Ranting on IRC about this isn’t enough, so I’m going to vent here too so I can get back to work. I ride to work most days now on my bicycle from Georgetown to the downtown core business district. I used to take Airport Way, which is alright once you get used to the cars not usually changing lanes to pass you despite there being two lanes in your direction.

I recently started taking fourth because a friend said that was his route. Fourth is alright, I hadn’t taken it before because there wasn’t a sidewalk over the railroad yard bridge, but I don’t usually use those anymore so it’s okay. Fourth isn’t really any different than Airport way. I still get cars passing me in my lane if I stay to the right of it, and people yelling and honking if I stay in the middle of it so they have to change lanes to pass.

The one benefit of fourth is it has dedicated one way routes to get on and off third, which is my preferred downtown route because during the rush hours it’s limited to buses and bikes. I was north of Jackson and south of Prefonatine Place S today, where 4th is one way. I worked over to the middle lane but traffic was thick and I needed to get to the left in another block or two to get on to Prefontaine Place (which goes to third). Then a cop in a car started telling me over the PA that I couldn’t be there and I had to move to the right. Unfortunately my bike doesn’t have a PA. After I figured out what his issue was he said, “Sir, don’t you understand what I’m saying?” and I managed to communicate my need to go left with hand gestures and he stopped talking and drove off. I didn’t understand why I couldn’t be in the middle lane though.

This is a pretty good page for Washington Bicycle Laws. RCW 46.61.770(1):

Every person operating a bicycle upon a roadway at a rate of speed less than the normal flow of traffic at the particular time and place shall ride as near to the right side of the right through lane as is safe except as may be appropriate while preparing to make or while making turning movements, or while overtaking and passing another bicycle or vehicle proceeding in the same direction. A person operating a bicycle upon a roadway or highway other than a limited-access highway, which roadway or highway carries traffic in one direction only and has two or more marked traffic lanes, may ride as near to the left side of the left through lane as is safe. A person operating a bicycle upon a roadway may use the shoulder of the roadway or any specially designated bicycle lane if such exists.

So you can’t ride a bicycle in the middle lane, unless you’re trying to get to another lane. Which I was, so I was fine, which is surely why he left me alone,  but my morning would have been nicer if he had waiting a minute to see what I was doing before yelling at me.

Why can’t we have a South Park to Downtown bike trail already?