Remember Laws When Encountering Bicyclists

The in basket: Dorothy Spadoni of McCormick Woods describes a scary event she saw driving west on Sedgwick Road at the Highway 16 interchange, where she stopped for a red light.
“I was three or four cars from the light and (two) bicycle riders passed me on the right and proceeded to the light where they stopped also.” she wrote.
“When the light turned green, one of the bicycle riders proceeded straight across the intersection. As the second bicycle rider started to go straight across, a large delivery truck he was next to proceeded to make a right turn with the green light to enter the freeway entrance ramp causing the bicycle rider to have to veer off to let the truck go by.
“Who had the right of way in this situation,” she asked, “the bicycle rider or the truck driver?

The in basket: Dorothy Spadoni of McCormick Woods describes a scary event she saw driving west on Sedgwick Road at the Highway 16 interchange, where she stopped for a red light.
“I was three or four cars from the light and (two) bicycle riders passed me on the right and proceeded to the light where they stopped also.” she wrote.
“When the light turned green, one of the bicycle riders proceeded straight across the intersection. As the second bicycle rider started to go straight across, a large delivery truck he was next to proceeded to make a right turn with the green light to enter the freeway entrance ramp causing the bicycle rider to have to veer off to let the truck go by.
“Who had the right of way in this situation,” she asked, “the bicycle rider or the truck driver? Since cars are not supposed to pass on the right, are bicycle riders allowed to pass on the right? ”
The out basket: Deputy Scott Wilson of the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office says, “This one took a little digging and checking with our traffic unit.
“Final answer: The bicyclists have the right of way.
“The applicable (state laws) are, specifically, RCW 46.61.755(2) and RCW 46.61.770(1).
“(The first one) states that a person riding a bicycle upon a sidewalk or crosswalk must be granted all of the rights and is subject to all of the duties applicable to a pedestrian.
“The second one) states that 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…the bicyclists are allowed to use the shoulder and when in an intersection crosswalk, they get the right of way just like a pedestrian.”