When can you drive in a bike lane?
- uring rush hour traffic if there are no bicyclists in the bike lane.
- When you are within 200 feet of a cross street where you plan to turn right. ✓
- When you want to pass a driver ahead of you who is turning right.
Answer: B. When you are within 200 feet of a cross street where you plan to turn right.
You may drive in a bike lane when you are within 200 feet of a cross street where you plan to turn right.
Why this is the answer
The handbook says bicycle lanes are for bicyclists only, with limited exceptions. One exception is turning, and the right-turn instructions allow you to enter the bike lane within 200 feet of the turn. The same section tells you to check your blind spots for bicyclists. So the permission is tied to making a right turn near the intersection, not to traffic congestion or to passing someone.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. uring rush hour traffic if there are no bicyclists in the bike lane. — Rush hour and an empty bike lane do not create permission; the handbook limits driving in a bike lane to specific situations such as turning within 200 feet of an intersection.
- C. When you want to pass a driver ahead of you who is turning right. — Passing a driver who is turning right is not one of the listed exceptions; the handbook allows you in the bike lane when you are preparing to turn right within 200 feet of the intersection, not to pass another vehicle.
Remember it
Use the bike lane only as a short approach to a right turn, not as a travel or passing lane.
Official handbook: California Driver Handbook (DL 600), Section 6: Navigating the Roads, p. 18