I don't think I could bike on roads in an area with no breaks in traffic. I never "take control" of lanes, but instead, I stop and make sure there are NO CARS, before doing anything involving intersections. I never get cut off that way, but it takes zen-like patience to just wait things out the way I do. Even driving, I've taken to the "I'm not in any hurry at all" school of cautious (paranoid) driving, since impatience never gains you any significant fraction of time, while greatly increasing your chances of getting into an accident. Since I live in the suburbs (though the "urbs" are slowly encroaching on our territory), I don't have to deal with the kind of traffic that would force me to use "take control of the lane", for which I am quite thankful. I must add this thought to my "thanks-giving" list!
Country roads are less stressful, traffic-wise, yet I find that the dogs more than make up the difference in providing adequate levels of stress...
