Originally Posted by
Ninety5rpm
... The best way to be clear about this: 200 feet before "Y" look back. Let any traffic there pass, then signal and take the lane. It's tricky because you want to accommodate traffic taking either leg, but taking the lane not only grabs their attention, it requires them to slow down to your speed.
I don't necessarily disagree, but I will add that you only want to do this if there is a big gap in traffic, and the volume is relatively light. It can be dangerous to 'take the lane' when the speed differential between you and moving traffic is greater than 20 or 30 mph. The problem is that some drivers change lanes at the very last second, and if there are cars behind them, they may not have sufficient time to react to a cyclist in their path.
I would also suggest that when traffic volume is significant, the best approach is almost always to stop and cross at the 'mouth' of the off-ramp/diverging lane. Harder to do as a group, I know, but the length of time it takes a group to cross the gap without stopping is also working against you.