Originally Posted by
downtube42
I have an interest here because I'll be riding in NC later this summer.
What remains unsaid here, among all the claims of "common sense", FRAP or no FRAP, DOT and DMV, is the one thing that any cyclist who has actually ridden on a narrow country road knows: getting squeezed with oncoming traffic and overtaking traffic while riding FRAP puts one in a bad situation.
Is it legal, in NC, to ride far enough left to prevent that from occurring?
I'm not talking about riding the center ridge of the road blocking traffic both ways because I "own" the damn road, I'm talking about riding far enough out to discourage the F150 behind me from trying to squeeze between me and the oncoming Buick. Nothing I see in this debate answers that question.
Yes, it is legal to take the lane in NC, as in other states, although it is always possible that you'll find a police officer who doesn't understand this, regardless of whether that state has bicycle-specific language saying so or generic language saying so.
Many or most of the rural roads that our local group rides use feature 20 feet of asphalt divided by a centerline into two 10' lanes with no paved shoulders; the fog line is painted at the asphalt edge. A dual-track motor vehicle cannot safely pass a bicyclist on such a road when there is oncoming traffic; the lane is too narrow. The overtaking driver must wait for oncoming traffic to clear before moving into the opposite lane to pass.
The group rides here normally ride two abreast on these narrow roads. Some of the municipalities through which these regular routes pass (e.g. Cary and Apex) have no-more-than-two-abreast laws. When we have discussed enforcement of the no-more-than-two-abreast laws with the official police representatives from these municipalities, the police agreed that riding abreast means matching speed, not passing, and so a cyclist may lawfully pass two cyclists riding two abreast, and two cyclists riding two abreast may lawfully pass a slower cyclist, all without violating the no-more-than-two-abreast law.
Some have argued that it is unsafe for cyclists to ride two abreast on these roads, but all the available crash data indicates that it isn't dangerous to the cyclists and is probably safer for the cyclists than riding single file. Clearly it can be inconvenient for motorists to wait before passing, and some motorists are motivated to wait by the obvious danger to themselves if they proceed to pass against oncoming traffic. But again, there's no evidence of local crashes being caused by this issue.
Local group cycling organizations have been trying to encourage cyclists to operate lawfully (such as to deter taking up multiple lanes on group rides) and to be courteous to motorists when possible, such as by breaking up larger rides into platoons of 12 or fewer cyclists that are easier to pass individually. The platoon concept has been the hardest part to implement; cyclists like to chase the platoon in front of them if they can catch it, and tend to bunch up according to speed capability.