That diagram exactly describes a stretch of my commute past the local mall. The traffic is not completely bumper to bumper, but it is fairly plentiful. Maine law includes the narrow lane exception to the ride to the right rule, as others have quoted, so it is perfectly legal here. I will admit that I don't take the exact center in that section, but I do ride around 2-3' out from the edge, especially because the edge has a lot of bad pavement and drain grates. So cars don't have to pull completely into the next lane to pass me, but they do have to pull out a little. And guess what - they do! I also hold my place the center of the lane at red lights, with no problems.
Granted, I ride faster than your average beginner, although I'm no racer. But I think more important than speed is riding a straight line. Of course someone who can't ride a straight line is going to have trouble riding as shown in this situation, and will get a lot of motorists ticked off. But I don't think the 8-10 MPH difference between a beginner and me is that significant if both are riding a straight line. Besides, the red lights are frequent enough in my case that the cars don't have time to get up to a really high speed between them. (They aren't timed to keep cars moving, an advantage for cyclists!)
The exception to this speed-matters-less theory might be the ability to get up to speed quickly when the light changes. I have developed a pretty quick start and I do think it helps, because I'm not holding up the person behind me that much while I hold the center of the lane to at least the middle of the intersection before trending right again.
ILTB, you didn't answer the question. And when would it ever be appropriate to ride in the door zone?