Quote:
Originally Posted by Laker14
When I rode, there were definitely times I did not want the car driver behind me to be tempted to try to squeeze between me and the double yellow line. In those cases I would take the middle of the lane to communicate to the car that it's not safe yet.
My concern was typically that the driver would try to squeeze, unable to see what was coming around a blind curve. If an oncoming car came around that curve over the yellow line, or close to it, there was not going to be a safe amount of room for two cars and me. And in that situation, there would likely be one loser, and that would be me.
Basically, there is never a time when it's safe for a car to attempt to squeeze between the lane marker and the bike, and that is why the law requires a 3 foot margin between the car and the bike. But not every car will respect that.
If the passing car can see there is room enough to get by, going over the lane marker, then by all means do so. It won't matter where the bike is in that situation.
Does that make sense?
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It makes perfect sense as you've described it and I agree for the most part.
Apparently you are talking about a roadway, but I still disagree (and so does the OP) that it is up to you to decide for another driver when it is safe. It is
his responsibility to operate his vehicle safely,
not yours. I understand that a cyclist is more vulnerable and therefore might
want to control the situation, but he is
not a dictator and does not have any authority to dictate to others. As much as a person might
want to, none of us can control the actions of another. Again, I'll use the analogy---when you are driving a car and come upon a "driver" going 30 in a 55 zone, do you eagerly await
his permission to decide
for you when it is safe to pass, or do you decide for yourself? And what would you think of that slow driver moving into a position to block you from passing when you had the chance? (I realize cycles are slightly different given the width of the road and the 3 foot rule). But what if that slow driver moved 6 feet into the oncoming lane to block you. (Of course, most of those slugs simply speed up from 30 to 70 when you go to pass) Remember, most of my posts were directed at responding to a post that claimed slow cyclists were blocking him from passing on a MMP for 2 miles, which (if true) would be ridiculous.