You wish to turn left at the intersection. What should you do? You wish to turn left at the intersection. What should you do?

  • A. Slow down, stay back and wait for the cyclist to go past the intersection

  • B. Speed up so you get around the cyclist before they get there

  • C. Toot your horn to let the cyclist know to move over and stop so you can turn

  •  
    The correct answer is A
     
    The cyclist has the right of way
     
 
 
 

Turning left when cyclists are present

The cyclist has reached the point in the intersection where the broken white edge line begins. This is the point at which traffic can start to move left when slowing down to give other vehicles more room to overtake.

A leading cause of fatal accidents with cyclists is them being clipped by a turning vehicle, often a longer vehicle such as a semitrailer. 

If you have to rush past the cyclist you will then have to brake more heavily for the corner which means more wear and tear on your car and less comfort for your passengers. 

It would also leave you quite close to the cyclist, and cyclists can sometimes wobble in their lane, which increases the risk of you hitting them. 

It can be difficult to judge how fast the bicycle is moving and you might misjudge the speed, meaning you'd be unable to make the turn.

Also, if you wait for the cyclist you will create more visibility for him as he won't be obscured by your vehicle.

If the cyclist is turning left, too, you can ascertain whether there is enough room in the intersection for you to pass leaving a safe distance of 1.5m between you and the cyclist as you both turn. As you turn, particularly if you are in a long vehicle such as a car towing a trailer, a bus or an articulated truck, the rear wheels will travel a much tighter radius than the front wheels, reducing the room for the cyclist. This is called the swept path.

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