Turning Across a Bike Lane on Kamehameha Highway
You are southbound on Kamehameha Highway in Kaneohe at 5:45 p.m., approaching a driveway to a shopping center on your right. The road has three southbound lanes. Your lane is marked with a white right-turn arrow painted on the pavement, but the arrow is badly faded. To your right is a six-foot bike lane separated from your lane by a solid white line. A cyclist is 40 feet behind you in the bike lane. Beyond the driveway, the bike lane continues to a signalized intersection. You need to turn right into the driveway. You have already signaled, but the driver behind is close and not slowing. You must decide when to cross the solid white line, whether to stop in the bike lane, and how to signal.
1. When may you cross the solid white line into the bike lane to reach the driveway?
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You may cross the solid white line only to make the right turn, and only when it is safe. The solid white line is an edge line separating your travel lane from the bike lane; it is not a barrier that makes turning illegal, but you must not use the bike lane as a through lane or a waiting area. Signal your right turn early-well before the driveway-check your mirror and right shoulder, and yield to the cyclist. With a cyclist 40 feet behind, at a typical 15 mph they are closing about 22 feet per second, so they will reach you in roughly two seconds. That is close enough that you should not cut across. Slow, let the cyclist pass if needed, then turn behind them. Cross into the bike lane close to the driveway, not 100 feet early.
2. The right-turn arrow painted in your lane is faded. Does it still restrict the lane to right turns?
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Pavement arrows are regulatory markings, but enforcement and interpretation can be affected if they are badly faded. The safer reading is that the lane is still intended for right turns: the arrow was placed there to direct traffic, and the adjacent bike lane and driveway geometry support that. Even if the arrow is not clearly visible, you should not use the lane to go straight through the intersection if the lane is configured as a turn lane. If you intended to go straight, you should have chosen another lane earlier. For the exam, treat a legible or reasonably discernible turn arrow as a lane-use requirement; do not rely on fading as permission to disobey.
3. A cyclist is approaching and you want to turn right. How do you negotiate the turn without blocking the bike lane?
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Do not stop in the bike lane and wait for traffic; that blocks the cyclist's path and forces them into traffic. Instead, signal early, slow in your lane, and time the turn so you cross the bike lane only when clear. If the cyclist is close, let them pass first. If you must wait for a gap in cross traffic, wait in your lane before the bike lane, not in it; then cross and turn when both the bike lane and the driveway are clear. Check for a second cyclist following the first. Do not honk or crowd the cyclist. After turning, check that your rear bumper has cleared the bike lane before straightening.