Originally Posted by
zze86
Which got me thinking, is it always the case that cyclists have the right to the bike lane? When driving a car, you are supposed to yield to pedestrians regardless of whether a cross signal is in effect or not ...
In a word: no.
As you point out, the laws basically (generally) clearly state that slower-moving, more at-risk occupants of a lane must be yielded to. No matter whether some other law or ordinance stipulates that such people should find another means of getting from point A to B. (As with signage on highways stating 'mopeds, skateboards, pedestrians, etc' are not allowed on the highway.) Same on the "high seas" as well. Slower-moving boats are not expected to magically jet aside in order to make way for faster, overtaking craft.
IMO, it's simply bad form to forcibly eject people out of a path for their daring to be an occupant of that path. Ask, sure, via bells or horns or vocals. But nowhere near to the degree Mr. Horn (from the other thread) did. In short, just as there's no absolute right to a lane, there's also no right to effectively assault others along the way ... no matter what one things of their occupancy of the lane.