Originally Posted by Helmet Head
Few cyclists know about this, not to mention non-cyclists who are probably almost all unaware of it, much less understand the implications. This rule is at the heart of vehicular cycling.
The basic idea is that any time a lane is too narrow to be safely shared side-by-side, there is no legal obligation for the cyclist to keep to the side. Although the laws use the word "substandard", a typical lane is about 12 feet wide, and is arguably too narrow to safely share with most cars. So, arguably, this rule only applies in WOLs.
I have no problem agreeing with this and this happens to be how I ride anyway under most circumstances. Where I disagree with some VC advocates is that I do not think "taking the lane" is always ipso facto safe. This is why I do not oppose bikelanes being installed on highspeed, high volume roads.