Reply #126: Can't speak for pedestrians

[Ms. Toad]

(I think the law varies quite a bit there) but bikers do not always have the right of way. Bikers are required to follow (and are entitled to the protection of) the same laws as cars in most jurisdictions. That means that there are times that bikers do not have the right of way - when turning left into the path of an oncoming car, or crossing against the light, or creeping up between cars at a light, for example. There are, unfortunately, some bikers who push the limits by not obeying the laws.

However I have encountered, in my 20+ years of experience as a rural-suburban-urban biker, far more drivers who ignore the law and treat bicyclists as if they have no right to be on the road. I am buzzed (vehicles passing within 1-2 feet of my elbow) virtually every time I ride on the road. Because of this, even when there is a berm (no bike lanes here) I still always ride 1-2 feet into the roadway. For my own safety I need to be able to have a patch of road to escape to on which I can still control my bike when the "buzzer" misjudges his/her intended 1 foot margin and is only an inch or two away.