Originally Posted by
robble
I'd rather take the lane than ride in a badly placed bike lane. When the bike lane is there, cars expect you to be in it and the "car lane" "belongs" to them.
And when the bike lane is not there, the only lane that is there is the "car" lane. And then the cars think they own the whole road, and you should get your bike OFF the road.
For me, the greatest value of a bike lane consisting of some white paint on the roadway is that it makes clear to even the most neandertal of drivers that bicycles DO belong on the road.