Guest opinion: An open letter to users of Menlo Park city streets

Thanks for your thoughtful op-ed! Great to hear that your bicycle experience has been so positive.

The dreaded "right hook" collision, where a driver makes a right turn and inadvertently cuts off a bicyclist going straight, is definitely a major worry. Web Link

Note that drivers who are making a right turn are supposed to merge carefully into the bike lane, rather than keeping the bike lane clear (and going around the top). Sometimes the bike lane will be marked with a dotted line or green stripes to help communicate that it's ok to merge to drivers, but not always. The merge is important so the driver's intention is clear to bicyclists. Likewise, if there isn't a bike lane, bicyclists should merge with traffic and wait their turn to make a right, rather than try to go around the right-hand side of a row of cars.

Admittedly, merging into the bike lane can feel "wrong" to drivers and I hear there's a lot of confusion about this at the intersection of Ringwood X Bay Road. The main thing is just to drive slowly and look carefully before proceeding.

I started to become a MUCH better and safer driver once i also became a cyclist. Probably 95% of my time between the two is spent in a car, but the time I've spent on my bike has vastly improved the way I can see and understand traffic, it's flow, and identification of a problem before it happens.
I'm also a much better cyclist in traffic because of the time spent in my car.

Count me as another better driver because of bike riding.
I had a car out of commission for a while (Tesla w/ the dreaded long wait body damage). I used a bike for most ridable trips during that time and I can attest to the fact that it will give you a much better perspective of the road as a driver.
They should give insurance discount to drivers who also ride a bike. They'll spend somewhat less time in the car and are safer when in it.