(07-08-2015, 09:24 PM)Smore Wrote: When I'm riding, I often wonder when it switches from cars creeping on me to me creeping on cars? So, as I approach an intersection at some distance determined by me, should I be veering into the middle of the lane to take my place in the queue for the stop, instead of letting cars pass me to only hit the brakes within a short distance?
On an unimproved street, I usually do (when I can). It depends on a few things like whether I have the space to do so, and how wide the lane is. But at a place like Moore approaching Union, where traffic is usually light, I'll take a dominant lane position.
Here's the problem: most of our traffic system and traffic rules haven't really caught up with multimodal travel. Especially when it comes to accommodating bicycles. While I respect the viewpoint of "rules are rules, no exceptions", I think that is oversimplifying and dismissive of a lot of complex problems people have to face every day. I wrote about this a couple of years ago.
An inconvenient truth about cycling by the rules.
TL;DR version: Follow the rules, as far as you can. After that, be smart and be careful, but do what you have to.