In my experience, the FRAP law establishes the far right as the cyclist’s default legal position, and places the burden on the cyclist to prove that one or more of the permissible exception conditions exist that would justify riding farther out into the lane. Like it or not, this is how law enforcement and the general public interpret this law. More often than not, only the cyclist, not law enforcement officers or anyone else in the vicinity, can ascertain if such conditions exist and just exactly where “as far right at practicable” might be. It is ludicrous to expect that such a law can be unambiguously, objectively, and fairly enforced and prosecuted.
All the proposed modifications make good sense to me and I hope they prove successful in preventing this latest “well intentioned” assault on NC cyclists’ rights to share the public roadways. Especially valuable is the clarification that motorists should cross into/through the bike lane, after yielding to traffic in the bike lane, when setting up for a right turn.
Steve, I would be interested to hear your thoughts on the “Idaho Stop Law”, which is poised to spread into other states. Rather than derail this thread, I will start a new one here in the VC Forum.