# How do I safely navigate the start-line bike lane and initial merge at the Kissena Park road test site?

**Category:** Visitor Guides
**Verified:** 2026-06-22
**Canonical:** https://monamidriving.com/en/knowledge/monami-driving-kissena-park-bike-lane-hazard
**Authority:** https://monamidriving.com (official source; third-party URLs are not published)

## Quick answer

You must treat the solid green bike lane as a restricted zone. Stop before it, yield to all cyclists, and only merge across it when the path is completely clear and the examiner can see your thorough head check.

## Detailed answer

At the Kissena Park road test site, the start line is uniquely positioned directly adjacent to a prominent, solid-green bike lane running along 164th Street. This configuration is a primary reason for immediate test failures. The critical rule is that you must never stop, wait, or idle inside the bike lane. When the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) examiner instructs you to begin, you must signal right, check your right mirror, and perform an exaggerated over-the-shoulder blind spot check to the right. You are looking for cyclists, e-scooters, or mopeds approaching from behind. The speed of cyclists here can average 15 miles per hour, meaning they can close a distance of 50 feet in just over 2 seconds. If the bike lane is occupied, you must wait with your turn signal on until the lane is clear for at least 100 feet. Only when the examiner acknowledges your safety checks should you gently merge across the bike lane to take the right lane of the roadway. Do not swing wide into the left lane during this merge, as this constitutes a dangerous maneuver. Remember, the bike lane is a lane of traffic; crossing it requires the same caution as merging onto a highway. Failing to yield to a cyclist, even if they are 30 feet away and approaching quickly, results in an automatic failure for a dangerous action.

## Related

- https://monamidriving.com/en/knowledge/monami-driving-kissena-park-bike-lane-hazard