8.3 Motorcycles, Bicycles, and Pedestrians

8.3 Motorcycles, Bicycles, and Pedestrians

Quick Answer: Give motorcyclists and motor driven cycle (MDC) operators the same considerations as car drivers and the width of a full lane. Their smaller profile makes speed and distance hard to judge; they can stop more quickly and hide in blind spots. Signals are usually not self-canceling — wait to be sure before you proceed. Follow at least three or four seconds. Road conditions that are minor to cars can be major to motorcycles. Bicyclists have the same rights and responsibilities on most roadways. Pass with a minimum of three feet and no oncoming danger. They may ride no more than two abreast except on exclusive paths, and they are not required to use a designated bike lane. Do not turn across a cyclist’s path. Bike lanes are exclusive unless signs specify joint use with pedestrians or the driver is on official duty (for example, mail). Sharrows are a bike with two arrows. Slow-moving vehicles show an orange fluorescent center with red reflective borders and cannot exceed 25 mph. Always yield to pedestrians, including white cane and guide dog users.

The Indiana BMV knowledge exam tests this sharing-the-road block on the rules component (Driver's Manual Chapter 7). Motorcycle endorsement exams and Ride Safe Indiana courses are a different license; this operator test only asks how a car driver shares the road with those riders.

Motorcycles and motor driven cycles: a full lane

Motorcyclists and MDC operators must be provided the same considerations as passenger motor vehicle operators. Always allow all motor vehicle operators the width of a full lane. Even when it looks as if two motor vehicles could share the paint, a rider may need the full lane to avoid a hazard you cannot see — a pothole, gravel, a pavement seam, a car door.

Facts the exam recycles:

• The smaller profile makes speed and distance harder to judge.
• Motorcycles and MDCs can stop much more quickly than other motor vehicles.
• Because of their size, they can be hidden in a blind spot or missed in a quick shoulder check.
• Always check mirrors and blind spots before entering or leaving a lane and at intersections.
• Always signal before changing lanes or merging so riders can find a safe lane position.

Do not assume that a flashing turn signal on a motorcycle or MDC means a turn is coming soon. These vehicles have signals that are usually not self-canceling, and riders sometimes forget to turn them off. Wait to be sure the motorcyclist or MDC rider is going to take action before you proceed. Pulling out left in front of a bike because its left signal has been blinking for a block is a classic intersection crash.

Road conditions that are only minor annoyances to larger vehicles can be major hazards to motorcyclists: potholes, gravel, wet or slippery surfaces, pavement seams, railroad crossings, and grooved pavement. Riders may change speed or lane position suddenly. Allow at least three or four seconds when following a motorcycle so the rider has time to maneuver or stop.

Three or four seconds is longer than the two-to-three-second following guidance the manual gives for ordinary car-to-car spacing in the braking chapter. Do not copy the car gap onto a motorcycle.

Bicycles: same rights, three-foot pass

On most roadways, bicyclists have the same rights and responsibilities as other roadway users. Yield to a bicyclist just as you would to another vehicle.

Passing and position rules:

• You may pass a bicyclist when there is a safe amount of room beside the bicyclist (minimum three feet) and when there is no danger from oncoming traffic.
• Bicyclists may not ride more than two abreast except on paths or parts of roadways set aside for the exclusive use of bicycles.
• A bicyclist is not required to ride in a designated bike lane because the bicyclist has the right to use either the bike lane or the travel lane.

Three feet is a minimum, not a target you clip. Honking and squeezing through with one foot of paint is not a pass. If oncoming traffic closes the gap, wait.

Turns that cut off cyclists

• Avoid turning across the path of a bicyclist.
• Left turn with a bicyclist entering from the opposite direction: wait for the bicyclist to pass before turning.
• Sharing a left-turn lane with a bicyclist: stay behind until the cyclist has safely completed the left turn.
• Right turn with a bicyclist approaching on the right: let the cyclist go through the intersection first before you turn right (the right-hook).
• After parking and before opening vehicle doors, check for bicyclists.

A car that signals right, then turns across a cyclist going straight in the bike lane or at the curb, is the urban crash this list is written to stop.

Bicycle lanes, colored pavement, and sharrows

Bicycle paths and lanes shall be used exclusively for the operation of bicycles unless:

• Signs specify joint use with pedestrians, or
• The driver is on official duty, such as delivering mail.

Other rules for any vehicle:

• Do not drive or park in bicycle paths or lanes, or place the vehicle so it may impede bicycle traffic.
• Yield the right of way to a person operating a bicycle on a designated bicycle path or lane.
• Do not move into a bicycle path or lane in preparation for a turn.
• Cross a bicycle path or lane only when turning or when entering or leaving an alley, driveway, or private road.
• Be careful opening a door or backing out when using on-street parking.

Sharrow markings are pavement markings of a bike with two arrows above it. They help cyclists position themselves away from parked cars and alert other road users to expect cyclists to occupy travel lanes. A sharrow is not a bike lane you can ignore; it is a warning that the travel lane is shared.

Green colored pavement may enhance the visibility of bike lanes. Red colored pavement may enhance bus or transit lanes designated for buses, taxis, or other public transit. Do not treat green paint as decoration you can park on.

Slow-moving vehicles, horses, and a Chapter 6 reminder

Certain slow-moving farm vehicles, construction equipment, and vehicles drawn by animals may share roadways. Use care when approaching and passing. Watch for the special emblem on the rear: an orange fluorescent center with red reflective borders, indicating a vehicle that cannot exceed 25 miles per hour. That emblem was also a sign-identification item in the school/railroad/SMV signs chapter; here the operating fact is the 25 mph cap and the need to pass with patience.

A rider of a horse or horse-drawn vehicle has the same rights and responsibilities of a motor vehicle driver when riding on a public highway. Approach with caution and watch for hand signals from the rider or driver.

Traffic-control officers and official processions (including funerals) already outrank signals in Chapter 6 of this guide — one reminder only: if an officer is directing traffic, or a funeral/official procession is moving through, those right-of-way rules still apply while you share the road with bikes, horses, and pedestrians.

Pedestrians, children, and white canes

Crosswalks or a pedestrian signal indicate that pedestrians are nearby. The Driver's Manual’s rules:

• Always yield the right of way to pedestrians.
• Do not make a turn that causes a pedestrian to stop, slow down, or make some other special effort to avoid a collision.
• If children are in the vicinity, take special care. Children are not fully aware of traffic dangers and, with other pedestrians, may cross at unexpected places.
• Be respectful of others who have difficulty crossing, such as elderly persons or someone with a visual disability.
• Everyone is a pedestrian — including you, the next time you walk from a parking lot.

Traveling aids for a person who is visually impaired are often a white cane or a trained guide dog. Independent travel involves some risk that drops when drivers know what those aids mean. Drivers must always yield the right of way to persons who are visually impaired.

Yield is not "slow and hope they freeze." If your turn would make a pedestrian stop, slow, or dodge, you have already violated the manual’s turn rule.

Indiana scenarios

Downtown Indianapolis, motorcycle left signal blinking. The rider is still coming straight. Signals on bikes are usually not self-canceling. Wait to be sure before you pull out.

Following a motorcycle on a grooved interstate bridge. Hold three or four seconds. The rider may swerve for a seam that would only rumble a car.

Three-foot pass on a two-lane. A cyclist is in the travel lane (legal — they are not required to stay in a bike lane). Oncoming traffic is close. Do not pass until there are three feet and no oncoming danger.

Right turn with a cyclist on your right. Let the cyclist go through first. Do not race the corner.

Left-turn lane shared with a cyclist. Stay behind until the cyclist finishes the left.

Green bike lane before a right turn. Do not drift into the bike lane to "set up" the turn. Cross it only as you actually turn, after yielding.

Mail carrier briefly in a bike lane. Official duty such as delivering mail is the listed exception; parking your personal car there is not.

Sharrow on a downtown lane. Expect a cyclist in the travel lane, positioned away from parked-car doors.

Amish buggy, SMV emblem. Orange fluorescent center, red borders, 25 mph maximum. Pass only when safe; watch hand signals.

Child near a crosswalk, no pedestrian signal. Always yield. Children may cross where you do not expect. A person with a white cane or guide dog gets the right of way without a debate about who had the light.

Exam traps

• Sharing a lane with a motorcycle because "there is room." They get a full lane.
• Using a two-second car gap behind a motorcycle instead of three or four seconds.
• Turning in front of a bike because its signal is still flashing — not self-canceling.
• Passing a bicycle with less than three feet or into oncoming traffic.
• Forcing cyclists into the bike lane; they may use the travel lane.
• Driving, parking, or pre-positioning in a bike lane to turn.
• Treating sharrows as empty decoration.
• Confusing the SMV emblem’s 25 mph cap with a school-bus or truck speed.
• Turning so a pedestrian must stop, slow, or dodge.
• Failing to yield to a white cane or guide dog.

Give riders the whole lane and a longer following gap, give cyclists three feet and uncut turns, keep bike lanes clear, and yield to every pedestrian — especially children and people traveling with a white cane or guide dog.