BTW, I'm an hour north of Genec. The bottom picture he posted shows a fairly typical road around here, although the traffic in that exact shot would be considered fairly light. The speed limit on a street like that will typically be 45 MPH, and the average driver on a road like that is going to be travelling between 50-60 MPH, depending upon the number of lights and stop signs.
I wouldn't ride in the middle of those traffic lanes. It would irritate the daylights out of other road users at the very least, and I believe it would tremendously increase risk to the cyclist. Even with a mirror, the cyclist would be constantly monitoring traffic, signalling drivers, and dodging in and out of the bike lane. We tailgate in Southern California, and we drive fast and make sudden manuevers. It wouldn't be long before an angry motorist ran up behind a cyclist at high speed, made a sudden lane change, and then the tailgater behind him runs smack into the cyclist.
<edit> Interesting to note that Helmet Head lives in the same neighborhood. I honestly can't understand anyone making a habit of riding centered in traffic lanes in urban Southern California. I imagine anyone who does takes a lot of flak both from motorists and fellow cyclists.
Last edited by Six jours; 05-25-07 at 11:04 AM.