Setting aside the fact that the gutter is often full of uncleared debris that are likely to puncture a tire and there’s often not actually enough space there for a car to safely pass while staying in the lane next to it…

You might be having a conversation with the person next to you in your car. Why is that okay?

It’s not a gutter.

Around where I live in Massachusetts (and I think where I used to live in Virginia), bikes are permitted to use an entire lane.

Paved shoulders are not travel lanes. They often have debris (nails, glass bottles, etc) which don't get cleared by regular vehicle traffic.

> If they’re going single file, then they have a paved space past the solid lane border.

Incredibly dangerous to drive there with cars zooming past, just inches away.

> What’s happening is weekend cyclists having a conversation. Why is this okay?

Are you jealous, driving alone in a car taking up as much space as multiple cyclists?

That’s the rule where I’m driving and cycling.

It’s done that way because the space is about five to seven feet wide of paved and another 10 feet of unpaved.

So no, it’s not incredibly dangerous unless the cyclists make it that way.