OHTA.ca

No ticket involved, just looking for clarification on cycling and driving regulations. I read through the HTA and didn't really find anything addressing my concern.

A few weeks ago, I, a cyclist, approached a four-way controlled intersection. The north-south road is split by a median, each direction with two lanes. The east-west road, the one I was on, is a single lane in each direction, with a left-turn lane separate from the main lane.

So, I was in the left-turn lane, waiting for the light to turn green, and when it did, I signalled my left turn, and proceeded through the interesction into the left southbound lane, which made sense to me as my ultimate destination required another left turn some 50m ahead. (No sense changing lanes if I need to change again in 50m, am I right?)The driver of the vehicle behind me honked repeatedly as I turned into the left lane, passed me on the right in the middle of the intersection, and yelled out his window that I should have been in the right lane, speeding away angrily before I could make sense of what he screamed at me and get his license plate number.

I do have a driver's license (albeit a G1), but my understanding is that bicycles are subject to the same traffic regulations as motor vehicles, and that when turning left into a multi-laned roadway, you stick to the left lane until it is safe to move into the other lane. Can someone please tell me if I was in the wrong or not? (For what it's worth, I've taken to walking my bike across intersections when I need to turn left instead.)

yes, bicycles have to follow the same rules of the road.

Having been trained as a bicycle rider for work, you also should be utilizing the "lane block" technique. If in the left most lane, you would stay in the right tire track. In the right lane on a left turn, you stay in the left tire track (same as a MC rider would). This maintains your position in the lane and prevents someone trying to "squeeze" by with a vehicle.

This works in a great majority of cases, but don't be too surprised if they try to pass you in your own lane. Happened to me on a couple of occasions over the years, even on the 400 (motorcycle). You should know that not being caged in a big hunk of metal turns your daily commute into a death race.