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I have no issue with a cyclist who takes the full lane. I have no issues with cyclists in general, so long as they obey the rules.
The "street diet" program in Raleigh, however, does concern me. They say that narrowing the vehicle lanes to make room for bike lanes doesn't increase accidents unless the lanes get as narrow as Falls of Neuse. I'm not convinced. One thing for sure... changing a 4-lane to a 2-lane can make traffic back up at lights.
I have no issue with a cyclist who takes the full lane. I have no issues with cyclists in general, so long as they obey the rules.
The "street diet" program in Raleigh, however, does concern me. They say that narrowing the vehicle lanes to make room for bike lanes doesn't increase accidents unless the lanes get as narrow as Falls of Neuse. I'm not convinced. One thing for sure... changing a 4-lane to a 2-lane can make traffic back up at lights.
We love to ride our bikes. Maybe it's legal to take up a whole lane--but we don't-- we keep to the far right just like a car would.
It's the rule of tonnage.
Motorists in our town are polite and give us a wide berth...but when the tourists come, it's a different story.
We're not going to pit our bikes against their cars, trucks and SUVs. The rule of tonnage applies.
I ride as far right as humanly possible. This is simply my own, personal decision and I'm likely too old to change now. And just me again, but I DON’T want to inconvenience motorists. If a rider uses an entire lane, how does traffic get around in a no passing zone? Especially a line of traffic. And if you're in the middle of a lane, how can a motorist afford you the clearance mandated by law? I'm genuinely interested in this stuff now.
It very much depends on the road conditions. If the lane is wide enough that they can pass safely in the lane, then it's good practice to stay right.
It gets dicier when it's not really wide enough to pass safely within the lane. In those cases it's better to take more of the lane to make yourself more visible and "force" them to actively change lanes in order to pass rather than having them pass too closely.
Passing cyclists in a no passing zone is permitted in NC as of a few years ago, as long as you give the cyclist four feet of clearance. And of course it has to be safe to make the pass with enough visibility of oncoming traffic.
On top of what OP posted...I don't like bicycles on the road because they don't pay anything. Meaning they don't pay registration or taxes to pay to use them, repairs, or bike lanes. We pay tolls for some highways, vehicle registrations, gas tax, all that pay for road maintenance on some way.
On top of what OP posted...I don't like bicycles on the road because they don't pay anything. Meaning they don't pay registration or taxes to pay to use them, repairs, or bike lanes. We pay tolls for some highways, vehicle registrations, gas tax, all that pay for road maintenance on some way.
That's sort of like saying pedestrians should pay registration/taxes to walk on the roads. I think I feel pretty ok about the very few bicycles that cause very little damage (if any) to roadways, not contributing on that front. Plus I'm sure like 99% of bicyclists also drive and have cars.
We love to ride our bikes. Maybe it's legal to take up a whole lane--but we don't-- we keep to the far right just like a car would.
It's the rule of tonnage.
Motorists in our town are polite and give us a wide berth...but when the tourists come, it's a different story.
We're not going to pit our bikes against their cars, trucks and SUVs. The rule of tonnage applies.
Cyclists in Raleigh don't have to worry about "the rule of tonnage". Raleigh was smart enough to paint white lines on major streets indicating "bicycle lanes". Meaning, as long as you rode inside the "painted" lane it was cool to ride on a street designed for cars, trucks, 18 wheelers and busses. It was called the "Les Nessman" law. The painted line is strong enough to prevent cars, trucks, 18 wheelers and busses from hitting cyclists.
On top of what OP posted...I don't like bicycles on the road because they don't pay anything. Meaning they don't pay registration or taxes to pay to use them, repairs, or bike lanes. We pay tolls for some highways, vehicle registrations, gas tax, all that pay for road maintenance on some way.
What percent of bicyclists in NC don't also pay vehicle registration taxes? Probably slim.
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