This is a question for US drivers. I was moving with traffic of course.
Sunday I was out riding, and came across a situtation I hadn't encountered before. I was on a 4 lane road with a divider in the middle. On my side, there were two lanes, and I was in the right lane. There was a merge lane for a highway the road I was on crossed over on a bridge. It was one of the merge lanes that drivers both merge out of, and in to, to get off and on the interstate (respectively). I stayed in the same lane that I had been riding in as I crossed the bridge, and ended up getting honked at rather violently by a jacka$$ in a Hyundai (whom I then saluted accordingly). Was I in the correct lane? I felt like getting into the right-most lane would have put me at more risk than maintaining my lane and being (technically) in that merge lane. (There was a sidewalk across the bridge, but it had huge gaps and gravelly spots, and I was on a road bike with skinnys). Anyways, thanks for your input.
By any standard traffic laws, seems pretty clear that you did the right thing. Practically speaking, it would indeed be extra dangerous to switch lanes for that short stretch, weaving with merging traffic. I'll say, though, that sounds like a nasty spot, esp. if the speed limit on the road (not highway) is much higher than 30 mph. Unfortunately, it also sounds hard to avoid. I'm assuming that there aren't too many places where you can get across/under this highway.
Highway interchanges are tricky, and cars do not expect cyclists to be going through them, even on the street (as opposed to the highway, where you aren't going to be anyways). I do believe you should indeed stay on the straight-ahead lane (like you are a car) and not go into the acceleration/deceleration lane. I have learned, however, to watch very carefully for cars when going through highway interchanges, especially cars merging on your right, because cars often don't know what to do about bicycles in these areas.
You were in the clear. It's the guy in the car that was wrong. Most drivers here in NoVA don't like sharing the road with anyone not in a car....er um...I mean anyone other than themselves.
(Of course, the fact that I also do this when crossing over a cloverleaf bridge to/from work has nothing to do with my agreeing with your position.)
