Originally Posted by CB HI
If that is what you would like drivers to do for you when you are cycling, why did you not do it for the cyclist when you were driving in your car?
Like I said, as a bicyclist I would not expect cars to have to go to that length to provide an adequate safety margin. By framing my statement with "if only" what I meant to convey was that this doesn't reflect the situation all the time in urban traffic.
I don't think total avoidance is necessary, but nice when possible. I'll happily share the lane with a car as long as as the driver is paying attention to where I am. I thought I was aware of this cyclist's position in traffic and at the point he struck my car I had no where else I could go because of the merge.