Originally Posted by
CommuterRun
I don't need a passing motorist to give me 9' either, and we are not going to get 9' on the type of road being described unless the passing motorist runs off the other side of the road. On a road with 11' lanes, if I'm three feet from the right edge, and I'm 2 1/2' wide on the bike; that's about half the lane. The best you're going to see is 5' and that is if the passing motorist completely changes lanes.
OK, let's play with numbers. Instead of 11', let's say 12' for an average road width. And let's say the rider, like me, is about 1.5 to 2 feet from the white line. And, let's not pretend that the rider is 2.5 feet wide and instead let's be honest and say 18". If I'm riding 2 ft from the white line in a 12' road, that means I'm taking up 2 feet and 9 inches, so let's just call it 3' to make the math easier. What's 12 minus 3? Looks like 9 to me. Anyway, 9 is just a number and I don't need 9 feet. Nor do I need 5 feet. Happy?
Anyway, the question I asked was why is so much space perceived to be better than 3 or 4 feet?
I think we both agree that riding the white line is much too far to the right. But that's right where Bek is in parts of his little "Look at Me" video.
Another thing is; if I saw a cyclist giving the hand signal Bek's shadow shows him using I would expect them to be turning right or pulling off the road. That is a signal that looks very close to a right turn signal given with the left hand.
I already said I don't jibe with the hand signal thing, but that's really a separate issue than the ongoing FRAP argument on A&S.