I've had the best results when I use the "Primary position"
recommended by John Franklin in "Cyclecraft" (the book).
http://www.lesberries.co.uk/ccraft/ccraft.htm

Alan Forkosh posted the following comments about this subject in the Chainguard list
http://www.cycling.org/lists/chaingu...0/940658900001

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Re: [CG] lane widths
Alan Forkosh <aforkoshccnet.com> 1999-10-26 08:04:40

The alternative to sharing a lane is not getting off the road; it's
moving far enough into a traffic lane to ensure that anyone passing
must give a wide berth. In that sense, wide lanes are not a safety,
but a convenience and road capacity issue. In fact, if cycling use is
low, or a community desires to slow traffic, narrow lanes may be a
rational design. If a bicyclist is using a narrow lane, he has
exclusive use of the lane. 'Ride to the right' vehicle code
provisions always contain a clause that allows bicyclists exclusive
use of a nonsharable lane (for example, Section 21202(3) of the
California Vehicle Code). Unfortunately, most people (including
planners and engineers) seem not to understand this basic point.

This is very clear in John Franklin's British take on Effective
Cycling. John's book 'Cyclecraft, Skilled Cycling Techniques for
Adults' (published by the British equivalent of the Government
Printing Office) defines 2 relative riding positions in a lane. The
Primary Riding Position is in a lane's center, while the Secondary
Riding Position is 3 feet outside moving traffic and at least 1.5
feet from any edge obstructions. The Primary position is available
on any road, while the Secondary position may or may not be there.

Alan Forkosh <aforkoshccnet.com>
Oakland, CA
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