Two-Way Left-Turn Lane, Sharrow, and a Right Turn
You are northbound on a five-lane urban street: one northbound through lane, one southbound through lane, and a center lane marked with solid and broken yellow lines and white left-turn arrows at intervals. The right side has a bike lane marked with a bicycle symbol and a shared-lane marking (sharrow) appears in your through lane 100 feet ahead. You need to turn right at the next driveway, a coffee shop, 60 feet ahead. A cyclist is riding in the bike lane about 25 feet behind your right rear wheel. A southbound pickup is signaling left into the center lane. Your lane has a solid white line on the right separating the bike lane, which becomes dashed 30 feet before the driveway. A pedestrian with a stroller waits at the driveway's sidewalk, not in a crosswalk. It is dusk and raining lightly.
1. Can you use the center lane to prepare for your right turn? Explain what the two-way left-turn lane is for and what its markings mean.
Read the worked answer
No. The center lane marked with solid and broken yellow lines and left-turn arrows is a two-way left-turn lane. Its purpose is to let vehicles from either direction make left turns, and in some cases to enter the roadway from a side street or driveway, without blocking through traffic. It is not a staging lane for a right turn, a passing lane, or a travel lane. Using it to set up a right turn would put you facing or adjacent to southbound left-turning traffic and would confuse the pickup signaling into it. For your right turn, stay in the northbound through lane, signal early, and use the dashed white area where the bike lane opens before the driveway. The center lane is also not a place to wait for a gap in traffic; if you miss the driveway, continue and reroute rather than making an abrupt move across the bike lane or from the center lane.
2. Describe the sequence for turning right across the bike lane with the cyclist behind you.
Read the worked answer
Signal right at least 100 feet before the driveway, check the mirror and right blind spot, and identify the cyclist's speed and position. The bike lane becomes dashed 30 feet before the driveway, which is where a right turn may cross it; a solid white line before that means stay out. If the cyclist is alongside or closing fast, yield and let them pass before you turn, because a right turn across a cyclist's straight path is a classic collision. If you are clearly ahead and can merge into the dashed area without cutting the cyclist off, move right gradually, then slow and turn into the driveway. Before entering the driveway, scan the sidewalk for the pedestrian with the stroller; even though there is no crosswalk, a person entering the driveway has the right of way once they step off the curb. Do not swing wide into the center lane.
3. What does the sharrow in your lane mean, and does it change your lane position?
Read the worked answer
A sharrow is a shared-lane marking: it tells you that bicyclists are expected to use that through lane and may ride in the lane's center, not just at the right edge. It is not a bike-only lane, and it does not give you a reserved lane or a passing lane. You may drive in the lane, but you must not squeeze past a cyclist. If you need to pass, wait until you can leave a safe distance - at least the 3-foot minimum used in Oregon - and do not return to the right until you can see the cyclist in your mirror. At dusk in rain, the cyclist's visibility is reduced and your stopping distance is longer, so a pass that would be tight in daylight is not safe now. The sharrow should also discourage you from drifting right for the driveway before the dashed area; keep your lane position predictable and signal before any lateral move.