Turn-Only Lane and the Invitation to Filter on Wet Pavement
At 5:10 p.m. on a wet Friday you are riding east on Farmington Avenue in West Hartford, approaching a signalized intersection with three eastbound lanes. The left lane is marked left-turn-only with a white arrow and a sign; the center and right lanes continue through. You need to go straight to a store 200 feet past the intersection. You are in the left-turn lane behind a stopped SUV, sixth in a line of cars. The center lane is backed up, but there is a narrow gap between the left-turn queue and the center-lane cars. A driver in the center lane waves you forward, apparently inviting you to ride between the lanes to the front. The light is red. Rain has made the pavement reflective, and your visor is starting to fog. You consider filtering up the gap and then merging straight ahead when the light changes.
1. Is filtering between the left-turn queue and the center lane legal and safe in Connecticut? Explain.
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Connecticut does not authorize lane splitting or riding between traffic lanes, so the invitation does not create a legal path. Even where a driver waves you forward, that driver cannot waive the law or guarantee that other drivers see you. The gap is narrow, the pavement is wet, and your visor is fogging, all of which reduce your margin for error. A motorcycle is entitled to a full lane; squeezing beside stopped cars puts you in a space where drivers may open doors, change lanes, or close the gap without expecting a rider. The safer and lawful choice is to remain in your lane, improve your visibility, and accept the delay rather than filtering to the front.
2. You are in a turn-only lane but want to go straight. What are your options, and which is safest?
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Once you are committed to a marked turn-only lane, the sign and arrow control your movement; you should not straighten out from that lane across the center lane. The safest option is to complete the left turn, then use a legal route such as a U-turn or a right turn through a side street to come back to your destination. A second option, only if you have not yet entered the turn-only section and the lane change is legal and clear, is to signal and move right into the through lane before the solid line. Do not force a merge in the intersection or accept the center driver's wave as clearance. Missing a store entrance is a minor inconvenience; cutting across a through lane from a turn-only lane is a major collision risk.
3. How should you position and signal at the intersection to maximize visibility in rain?
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Stay centered in your lane rather than hugging the line, so you are not hidden beside the SUV or in the center driver's blind spot. Use your turn signal early and keep it on until the maneuver is complete. Clear your visor or use a rain treatment so you can see and be seen; fogging is a visibility hazard, not just discomfort. Increase following distance, cover the brakes, and watch the crosswalk and the center lane for vehicles that may turn across your path. If you are turning left, position for the turn only when it is your legal turn, yield to oncoming traffic, and avoid entering the intersection just because the center driver waves. Visibility in rain depends on lane position, signal timing, and space, not on squeezing forward.