Re:First 100 miles on my E-Bike
by u801e on Saturday December 30, 2017 @12:46PM
(#16036304)
You're right in terms of one's experience being highly dependent on where they ride.
> Oh, how they love to lecture about how you MUST ride as far to the right as safe
Fortunately, my state (Virginia) has an exception (based on the Uniform Vehicle Code wording) to the keep as far right as practical rule that states that it doesn't apply if the lane is too narrow for a bicycle and other vehicle to safely travel side by side within the lane. If you take the width of a cyclist (2 ft), the distance between the end of the handlebar and edge of the road (minimum 2 ft), and the distance between the edge of the handlebar and the passing vehicle (at least 3 ft in most states), then you can argue that the cyclist needs a minimum of 7 feet. A typical passenger vehicle is about 6 ft wide. At typical lane is anywhere from 10 ft to 12 ft wide.
So for most lanes, you don't have to keep right at all. I haven't checked to see whether that's the case in Oregon or Idaho though.
> Oh, how they love to lecture about how you MUST ride as far to the right as safe
Fortunately, my state (Virginia) has an exception (based on the Uniform Vehicle Code wording) to the keep as far right as practical rule that states that it doesn't apply if the lane is too narrow for a bicycle and other vehicle to safely travel side by side within the lane. If you take the width of a cyclist (2 ft), the distance between the end of the handlebar and edge of the road (minimum 2 ft), and the distance between the edge of the handlebar and the passing vehicle (at least 3 ft in most states), then you can argue that the cyclist needs a minimum of 7 feet. A typical passenger vehicle is about 6 ft wide. At typical lane is anywhere from 10 ft to 12 ft wide.
So for most lanes, you don't have to keep right at all. I haven't checked to see whether that's the case in Oregon or Idaho though.