turbo1889

I just wish to address this one point and this point only on this thread (I'm sure you are quite aware of my feelings in general in regard to things like this).

I have personally been able to successfully "curbside educate" several uniformed officers. I in no way am suggesting that such is generally possible or in any way more then a small minority.

Just saying that "never" is not correct. "Very unusual" would be correct and I would certainly agree with that wording.

Some of the younger cops upon actually reading the actual law text (have in pamphlet or business card form with you for them) and having it clearly explained and documented are capable of "getting it". Using their cruiser car itself and your bike and putting them side by side and showing how close the clearances are within the width of the lane for a pass within the lane if the cyclist FRAPs and lets car pass him without changing lanes can actually convince some of them that the road lanes really are too narrow to be safely shared side-by-side and the "narrow lane" exception does legitimately apply especially if their cruiser and your bike are actually touching when side by side within the lane width.

You are correct though that its the minority of cops who will accept such education by a lowly civilian. It's just that I have seen it happen so I must "give credit where credit is due."

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@ buzzman

I agree with you that the activist cyclist in question is a hard line ALWAYS take the lane VCer, that believes it is ALWAYS safer to take the lane and it is NEVER safe to edge ride. I've watched most of his helmet cam vids that he has posted and many times I've seen roads where he is riding in the main lane of a road where the legal speed of automobile traffic is substantially greater then his speed and there is a nice wide decent surface condition shoulder edge that would by be fully ride-able by my own judgement and he refuses to use it and insists on always using the main traffic lanes.

That said, I have also seen other helmet videos posted by him where the shoulder edge was not a safe and effective place to ride and I would have been taking the lane just like he was.

My own main complaint with the advocate cyclists in question is that he doesn't seem to "get it" that taking the lane is what you do when either the road speed is low enough that you as a cyclist are going fast enough to mix with other road users as an equal or you have to take the lane because of road conditions not what you do just because you can and everyone else be (insert explicit of your choice). Taking the lane of a high speed road when it isn't necessary and there is a decent width and condition shoulder edge to ride on is just being an (insert explicit of your choice) for the sake of being a (again insert). And that is where I think this particular advocate cyclist "fails" in my opinion. I fully support road rights for cyclists and when either road speeds are low enough or conditions make it necessary by all means take the lane. But don't do it just because you want to tick everyone off, life is a two (or more) way street you only assert your rights when it is either necessary or it don't cause other people any significant inconvenience. Going around just pushing your rights for the sake of pushing them and rubbing them in other peoples face when it ain't even necessary is just being a (insert your choice of explicit).

It's just like some of the gun right groups who go strap the biggest ugliest and most obvious gun they can to their side and march around like that just for the sake of asserting their right to do so. Dude, that's stupid, only go grab a big ugly gun and march around with it if its absolutely necessary because someone actually is coming after you and "brandishing" the big ugly gun might make them leave your home which they broke into in a home invasion scenario and keep you from actually having to shoot them or if you need or even just want to carry a gun for protection then go get a little easily concealed one and get the training and paperwork done for a CWP and then carry it out of sight and only ever take it out if you absolutely must.

Same common sense goes for "taking the lane" as a cyclist. When road speeds are low and you can keep up fairly well as a cyclist with the cars and mix as an equal, well that is just like having a gun at the gun range, no worries ride "taking the lane" all you want and if someone has a problem with it then its their problem not yours.

On the other hand if your on a high speed road where you don't have a chance of even coming close to the speed of cars then only take the lane if you must and if there is a decent shoulder edge or bike lane then for goodness sakes use it for the most part. Its just a very basic level of having half of an measure of respect for other road users. Now if you do have to "take the lane" of a high speed road because of road conditions then yes do so but don't do it just to spite everyone else.

The advocate cyclist in question doesn't seem to "get it" on that point. And I agree with you on that. But from his videos of one of the actual traffic stops I do think that I would also have been taking the lane on that particular section of that road if I had been riding on it. My points of contention with this particular advocate cyclists are not about the exact specifics of the particular traffic stop in question but rather his general attitude I have seen in his other videos I've watched and also some of his posts on his web-site where he specifically goes against one of my main advocacy points, namely that he is anti- good wide shoulder edges as a way of accommodating cyclists needs on high speed highways. Which is usually personally my most preferred method of accommodation on such roads.