Originally Posted by
Cyclosaurus
Funny, here you are
defending your right as a driver to disrupt a bike and/or traffic lane even when you don't have a legal right to do so. So in your mind a driver can break the law and disrupt others if it's convenient, but a cyclist should be deferential to the point of not exercising their legal rights unless all the drivers using the road approve.
What about "
Every person riding a bicycle upon a highway shall be granted all of the rights and shall be subject to all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle" do you not understand? The law does not provide a right for motorists to not be inconvenienced.
There's so much emphasis in debating fine points of law here that common sense has been lost in the shuffle.
Maybe we can try to stick to basics. If you're riding in such a way that traffic backs up behind you then, by definition (though not necessarily legal definition), you are
impeding the flow of traffic. If traffic is getting around you without meaningful delay then you're not.
The basics are pretty clear and simple. Th legal definitions and implications may not be as clear, but the reality is that it's rare for the law to get involved in these everyday situations. I'm sure it varies by jurisdiction, and by individual temperament, but by and large, you have to go out of your way for the police to care enough to get involved.
So, my advice is to ride however you're most comfortable doing so, but try to treat the other road users as if they were family.