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Yes, you read it correctly. Those who claim to be Vehicular Cyclists who do not ride in a bike lane, when one is available and safe, are NOT riding VC.

Many VC advocates in this forum like to rail against bike lanes and go out of their way NOT to ride in a bike lane if one is available and safe. This goes against the most basic premise of vehicular cycling - riding according to the rules of the road.

In the US, the roadways are seperated into lanes and vehicles are expected to travel within those lanes. It's not acceptable to straddle the lane stripe and the it should only be crossed when merging into another lane, making a turn, passing, or avoiding an obstacle. In some cases, special lanes are designated for special uses, car pool lanes being one example, truck lanes being another, and yes, our own favorite bike lanes being another. When a bike lane is present, the rules of the road dictate that cyclists use them, unless a reason exists not to - obstacles or other unsafe conditions, passing, merging to another lane to make a turn, etc. Note that this does NOT mean that bicycles are limited to bike lanes only, it merely means that if one is present and there is not a good reason not to use it, the bike lane should be used.

Conclusion: Riding in a bike lane when one is available and safe to use is following the vehicular rules of the road.

NOTE: Claiming that bike lanes are unsafe because they make the cyclist 'irrelevant' to other traffic is NOT a valid argument unless authorative studies can be cited that support this notion. As a driver, any traffic in any adjacent lane is relevant to me, so if you want to show me that my experience is not valid, you best have some facts to back up your argument.