Originally Posted by Serge *******
If the lane is wide enough to be safely shared side-by-side by car and bike, then you should be riding 2-3 feet to the right of regular vehicular travel. If that puts you ON the edge stripe, or within a few inches of it, then the lane is not wide enough to be safely shared, and you should be riding even further to the left.
Next time you ride on this stretch of road, experiment with riding different distances from the right edge, and see how that affects the behavior of the motorists that pass you. I predict you'll get more respect with some positions than others.
Um yea I know what VC stands for, thanks. The lanes are in NO way wide enough for a car to be safely side by side with a bike with both vehicles in the lane. PA law states that "Upon all roadways, any vehicles proceeding at less than the normal speed of traffic at the time and place under the conditions than existing shall be driven in the right-hand lane then available for traffic, or as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway, except when overtaking and passing another vehicle proceeding in the same direction or when preparing for a left turn at an intersection or into an alley, private road or driveway." In situation #1 I believe that I have to hug the right side of the road. In this situation there is very little shoulder (a couple of feet) maybe and that is filled with stones and salt right now. In situation #2 there is 3'-4' of shoulder but still there is a lot of debris there this time of year. I was probably just inside the line (but still very near it) here really and I typically get about a foot inside this line since I can go the speed limit or faster in this area.
I will say that MOST cars do respect cyclists in this area and I rarely have issues on my commute, it was just that yesterday I had 2 within 5 min.