I have a few questions about riding and making left hand turns in multi lane roads. What is the prefered method for 2 lane roads? What about 2 lane roads with a left turn lane? 4-5 lane roads (left turn lane.. middle lanes.. right turn lane)? This is the only thing that has me bugged when it comes to riding on the road. Right hand turns are obvious and I don't worry about those but my ideal path requires me to make lefts on some busier roads.

I make left-hand turns from the left-hand turn lane. I take the center of the lane. A bike is a vehicle and should follow that traditions and laws applicable to vehicles.

That being said, there are roads that have such heavy motorized traffic that moving to the left-hand turn lane would be suicidal. For those roads there are two options. A) go straight though the intersection and stop at the curb. Move the bike to face the direction you want to go and go with the traffic. B) turn right and make a U-turn and end up at the same position as A. This assumes you are at an intersection with traffic lights.

Just don't ask about what lane to be in when there are multiple lane one-way roads that intersect at weird angles!

Oregon law: You're entitled to one lane of traffic on a bicycle. Accordingly, you're expected to use the turn lane just like a motor vehicle. Use hand signals. Make it perfectly clear to traffic where you're headed. Try to get eye contact with drivers -- and ensure that they're slowing down and providing "right of way" for you. Don't just assume you're going to have the traffic yield because lots of jerks in cars think you shouldn't be in traffic despite what the law says.

It's good public relations to accommodate drivers and help them get through the intersection. You score points when you work with the traffic cooperatively rather than being confrontive, and you're likely to have a smoother time of it.

If you can't manage getting into the turn lane and going with the flow of traffic, then you can work the intersection like a pedestrian -- dismount the bike and use the cross-walk. You should walk in the cross-walk. If you're riding the bike in the cross-walk it raises issues about whether you're a "vehicle" or a "pedestrian." Crossing the street in a cross-walk, you want clearly to be viewed -- legally -- as a pedestrian.

Along the lines of what the others have said, this is from the Virginia DOT website:
"Bicyclists may make left turns as either motorists or pedestrians do. To make a pedestrian left turn, the bicyclist should continue straight across the intersecting road, obey the traffic signals, turn left at the corner, and proceed as usual. Bicyclists may also dismount and walk in the crosswalks of the two intersecting roads. If traffic control devices specify the method of crossings, these directions must be followed. Please refer to the examples shown here:"
http://virginiadot.org/images/is-bk-intersection.gif

Just keep in mind that most drivers are clueless when it comes to hand signals. Especially the right turn signal. I can't tell you how many times I've made a right hand turn signal and had a driver either wave or look at me as if I'm someone they know with my hand up as if to say hi. :rolleyes:

Just keep in mind that most drivers are clueless when it comes to hand signals. Especially the right turn signal. I can't tell you how many times I've made a right hand turn signal and had a driver either wave or look at me as if I'm someone they know with my hand up as if to say hi. :rolleyes:

Don't use the left-hand-up signal for a right turn. It was created for a driver sitting in the left seat of a car, and, as you've experienced, drivers haven't the foggiest idea what you're trying to signal. If you want to signal that you're turning right, point your right arm straight out, mirroring your left turn signal. May not be what it says in the drivers manual, but it's safer and more understandable.

Great answers. I think I'll just walk my bike through some of the iffy intersections in my area.

Don't use the left-hand-up signal for a right turn. It was created for a driver sitting in the left seat of a car, and, as you've experienced, drivers haven't the foggiest idea what you're trying to signal. If you want to signal that you're turning right, point your right arm straight out, mirroring your left turn signal. May not be what it says in the drivers manual, but it's safer and more understandable.

Arizona Law says either method of signaling a right turn is acceptable. Certainly I prefer the arm out to the right. It seems it has been so long since people hand signaled turns in cars that they have forgotten what the left arm up means....

Very true! Especially considering I am only 21 and couldn't tell you the proper left/right hand signals for cars if my life depended on it, ironically.. it does.

Just keep in mind that most drivers are clueless when it comes to hand signals. Especially the right turn signal. I can't tell you how many times I've made a right hand turn signal and had a driver either wave or look at me as if I'm someone they know with my hand up as if to say hi. :rolleyes:
...LEFT turns. Arm out with hand pointing to the left - there can be little doubt about the cyclist's intent with such signal.

they have forgotten what the left arm up means....
Usually when the left arm is up, so is the middle finger. People seem to know what that means!

Before signaling a left turn, turn your head and make sure there is no vehicle hitting your arm. ;) Try to get eye contact with drivers and look back often. Slow down.