Originally Posted by
CliffordK
I've also frequently stated that the reaction for evading a cyclist in the middle or left of the lane vs evading one the right (or on the shoulder) is more severe, and takes longer. There may not be a right answer for lane positioning, but one must know that a left lane position creates risks that a right lane position doesn't have.
Another way of looking at it is that a farther-left lane position sends a clearer message to overtaking traffic that a full lane change is needed to pass where there is insufficient room in the rightmost lane for a motor vehicle to pass in the same lane with legal minimum offset. And a farther-left position can be more conspicuous, especially on a curve.
One significant unmet research need is a thorough objective analysis of lane changing behavior vs. rider lateral position in non-wide lanes. There was an unpublished study in southern California from about 20 years ago where a lane position at center or slightly left on a multilane road with standard lanes and no shoulder / BL greatly reduced passes with less than (I think) 3 feet offset, as drivers made full lane changes. Conversely, riding near the right increased close passes, as drivers might think that they can use the remaining space in that lane to overtake and ignore minimum lawful offset. A study of this type with many more locations, data points, and clear controls, could help answer a lot of questions on overtaking behavior. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be a priority for research funding, and current research review committees in the US may be biased against such studies to the point where even a well-designed and executed analysis might not see publication.