Question: I have a question about right of way at a three-way stop in regard to bicyclists.
A group of bicyclists and a car are at one stop sign side by side, arriving first at the intersection. Single cars are at the other two signs.
The group of cyclists proceeds from its stop first; the car alongside of them stays stopped.
I am to the right of their stop and feel I am the next to proceed. However, the car that was stopped alongside the cyclists proceeds at the same time I do. Who has the right of way? – Ken Montgomery, Tacoma
Answer: We asked Washington State Patrol trooper Guy Gill to straighten this one out.
He began by saying the bikes and the car should not have been side by side at the intersection in the first place.
“Bicyclists need to follow the exact same rules of the road as vehicles do,” Gill said. “So that means they should not be lined up next to the car at the intersection. They should be behind the car – as if they were a vehicle.
“In the questioner’s scenario, he would be the next to go.”
“Obviously,” Gill added, “don’t ever assume that other drivers know that, and proceed with caution.”
rob.carson@thenewstribune.com253-597-8693
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