Woman Goes For A Walk. Then A Toyota SUV Starts Following Her: 'I Accidentally Turned Into One Today'

A Toyota owner driving their car down a bike lane was captured on camera by a woman on foot using the cyclist roadway. Ashleigh Toinette (@ashleigh.toinette) outed the driver in a clip she shared online. The video sparked a discussion on driver etiquette and paths reserved for bike commuters.

“So these people don’t realize that they’re on a walking and bike lane, and they’re being rude as [expletive] to us, and there’s a pole right in the middle of it,” she says, turning her camera around to reveal the pole in question, which is fixed to the ground. It looks like a plastic unit that the driver would either have to drive over or swerve to the left to avoid. 

Toinette continued: “They can’t even get out. It’s really funny. Must suck to be them. Let’s see." Following this, she continues to record herself, and the driver indeed pulls to the left to wedge the Toyota crossover through the space between the end of the bike lane and a vehicle parked beside it.

"Oh, they’re gonna hit somebody else’s car. Wow, really intelligent,” she tells her viewers. Behind the woman, a man sitting in the front seat shouts, “Thanks” out of the window, which prompts Toinette to repeat, loudly and to the car driving behind her, “Really intelligent!”

Commenters Sound Off On Toyota In Bike Lane

Several people who replied to her clip shared in her outrage over the car owner’s decision to drive in the bike lane. In fact, many believed she was being much too gracious to the driver by walking fairly quickly.

“You’re walking way too fast,” one person penned. Another quipped, “I would have gotten a sudden urge to do yoga.” Someone else chimed in, “I woulda stopped to tie my [shoe] a couple times.”

Others were shocked by the driver’s inability to discern between a bike lane and a portion of the street designated for cars. “It’s literally not a lane for cars at all,” one wrote.

However, there were folks who thought Toinette was wrong. They remarked that she was wrong for walking in the bike lane because it’s supposed to be just for cyclists.

“Generally, dedicated bike lanes are designed specifically for cyclists, not pedestrians. While sometimes used in emergencies or when sidewalks are blocked or absent, walking in bike lanes is dangerous and often illegal. Sidewalks are for pedestrians; bike lanes are for wheeled, non-motorized transport,” one said.

Whereas another stated that they had difficulty driving in bike lanes in other states due to their unfamiliarity with local ordinances. “I feel you but I was in another state that had bike lanes down the middle … I definitely drove on the bike lane for a couple blocks before realizing. We live and learn,” they wrote.

Is It Illegal To Drive In A Bike Lane?

Traffic laws vary from state to state, but there are some general rules that apply to bicycles and bike lanes. Bike Legal has compiled some of these generalities and notes that folks should check their state’s specific laws regarding bicycle commuting. Additionally, the outlet does indeed reference lanes constructed specifically for cyclists.

Whether or not a car can ever drive in these lanes, again, depends on location. In Seattle, for instance, The Bellingham Herald says that “bike lanes are for bikes (and similar vehicles.) As for pedestrians in the Emerald City, they can walk on a bike roadway, but only 'when there are no sidewalks or shoulders.'”

Cars aren’t allowed to commute in bike lanes at all, except “to execute a turning maneuver, yielding to all persons riding bicycles thereon,” the website writes.

California sports similar laws. The law firm Cron, Israels & Stark writes that according to California Vehicle Code 21209 VC, drivers must stay out of the bike lane. But folks can “park [their] car, enter or leave a road, or prepare for a turn at an intersection.”

Moreover, the legal group says that “it’s illegal for motor vehicles to drive in designated bike lanes marked by solid white lines, pavement markings, and signage.” In Toinette’s video, all of these variables were clearly visible to viewers.

Also, the Golden State allows “motorized bikes in bike lanes,” according to Cron, Israels, and Stark. But these vehicles “must operate at a reasonable and prudent speed and not travel in a way that threatens other cyclists.” Any violation of these laws results in a $238 fine and a point on a person’s DMV record, which lasts for three years.

Can You Walk In A Bike Lane?

---

---

And when it comes to pedestrians walking on bike lanes, Texas has similar rules as Seattle. According to the Lone Star State’s transportation code 552.006: “A pedestrian may not walk along or on a roadway if an adjacent sidewalk is provided and is accessible. If a sidewalk is not provided, a pedestrian walking along and on a highway shall if possible walk on: (1) the left side of the roadway; or (2) the shoulder of the highway facing oncoming traffic.”

Motor1 has reached out to Toinette via TikTok direct message for further comment. We will update this story if she responds.

 

 

We want your opinion!

What would you like to see on Motor1.com?

Take our 3 minute survey.

- The Motor1.com Team