It is not illegal to do so in California. I do this on my bike (and I do it on my motorcycle). Does this piss off the VC camp? If so, why? I don't see why it is efficient to wait behind a long line of cars when I can pass them on my bike. Sure, they may pass me later, but I can't help that. To me, riding a bike means using advantages available to cars (e.g., use of lane when that is safest), motorcycles (e.g., lane splitting), and pedestrians (e.g., walking my bike on the sidewalk or in a crosswalk if that that is the fastest way to get where I'm going).