Yeah, but.. (oh god, I hate it when people say "yeah, but.." )

There are just three states of traffic -- they're all going faster than me, we're all going about the same speed, or they're all basically stuck and I'm the one going faster.

When everyone else is faster, they're nearby for just a second or two and no more. It's futile to think that I'll never be in a blind spot, but then again, I'm in those blind spots for such short periods that they hardly matter anyway.

When we're all the same speed, it's quite easy to take the lane and stay out of blind spots. Kind of like running with the herd, basically.

If they're bumper-to-bumper, I can pick and choose with much more freedom. The main thing I have to keep an eye out for is when there's a gap in a lane that's big enough for a car to merge into -- because, if someone's impatient enough, that's exactly what they'll do, even if they only gain twenty feet (and, to be fair to the motorist, twenty feet might be the difference between making the next light or getting stuck even longer).

If it matters, I wouldn't complain about bike-only facilities, especially if they're done well. In the meantime, I'll do the best with the leftovers that we've got (can't really "make lemonade", but a spicy chili isn't out of the question ).