Originally Posted by
mozad655
...Stick to the far side of the road. Try to stay as still as possible and take up as little space as possible to make it easier for faster vehicles to get past you. I think this will make you feel much safer than riding in the middle of traffic surrounded by much larger and much faster vehicles constantly holding up behind you waiting for the slightest opputunity to dangerously accelerate past you.
Be careful about this statement, even though I agree with everything else mozad655 has to say. A pic of a typical stretch of your route would be helpful, because there are so many different circumstances. Perhaps keep to the right if you must, but ride big, not small. If you encourage the driver(s) to think "maybe I can squeeze past him/her..." they will try. And that is much more stressful for you because of the close passes, and you are placing yourself in more danger. If you decide to be on the road, and the lane isn't wide enough to share with the occasional lawn service truck and trailer, bus, or even semi tractor trailer, then either:
1. make it clear that motorists will need to change lanes to go around you (by riding more to the center of the lane) or
2. stay on the sidewalk / find a different route.
My point is that you probably won't feel safer if the lane isn't very wide and you are way over on the right with no wiggle room. You will probably feel more stressed.
Don't go past your comfort zone at first, but try to build it bigger over time. Ride big. Make sure they can see you. You will build up a tolerance to the few other people in cars that honk at you or yell something, because they don't think you have a right to use a public road.