Utah judge tells cyclists to take the lane

That’s one way to look at this story, anyways. Cyclist Curtis Adams in Logan, Utah filtered forward to the right of cars waiting at a red light. He was ticketed for violating Utah statue 41-6A-705, which states it is unlawful to pass a vehicle on the right. Judge Cheryl Russel in the city court upheld the ticket.

The way I figure it, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. If cyclists can’t pass slow cars, then perhaps motorists can’t pass slow cyclists unless they change lanes? In this instance, though, I’m certain Logan police will probably ticket cyclists for impeding traffic. The bike program coordinator at Utah State University who was interviewed for the article also invites cyclists to take the lane — and predicts motorists might try to pass to the right of cyclists who do this.

Here’s a short video of me filtering to the right of stopped traffic in San Jose, California. (Yeah, I ride my bike on Saratoga Ave, as well as on El Camino Real, The Alameda, Santa Clara Street in San Jose, and the entire length of Stevens Creek Boulevard.)

What do you do at intersections? Do you filter forward? Or do you queue up behind the other vehicles in the lane and wait your turn?

52 Comments

  1. A situational call. If the line of cars is long then I'll past most of the stationary cars on the right, but not pass the last car – for fear that that driver may make an unsignaled right turn and hook me. But to pass on the right, I have to be 100% certain that it is impossible that any car in the line may veer right. If only a few cars, then I'll queue in. I should note that in my state, passing on the right is legal (even though I kinda think it shouldn't be).

  2. A situational call. If the line of cars is long then I'll past most of the stationary cars on the right, but not pass the last car – for fear that that driver may make an unsignaled right turn and hook me. But to pass on the right, I have to be 100% certain that it is impossible that any car in the line may veer right. If only a few cars, then I'll queue in. I should note that in my state, passing on the right is legal (even though I kinda think it shouldn't be).

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.