Originally Posted by
stevage
What a spectacularly badly worded question
I think the OP was trying to be polite and deferential, but ended up just being very confusing instead.
Does this help:
1) Wide, sealed shoulder: Of course I ride in it, it's just like a bike lane. These are great.
2) Wide, unsealed shoulder, or sealed but rougher than the main surface: Good for emergencies (eg, hear a truck approaching), or in heavy traffic.
On a recent disastrous tandeming trip in France where our "be seen from behind" lighting system failed, my stoker ended up facing backwards the whole time, and tapping me every time a car approached so we could pull off the road onto the (unsealed) shoulder. Not so much fun.
PS Does anywhere else have signs that read "Cyclists use left shoulder"? I always read them with the unintended meaning first...
Yes, your answer was informative.
And yes, I was trying to be polite and deferential. I'm just trying to gain some knowledge as an outsider, so I don't want to be stepping on any toes. All this talk about shoulders just strikes me as weird. But, that's probably because I have never ever ever ridden on the interstate out west or on a major state road with multiple lanes filled with semis. Most of my riding is "as far right as safe" on both urban and rural roads in KY/IN. Never really have considered the need for or utility of the shoulder save for 1 or 2 times.