In regard to the "bike lanes" I am simply referring to the shoulder to the right of "the fog line" (correct terminology?). The white line indicating the right limit of the lane. There are only a few places in town where an actual bike lane is indicated. In regard to the obstruction, at 15, 20, 25 (downhill) mph. there is often not time to discern an obstruction such as a twig or stone in the mottled shadow of tress until the last minute. Seeing it, slowing down and "waiting for the cars that are already there" does not seem like a practical answer to me. But this is getting away from my original post which was about intersections (in my area) and principally ones without traffic lights).