The roadway is made for all vehicles. The law generally stipulates what was claimed, the authority of a leading vehicle (cyclist, whatever) to avoid dangers and impediments safely, and the requirement of all following vehicles to drive safely because of it. Such aggressive ignoring of the simple fact another vehicle is ahead does, indeed, threaten that person's very life when that vehicle is a bicycle. Yes, for the duration of that section, whether to avoid dangerous spots or whatever, the cyclist is in the lane. Hardly "blocking" things; merely coexisting.

IOW, the roadways are not strictly for automobiles, at the expense of everyone else. Driving as though they were is what some drivers do, and it's those (of course) that folks are pointing at as the lawless and dangerous behaviors we all hate when out there. (BTW, I hate those behavior whether in my car or on my bike. Most folks never deliberately drive like that when someone else [car or cyclist or pedestrian] is placed in danger by our actions. But certainly some do drive that way. And it's not "blockage" that's creating the problem.

I think mozad655 expects cyclists to get off the road.

There are tiny roads/lanes in my country neighborhood were two cars/trucks cannot pass safely unless one stops at a wide section or one vehicle puts his wheel off the road into "the ditch" (muddy area off the pavement). In these areas, the only safe way to ride a bike is to take about 1/3 of the lane which of course makes any vehicle behind wait a few seconds until the oncoming motor vehicle has passed. Then, I yield my little 1/3 of the lane. The laws allow this where I live. Similar situation with downed trees and debris. Sometimes, the safest path is in the lane but not always.

When I ride at night I am lite up like a Christmas tree and motorists always wait and give me an exceptionally wide berth compared to daytime riding. I suppose they assume any cyclist out at 2 am is nuts.

This. Additionally, being in the lane increases the probability of being seen sooner, which decreases the chance of motorists reacting badly to an unexpected cyclist, and instead makes it more likely they'll proactively make the necessary adjustments to pass safely, as they would with any other slow moving vehicle.

When I take the lane, motorists consistently leave more passing space. They also behave more predictably and respectfully, compared to when I ride right. Conversely, the overwhelming majority of instances of motorists behaving badly have occurred while I was riding right, even though riding right makes up only a tiny proportion of my urban riding.

Riders who are hit by cars
aren't hit because they are invisible
EXCEPT when they are practically invisible-riding at night-dark clothing no lights-as a member already mentioned.

And they RARELY are killed/hit because the driver is pissed at them-and deliberately puts them at risk

They-the drivers-literally say "i didn't see him/her"
Same thing they say when they rear end a bus-or blow by a stopped school bus.
It isn't a question of position-the driver isn't paying any attention to what he/she is supposed to be doing(driving)
They are distracted-

They usually aren't lying-they didn't perceive the rider-yeah the light hit their retina-but it didn't make any impression on their brain
because they were doing something else-thinking about something else-or actually doing something(texting-eating-drinking- fooling with radio)

Well I will FRAP-

Now I rarely ride where there is a ACTUAL CURB directly to my right.
If I did I would certainly take a 4-5 foot cushion
Most of my rides-I could bail right-MTB style bike 2" mildly lugged tires(to help climb levee-wet grass)
so my experience is different-going right is almost always an option

Occasionally I spend a few hundred yards on sidewalks-it is legal here-and there aren't many peds
If a pedestrian is on it-I hit the grass-giving them a wide comfortable cushion- at least 20 yards before we cross
many of them are walking dogs-long leashes-so they get a wide birth
No I am not scared of dogs like some folks here-I have (always have had dogs cats) a pushy greyhound and 3.5 cats- I'm an animal lover I guess-
greatly prefer almost any pet to most of my fellow humans(except snakes and spiders which i don't care for as pets)

This is why I have a DS500 on the back. It will demand their attention. In my experience, it works. It's a slap in the face. They do not ignore it.

basically, when a motorist says they didn't see me, what that says to me is "get more lights." If anyone ever says that with my DS500 running, I will really try to get them in front of a judge and show the judge the light, and ask that the judge consider whether someone who can claim to have not seen that, even in bright daylight, should be operating a vehicle.

Is the DS500 a blinking light??
Guessing a VERY BRIGHT blinking light
might overpower whatever is distracting the driver

Probably a good reason cops and others use those blinking lights
hard to ignore a BRIGHT BLINKING LIGHT

How many "old time watt equivalents" does it claim??
What is its actual power consumption?? LEDs pretty bright efficient
Yeah BRIGHT LIGHTS-FLASHING- should work

Really don't know in terms of old time watts. It's 800 lumens of red though. It's on par with emergency vehicle lights.

Here's the DS500 in a test I was doing of some other stuff:

https://youtu.be/CSo39h_xzFc?t=7m9s

ItsJust
Yeah that is BRIGHT
I looked it up
11.1 V and something like 3.5 amp hrs-
spread over 5 hours-something like 6 LED watts-like an old time 50 watt bulb-
very BRIGHT for a bike tail light
Pretty good idea
much better that hoping lane position will protect you-(either position FRAP or LC)

It's an epic battle that will probably not go away until cyclists have their own road infastructure, probably one that they contribute toward specifically.
In my experience roads are designed and built by motorists for motorists.
While cyclists and Peds can get a nod, grudgingly; there is no mistake that the primary purpose of roads if for "real" traffic.
It's something we all have to deal with.

I sure hope you don't run it on high at night. I got behind someone with an epically bright tail light, and I needed to pull over and wait for them to get beyond my line of sight, as it totally overwhelmed my field of view and didn't want to ride off the road or into a parked car.

Of course not. In fact the manual says in really big letters, multiple times, DO NOT use the highest 3 settings at night.

Cyclists behind me are not really an issue. I rarely see other cyclists.

I guess one cyclist needs to RTFM. :p

This is absolutely untrue and ignores a simple fact. Cyclists "take the lane," as a learned defense mechanism against dangerous driving. What is the drivers excuse, 5-15, even 60 seconds of their life.

Drivers engage in dangerous overtaking of cyclists regularly. On a two hour ride I will see at minimum 5 drivers pass around blind corner, cresting hills, near hidden drives, too close, etc.

You are welcome to have your opinion and ride in the manner of your own choosing. But I would advise anyone reading this to disregard your statements as they are wrong and quite often dangerous.

:thumb::thumb::thumb::thumb:

Here's a simple question: If you knew for a certainty that ALL motorists were texting while driving, would you still "take the lane"?

Your probability of being bit by a texting driver is just as great " on the right." Those clowns are unpredictable and may be anywhere on the road. Use your head and communicate with other road users as much as you can.

Of course I would! Motorists HAVE to look up every few seconds, or they'd be hitting stuff left and right... but because they look up, they manage to NOT do that.

When they do look up, I want them to see something that DEMANDS their attention... and that they take action/care to avoid a collision.

OMG, this crazy cyclist is right in my path!!! I must slow down and/or change lanes NOW!

Have you ever tried it? It really does work. Bells and whistles go off in their brain, overriding even their almighty phone.

A cyclist trying his darnedest to "Stay Out of the Way" is more likely to send the motorist back to his text... Oh, he's not in my path, I'm good to keep texting and driving at speed

And AGAIN... what about cross traffic? Motorists are more likely to see you, see you earlier, and see you as relevant to their course, when you are further in the lane... And LESS likely to pull out on you, T-bone you, right hook you, left cross you.

Of the four most recent cycling fatalities locally, two were riding on the sidewalk, one was on the shoulder, and the last one was in the middle of an intersection proceeding with a green light when hit by someone running the red.

Yes, I would still 'take the lane' in circumstances where I felt that it was warranted.

But you know better:
what others "have to" do -- they DON'T DO.
As those others/motorists have expected YOU (now us cyclists) to do for them/motorists --- to follow in being slaves for them motorists.
IT'S ALL A GAME. AND YOU KNOW IT.

No it isn't.
Texting drivers still spend the MOST time cutting a swath heavily biased toward the middle of the road.
Their swings-left and right-are greater(probably) but the middle of the road is still where they spend the most time.
A rider dead in the middle-would NEVER be put of the KILL ZONE.
A rider far right-would frequently be out of the kill zone
Far left would occasionally be out of the same direction kill zone-but he would occasionally be in the kill zone of an oncoming driver.


Besides-riding in the middle of the lane WON'T/CAN'T prevent a driver from just swinging wider into the oncoming lane to make his pass
You lane controllers seem to ignore that-the oncoming lane is still 12-14 feet wide-plenty of room for a pass-legal or not.

LANE CONTROLLING is just wishful thinking.
When you do it you notice that drivers are slightly less likely to pass
but those drivers -attentive if impatient-are going to miss you anyway.
So you prevent unpleasant but ultimately harmless close passes
But your position makes you more likely to be center punched by the inattentive driver-
the "I didn't see him" driver
They are the ones who always have been the problem
Used to be they were fooling with the radio-drinking coffee -eating- beating kids in back seat
NOW they are TEXTING-and a MAJORITY of drivers do it-

Yes, even more so, because people texting while driving drift all over the road; being on the side is no defense. At least in the center they're more likely to see you and decide to pay attention for a few seconds.

If I knew everyone was doing it, I'd ditch the DS500 and go straight to a police lighting package including a very bright light on a pole high enough to be seen over the average car (for people BEHIND the guy behind me). That's actually still on my list if the DS500 proves insufficient when I have to start commuting on busier streets next year.

I'll do whatever drivers prove is necessary to continue to use the roads.

This is the happy medium.

Communicate with drivers and make as much room as possible. Possible does not include riding in debris, missing turns, riding so far over that turning and crossing traffic from other streets fail to see you. Take and cede the lane thoughtfully and with confidence.

Yup. That is the right way.

'Course none of that prevents some doofus from trying to pass you in some idiotic and stupid fashion... and it does happen.

In a car I learned defensive driving. Defensive driving is where you don't trust or assume that the other driver is going to do the right thing. Instead you drive assuming the other driver is going to do the wrong thing. Now, being on a bicycle makes one even more vulnerable...that's a fact...so riding a bicycle defensively is even more important. I don't believe that taking the lane is a defensive action, rather it seems like more of a hopeful action in which the cyclist expects the motorist to be doing the right thing. That's the opposite of being defensive. However, I do think that the type of streets people (cyclists and motorists) are frequently traveling on would make a difference. It seems like in more congested metropolitan areas, auto drivers would be more accustomed to paying attention vs drivers in smaller cities and rural areas. That said, I think the busier the traffic, the more likely it is that many are driving defensively, so a cyclist taking the lane in such conditions would have different odds than a cyclist who rides in an area that is less congested and busy.

Imaginations running wild, cycling simply isn't that dangerous, challenging, or an inconvenience to others....... unless one chooses to make it that way.

No position on a public right of way will actually make up for a lack of skill or confidence, or poor motorists choices, only situational awareness and responsiveness will do that. Trying to force the world to conform to ones personal ideals isn't necessary, is doomed to fail, and cause unnecessary stress......unless one actually enjoys fretting about things on line, or posting a ":thumb:" on every thread that validates their fears.