Nick,
I don't know your situation, so any advice I give has to be very general. In most cases, when you're
climbing a hill and going slowly, it's fairly easy to remain on the right-hand portion of the
roadway. Overtaking cars will have to slow down, of course, but it's far easier for them to
accelerate around you. If there's a useable shoulder you can ride there too, but often there simply
isn't. It's a judgement call that only you can make.
Lane postioning is not rocket science, but it does seem counter-intuitive. By riding further left in
the lane you're forcing overtaking traffic to pass only when it's safe to do so. This isn't
arrogance or discourtesy. It's just safety, and it's your personal safety. If you hug the right hand
line, car drivers will try to 'thread the needle' - passing uncomfortably close, sometimes unsafely
close. It has to be a perceptual thing. Most motorists will pass with about as much room between
them and you as you have between your bike and the right hand line. If you haven't tried this, and I
freely admit that it seems frightening at first, you really should.
--
alan
Anyone who believes in a liberal media has never read the "Daily Oklahoman."
"NB" <
[email protected]> wrote in message
news:3kjua.806026$S_4.822022@rwcrnsc53...
> Well, the problem is that the cars are going so fast. Going up some of the hills, which are often
> very long and very steep, I feel like I could run
as
> fast if not faster. I myself would feel really bad for the drivers because on those streets I
> would be turn 2 lanes roads into 1 lane. And I ride during heavy traffic, so as such I would be a
> huge pain and pretty much a road block.
>
> Peace, Nick
>
> "alan" <
[email protected]> wrote in message
>
news:[email protected]...
> > In Oklahoma, you may use the shoulder 'temporarily' in order to allow overtaking traffic to get
> > by, but there's no legal requirement to get
off
> > the road. Some states require you to do so when there's a safe turnout.
> >
> > But if these roads have a 40-45 mph limit and they're wide enough to
ride
> > on, why worry about getting over? Cyclists fare best when they act and
> are
> > treated as drivers of vehicles.