Originally Posted by
littlewaywelt
three lanes in each direction on the main road that gets tied up.
I have similar road (2 lanes in each direction) on my morning commute. You'd be surprised how much room there is to filter between the lanes, even with heavy truck and bus traffic. If it gets too tight, I just wait for people to inch along or the light to get things moving - since the lanes move at different rates it breaks up the narrow spaces. Just watch for the side mirrors and you'll be fine.
Originally Posted by
littlewaywelt
on the parallel road it's probably three and a half cars wide, but cars park on both sides of the street. Getting two cars going opposite ways means someone has to pull to the side.
If the drivers are accustomed to pulling to the side and waiting for another to pass, they should be prepared to wait to pass when you are taking the lane. That's a very different situation from taking the lane on a street where there is room for 2 cars to pass.
All things considered, I'd pick the side street unless it was too dark at night to see the rough surface well.