Originally Posted by tlupfer
taken from a recent letter at velonews.com:
"And yet if a state highway has a minimum speed limit posted, cyclists will be in violation of that statute if they ride at speeds below the posted minimum. Therefore, I believe that the law in Minnesota can be stated thusly:
A bicyclist is not impeding traffic when he is traveling as fast as he reasonably can.
However, if the bicyclist is traveling upon a state highway at speeds below a posted minimum speed, the bicyclist's speed is not reasonable or prudent and is unlawful, unless evidence to the contrary is produced. "
link here
p.s. "holding up car traffic" is not equal to "impeding traffic". farm equipment is a good example. check out the velonews link for a better explanation.
Sometimes being within the law isn't enough. Yes, you may or may not be able to win your case in Minnesota courts if you ride at a reasonable pace and traffic still backs up behind you. But the subject at hand isn't the law but the reputation of cyclists. If you are inconsiderate of traffic building up behind you then everyone on a bike in Minnesota potentially suffers, and enough of them resent us already. So if you're on a road with a perfectly wide shoulder - use it. If you're on a road with a reasonably wide outside lane, stay to the right and let cars pass you. If you're in an alley that's only 2 blocks long take your lane and wave at Grasschopper as he creeps along behind you
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