I-Like-To-Bike

Yes I do, as I have written, and you have read, MANY times. So don't be cute with me on this subject. Always on the six mile stretch of 55mph highway with 10' lanes on my 12 mile commute. But I never ride dead center in any busy lane because of the oil drippings and because it is seen as a thumb in the eye provocation to almost every motorist on the road.

If there were a usable shoulder, or parked cars with a door zone parallel to this road, that's where I would ride.

Pictures reposted to refresh your memory of the conditions where I do take a lane only because there is no better alternative method or route for this commute.

genec

OK thanks for the honest answer.

BTW I fully agree with your "don't ride dead center statement" due to oil droppings. I used to argue that point with Helmet Head all the time. I learned long ago to avoid the center when riding a motorcycle (I learned it the hard way too... losing a motorcycle in a light rain once when I foolishly had "centered" it right on the oil).

The reality is I would ride the right tire track, or the left tire track if I was planning to move laterally.

Skinny bike tires are even more likely to slip on oil spills. Interesting how that oil slick problem is not usually mentioned by that "tiny minority of bicyclists who actually believe that incessant posturing and sloganeering forms an impervious shield about them." In fact such a hazard is as great as any curbside drain grate or debris.

I-Like-To-Bike

Probably because they never experienced the problems of reality while typing their slogans on the keyboard or drawing their pictures for their pamphlets.

gcottay

The "ride assertively" phrase seems unclear and misdirected to me also.

For me, it's about my responsibility first in choosing my routes and then using a lane position that makes it clear when the lane is and when the lane is not safe for sharing.

10 Wheels

I ride where I want to Ride.
What seems to be the problem?

uke

I ride where I feel I get the best mixture of speed and safety. Sometimes that's the sidewalk. Sometimes that's the MUP. Sometimes that's the road. In fact, on the average trip to campus, I often utilize all three in different stages.

taliesin

The operative term here seems to be narrow lanes.

To me that means that the lanes are narrow enough that even if you were to ride as far to the right as possible that motorists would still have to veer into the left lane to pass you. In this situation it is safer for everyone (especially the cyclist) to control the right lane until the lanes widen enough so that both a cyclist and a motorist have enough room in the right lane.

Motman320

Boulder Colorado is where it's at. We even get the occasional automobile operators yelling. We do what we want on bicycles in the roads, even go in the left turn lane.

dobber

Where does the Power Weave come into play? What is your opinion on the act of enhancing one's cognitive conspicuity?

dobber

That's fine an dandy on what is obviously a 6 lane roadway through a high density area. Let's see how that position would hold up on a rural two lane highway with limited sightlines.

filtersweep

Yes. Because the speed limit is likely within my riding ability. My guess is if the road is that narrow and filled with parked cars, it is 20-25 mph. I prefer such streets. Cars can wait behind me. We have streets like that all over where I live. I take the lane. What is the problem?

filtersweep

Um, if there is no shoulder, I am not riding inches away from falling off the edge of the road. The faster I ride, the further into the lane I ride. It is common sense. It is not "practicable" to descend at 70 kph hugging the right line. I won't hug the right line at half the speed either. Check your laws.

I-Like-To-Bike

Hey, I'm all about conspicuity for safety purposes on the high speed roads that I ride. Power Weave™ is all about cognitive (H)Head Games/sophistry.

Bekologist

Power Weave is just about dead around these (internets) parts. HH is likely still sticking his foot in it on chainguard... maybe a HH acolyte will resurrect the Power Weave in A&S once the celebratory atmosphere passes.

Skewer

Where I live, the law that applies in the canyons focuses both on riding as far right as is practicable and on not impeding the normal flow of vehicular traffic unnecessarily. For example, if I am taking the lane while climbing up one of the local canyons at 10mph, and a car comes up behind me at 25mph and has to brake while I move over to the right where it was practical for me to have been riding all along, then I was impeding traffic unnecessarily and could be ticketed. On the descent, however, if I can achieve the same downhill speed as the downhill vehicular traffic, which I easily can, then I can go ahead and take the lane without impeding the normal flow of traffic and couldn't be ticketed, (except for exceeding the speed limit<g>). So to be ticketed, I need to both have not been riding as far right as was practical and impeded the normal flow of traffic in some manner, including just making a vehicle coming up behind me, that was not exceeding the speed limit, have to hit their brakes.

I don't have any problem with the general idea for bicyclists to try to avoid situations where they are unnecessarily impeding the normal flow of traffic. That seems like common courtesy to drivers as well as being in the riders' own safety interests.

joejack951

The only spots I ever encounter a significant build up of ol in the center of the roadway is ay intersections. I've often spun tires in the rain due to stopping too centered in the lane. I'll usually bias enough left of center to avoid the stripe.

Maybe it's more of a problem in CA where it doesn't rain but we get enough rain around here that there is no slick spot on sections of road where traffic is never stopped.

joejack951

What would the concerns on your rural road riding in that position? I might not be quite as far left but I ride pretty darned centerish on (very) limited sightline roads daily.

BarracksSi

Because, unlike some people here, I've actually driven long enough to know what it's like to try to switch lanes with little to no warning while hoping that I don't get rear ended or have to force my way into a nonexistent gap to my left.

JoeyBike

Reaction time of motorist is greatly diminished, especially on curves and hills, and the speed differential compounds the issue. Maybe the first car or two will decelerate quickly enough if they are boxed into the right lane, but on a busy, high traffic road, eventually I think an accident will occur.

I find however, that on 4-lane roadways with that high of a speed limit, the lanes are usually wide enough for a vehicle and a bike with what I consider a reasonable space for safety. I have biked to 34 states and all corners of the USofA - from Louisiana - and been on lots of roads. I have never - not even once - felt compelled to control the right lane on a 4-lane highway in any of those states or provinces.

I can recall on a couple of occasions, after seeing in my mirror 18-wheelers shoulder to shoulder coming up behind me at 60+ mph with very little room on the right, that I exited the roadway onto a soft shoulder with plenty of time to avoid the "syncronicity" of the situation. In other words, I just stopped and let that group of traffic go by. Take a sip of water, then proceed. I feel like controlling the lane under extreme circumstances, even though you are totally within your rights to do so, is just stubborn.

Don't flame me! There must be a thousand different scenarios that could be handled dozens of ways by the cyclist. It is hard to give a blanket answer to this question. I am just relating my experiences, which are ample.

Allister

That sort of versatility cuts no ice around here. The One True Lane Position will be the safest one, no matter what the circumstances.

cudak888 

Speak for yourself and your own local laws. As Crazybikerchick pointed out, the FL law is one of the existing alternate takes of the matter, allowing for full use of lane if the lane is of insufficient width for cyclist and motorist to share safely.

Add that to the Florida law requiring motorists to give cyclists a minimum of 3 feet clearance when passing, plus width of average motorcar and cyclist, and you're legally entitled to take any lane under 14 feet in width. 14 feet, mind you. Not many streets of that width even exist down here.

-Kurt

P.S.: That first sentence of yours reeks of journalistic "guess what you don't know?" prattle, right down to the abuse of the word "actually" as an sentence adverb. Patronizing.

genec

All it takes is a bit of fog to "activate" the full slick issues around here... you are right in that without heavy cleaning rains, the stuff does build up.

Morning dew or coastal fog are enough to make for quick slicks.

RE the intersection issues... Yup the problem is more prevalent there, just where a cyclist is moving toward the center to allow right passing or to be more conspicuous.

dynaryder

Glad I don't live there. Here in Wash DC,it's 100% legal for bikes to take the lane.

veggie_lover,where do you live? Google your state's code to see if it's legal there.

genec

Actually Machka, in some places it is illegal to ride where you might be close to cars...

https://www.bikeforums.net/advocacy-safety/454839-doored-cyclist-ticketed-violating-3-foot-law.html

Now granted in the illustration provided by the OP there are no parked cars, but the thread above does illustrate that in some places it is more than legal to move out to the left... effectively "taking the lane."

noisebeam

Going back to the specific road diagrammed in the OP post (two lane in each direction with narrow non-side-by-side-sharable outside lane):

Riding centerish also benefits passing motorists. They can see further in advance that it will not be possible to pass in the same lane. This allows/encourages them to plan & execute a merge to the inside lane earlier before they have slowed to cyclist speed. A merge done earlier at speed of other motor vehicles is easier/smoother and will result in less delay to the passing motorist.

Al