The answer to this situation depends on the facts. First in every state crossing a double line is a traffic violation. The simplest two sceanrios are to wait until the lines indicate passing is permitted or if the reason a mororist crossed the double line was due to a bona-fide emergfency situation.
The fact is that the common practice along that stretch of highway would prompt a LOE to act in a contrary manner. For instance if the road is experiencing a heavy volume of slow moving vehicles an LOE may act in one matter. Conversely if motorist are abusing the double line then an LOE make act in another matter. Then like the tree falling in the forrest if you didn't witness it it didn't happen. The consequences of crossing the double line also influence an LOE. If a motorist crosses with no consequences the LOE will use judgment in whether to issue a citation. Conversely if the act causes a fatality ,etc then of course you know the LOE is going to issue a citation. Finally in the OP orignial scenario, coming upon bike groups are a common occurrence and a common problem here. The mentality of many viilagers is one of "I paid good money to live here and no one is going to.......You can see this "I paid my money " expression exercised on the cartpaths, roads, town squares, etc. The bottom line is that your choice to pass or not pass should take into consideration the consequences of your act...so don't act implusively and out of anger or impatience. Think before you act...... IMHO the fault for all of this is that the Developer intentionaslly or unintentionally did a poor job of design and should have recognized these conflicts and made appropriate deign measures to ensure the safety and ease of the different modes of traffic but did not do so. I opine and you decide as to what caused this mistake?
Personal Best Regards:
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