure what the car in the right hand lane is doing, you will have the opportunity to stay well clear of the car while you suss out what it IS doing, (don't assume it is turning) and secondly, if the car is turning right, you are well clear of it and allow it to pass you as it turns the corner. It is a wide enough intersection that both a bike and car can turn right without getting in the way of each other. I believe that the green right turn arrow is only ever on at the same time as the green to go straight, so its not like you would be blocking a car by sitting there at a red light when the car has a green to turn. The bike box is the right place to be, I encourage you to use it! Sitting in the middle of the two lanes at this intersection isn't the best idea either, so go to the front for sure. Unfortunately on that day you just happened to encounter an idiot. I don't remember ever copping any agro at that intersection being in this position. You are much more likely to cause agro by being in the left lane when the left turn arrow is green.
The only thing I can suggest is to make sure you stay to the left of the bike box so the driver knows they can easily pass you.
© 2013 Created by DamianM.
Apologies in advance for making my first post a whinge, but I have to get this off my chest.
There's a bike box in the right hand lane on the corner of Swanston and Elgin St near Melbourne Uni.
You can see it here on google streetview.
I don't usually stop there except when I'm the first to arrive at the intersection, but yesterday I was looking at this website, and I thought I would make better use of it.
This morning, I rode up the left hand lane to the front of the intersection, and then moved over into the bike box in the right hand lane (which a motorist had half driven over). Whereupon said motorist honked their horn and let forth a torrent of abuse. I held my ground and stayed put, and pointed down at the bike box. That made him REALLY angry. When the light turned green, he put his foot on the accelerator and swerved over to scare me and passed me within centimetres.
To my understanding, what I did is entirely legal. What's the point of bike boxes if we're too intimidated to use them? After that experience I'm having second thoughts though..
What do you reckon?