The legality of lane splitting is another topic that can be confusing when it comes to bike laws. DC bike law clearly states it is legal - so in DC, I can legally ride between two lanes full of stopped cars, and wait in the front for the light to change to green. I'm not comfortable with this myself, but I see why other cyclists do it - you buy yourself more time to accelerate to traffic speed. This seems to work best in rush hour conditions where cars can't go faster than 25 mph because of the heavy traffic volume. Yes, you risk annoying a motorist because from his point of view, you're cutting in front of him. OTOH, if you stay in the middle of the lane while waiting for the traffic light, when the light turns green, the cars can go from 0 to 20 mph much faster than you can on your bike, so you'll annoy the motorist immediately behind you. Can't win either way, it seems! Also, in DC, it can be unsafe to ride on the sidewalk to avoid the cars, because at rush hour, they're full of people walking to/from public transportation, their parked cars, or whatever. Within DC's Central Business District (this includes the National Mall and sidewalks around certain monuments), it is actually illegal to ride on the sidewalk and apparently there are "bike cops" that lurk around, ready to hand infractions to cyclists at rush hour.
In VA, it is illegal to ride between lanes. However, there is this passage in VA bike law that says this:
Bicyclists may overtake and pass another vehicle only when safe to do so. Bicyclists may pass another vehicle on the right or left, and they may stay in the same lane, change lanes, or ride off the road if necessary for safe passing. Please note that passing motor vehicles on the right side may be extremely dangerous if the motorist does not see the bicyclist and attempts a right turn.
So apparently a cyclist can ride between cars in VA to pass stopped cars, as long as he/she stays in one lane at a time. Borderline lane-splitting, but not quite.
