Originally Posted by
cycleobsidian
I have not had good luck with "taking the lane." One particular instance, I "took the lane" because I was heading down a steep slope with a blind curve at the bottom. It would be suicide for me and the driver if he/she tried to pass me. After I turned the blind curve, the driver caught up with me and chewed me out with the same old, same old, ignorant tirade of "bicycles don't belong on the road, you #$%&* idiot!"
If that was the worst instance of taking the lane, I'd ignore drivers like that, or depending on how strong your local road rage laws are, report them to the police. (I do work with drivers, though, that want to pass me, and will pull off as soon as it's safe to do so, if they can't safely pass me as-is.)
Best is to not piss anyone off, but I'd rather have drivers pissed off at me, but they notice me and don't hit me, than drivers that don't notice me and hit me (or almost hit me).
Re: sidewalk riding on busy 4-lane roads, I would never do it except at walking speed in heavy retail areas (if I didn't feel comfortable taking the lane, I'd find an alternate route, or drive a car if there is no alternate route), but in long stretches of no curb cuts, with a wide enough sidewalk, and low enough pedestrian traffic, it's a valid strategy.