Originally Posted by
hagen2456
I agree with a lot here, just want to point out one thing (and I may have misunderstood you): By having some cyclists roaming among the cars, and others staying on the lanes or tracks, there will be wide-spread uncertainty in the traffic as a whole.
That's where the "same roads, same rules, same rights" comes into play. If we're all playing by the same rules then everyone knows what to expect from everyone else. And motorists (and LEOs) need to learn that under certain circumstances that cyclists are allowed to use the whole lane for their/our safety. I presume that by "having some cyclists roaming among cars, and others staying on the lanes or tracks" that you are referring to those cyclists who insist on taking the lane when it is not warranted or are you talking about cyclists being in the road in general? As for riding in bike lanes or taking to the trails it should be up to the cyclist to determine when to ride in the bike lane or on a dedicated trail.
But sadly down here in Florida and several other states. We do not have that choice unless it is too dangerous to do so (something that sadly LEOs don't seem to know or care about) we have to ride in a bike lane if there is one present. Which actually leads to confusion with drivers, as they'll see a white line (i.e. the fog line) on the side of the road and assume that any space to the right of that line is a bike lane. I had a run in just last month with just such a driver.