Originally Posted by
CliffordK
Perhaps I'll have to dig up a bike riding manual.
Some states have the law:
"Bikes (should/must) ride as far right as (practical/practicable)" which I believe is the appropriate place to ride in many, if not most situations. However, I consider the road conditions as well as the safety of the rider and the overall traffic flow.
Back to the death of Spock, and whether the "Needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few".
Skip the manual and read the actual statutes. The FRAP laws in almost every state come with an extensive list of exceptions. Key among those exceptions is the sub-standard lane exception (worded in many different ways). It means, and is explicitly stated as such in many states, that if the lane is not wide enough for a motor vehicle to safely pass while remaining fully in the lane, a cyclist is supposed to ride away from the right edge in order to send a clear signal to the motorist that passing will require a lane change. The width at which the lane is not wide enough to require FRAP is generally considered to be fourteen feet. Clearly, being passed at an illegally close distance fails the test of "practicable".
And yes, the
SAFETY needs of the few outweigh the
CONVENIENCE desires of the many.