Originally Posted by LittleBigMan
Aside from intellectual discussions about taking the lane, lane positioning, etc., and apart from any debate over how/where is safest to ride, I was curious how many people are here who, on a regular basis, ride far enough into the lane that motorists must cross into the next lane (or straddle both lanes) to pass?
On most roads a cyclist can't avoid doing that even if he's hugging the curb. There is just physically not enough room to pass in the same lane.
If you are one of these riders, what circumstances are present that influence your choice to take the lane?
One situation is when lanes are too narrow to be safely shared and there is more traffic than gaps and cars have difficulty changing lanes. The reason is that if it's difficult to change lanes and I'm on the right, it's tempting for drivers to try to pass me without a lane change. Another reason is that when traffic is that heavy, there are usually long lines of cars forming at stoplights/signs all the way, and it's not really fair that I get pushed further and further back to the end of the line just because cars are capable of superior acceleration bursts: after all, my AVERAGE speed on that road is the same as cars': I catch up with them when they are stopped. (In fact, I recently realized this is probably one of my biggest problems on the road - NOT close passes, NOT left-right turners, NOT road rage - perhaps I should open a thread to exchange ideas on this...)
On the other hand, when traffic is lighter, I find that people don't mind shifting their wheels over into the next lane and passing me safely - and with lighter traffic they'll just get through the stop sign/light long before I approach it, so no problems with long lines for me.
How often do you ride dead-center in a lane, and why?
- If I'm going with the speed of the rest of the traffic (e.g. tiny residential roads, downhills...).
- If lanes are very narrow.
- If I'm changing lanes preparing for a left turn.
- Probably some other times I am not thinking about right now or can't quite accurately describe without much conscious thinking.
I'd do it more often, but it certainly does invite aggression from and conflicts with motorists (I keep reading claims that it does not, and it doesn't jibe with my observations at all). So if on a particular stretch of road I find that keeping three feet away seems to be sufficient measure to ensure safe passing distance from the great majority of motorists - I'll do that.