Effective bike transport

"Bill Patterson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I have not taken the course and am not affiliated. Check
out this guy.

johnforester.combikebooks.htmOpen ↗

I know several people who say it very good.

I briefly read it and it is nuts. Follow the advice given
there and you will end up deader than a mackerel. Our
fear of being hit from behind by an overtaking vehicle is
sound and sane. It happens all the time and to very
experienced cyclists too, not just neophytes and
amateurs. I have not spent the past 40 years reading
newspaper reports of cyclists getting hit on the road by
motor vehicles for nothing.

Cyclists are no more part of the traffic on the road than
are pedestrians. We are obstructions because of our very
slow speed in comparison to motor vehicles.

When I am on the highway on my bike I am prepared to take to
the shoulder at a moments notice if and when a traffic
situation develops that warrants evasive action.Yet I have
seen other very many cyclists who are not even aware of what
is behind them. They are out there on the road blind, deaf
and dumb because some fool has told them that they have a
perfect right to be there and to take up their fair share of
the road. That kind of stupidity passes all understanding.
--
Ed Dolan - Minnesota

As soon as I saw this:

"Traffic operates according to rational principles "

I agreed with you and quit reading further....

Another irksome thing I've seen a group of cyclist do is not
ride single file on busy streets.

Arne

=====================
"Edward Dolan" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:b7WdnRceN93DEOfdRVn-
[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I briefly read it and it is nuts. Follow the advice given
there and you

will

Quoted message said:

end up deader than a mackerel. Our fear of being hit from
behind by an overtaking vehicle is sound and sane. It
happens all the time and to very experienced cyclists too,
not just neophytes and amateurs. I have not

spent

Quoted message said:

the past 40 years reading newspaper reports of cyclists
getting hit on the road by motor vehicles for nothing.

Cyclists are no more part of the traffic on the road than
are pedestrians. We are obstructions because of our very
slow speed in comparison to motor vehicles.

When I am on the highway on my bike I am prepared to take
to the shoulder

at

Quoted message said:

a moments notice if and when a traffic situation develops
that warrants evasive action.Yet I have seen other very
many cyclists who are not even aware of what is behind
them. They are out there on the road blind, deaf

and

Quoted message said:

dumb because some fool has told them that they have a
perfect right to be there and to take up their fair share
of the road. That kind of stupidity passes all
understanding.
--
Ed Dolan - Minnesota

"Arne" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:3Nwec.5$uF3.2@lakeread04...

Quoted message said:

As soon as I saw this:

"Traffic operates according to rational principles "

I agreed with you and quit reading further....

Another irksome thing I've seen a group of cyclist do is
not ride single file on busy streets.

The dumbest thing I ever say in my life was a gal who had
just taken a course in safe cycling and she had become
convinced that she should take the full lane as if she were
a car. The rest of us were way over to the side of the road
because we didn't want to be run over. The cars were piling
up behind her and I never saw so many [censored] motorists
in my life. I think some were getting ready to run over her.
When they finally could pass they tried to brush her off the
road. Later that evening we tried to talk some sense to her,
but she had been thoroughly brain washed by this damnable
safety course she had taken earlier. I wonder if she is
still alive.

All of this happened in central Florida many years ago which
is notorious for its bad roads for cycling in the first
place.We all figured that gal really did accomplish one
thing though. She had got the motorists so [censored] at her
that we all feared they were take out their anger on the
next poor cyclist they encountered on the road and we didn't
want to be that next poor slob.

Well, this is what happens when you take leave of the common
sense you were born with.

--
Ed Dolan - Minnesota

The problem with these so called effective cycling courses
is that they are usually put on by Critical Mass types. The
only thing they end up doing is pissing off motorist so the
next cyclist they see, they want to run them down.

"Edward Dolan" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Arne" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:3Nwec.5$uF3.2@lakeread04...

Quoted message said:

As soon as I saw this:

"Traffic operates according to rational principles "

I agreed with you and quit reading further....

Another irksome thing I've seen a group of cyclist do is
not ride single file on busy streets.

The dumbest thing I ever say in my life was a gal who had
just taken a course in safe cycling and she had become
convinced that she should take

the

Quoted message said:

full lane as if she were a car. The rest of us were way
over to the side

of

Quoted message said:

the road because we didn't want to be run over. The cars
were piling up behind her and I never saw so many [censored]
off motorists in my life. I

think

Quoted message said:

some were getting ready to run over her. When they
finally could pass they tried to brush her off the road.
Later that evening we tried to talk some sense to her,
but she had been thoroughly brain washed by this damnable
safety course she had taken earlier. I wonder if she is
still alive.

All of this happened in central Florida many years ago
which is notorious for its bad roads for cycling in the
first place.We all figured that gal really did accomplish
one thing though. She had got the motorists so

[censored]

Quoted message said:

off at her that we all feared they were take out their
anger on the next poor cyclist they encountered on the
road and we didn't want to be that

next

Quoted message said:

poor slob.

Well, this is what happens when you take leave of the
common sense you

were

Quoted message said:

born with.

--
Ed Dolan - Minnesota

On Mon, 12 Apr 2004 10:59:37 -0400, "Ted" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

The problem with these so called effective cycling courses
is that they are usually put on by Critical Mass types.

I only know about ten EC instructors personally. While they
pretty much cross the spectrum as to advocacy, none are
critical mass proponents. While no doubt there are some that
are, can you support in any way the term "usually" from
above? Your experience with the issue is what, exactly?

Curtis L. Russell Odenton, MD (USA) Just someone on
two wheels...

"Curtis L. Russell" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Ted said:

The problem with these so called effective cycling
courses is that they

are

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

usually put on by Critical Mass types.

I only know about ten EC instructors personally. While
they pretty much cross the spectrum as to advocacy, none
are critical mass proponents. While no doubt there are
some that are, can you support in any way the term
"usually" from above? Your experience with the issue is
what, exactly?

I think what Ted was getting at is their instruction and
advice to cyclists about holding their own in an aggressive
and confrontational way on the road with motorists (see my
story in a previous post in this thread about the Florida
cyclist who thought she was a car). That can't be right.
Maybe most of the time it will work, but the one time it
won't work is all it will take to get you killed.

For instance, it there is a paved shoulder on the highway,
then a cyclist should be on it, even if it is rougher,
littered with debris and you may not be able to go as fast
as you would like. Why should a cyclist be on the shoulder
and not on the roadway proper? Because that is where
motorists expect him to be. They will be [censored] if
they have to go around you ever so slightly when there is
a shoulder they think you should be on. If they are
sufficiently [censored], they will maybe just brush you
and knock you over as they pass. What do these EC
instructors advise? Tell us that and then I will tell you
what I think of them.

--
Ed Dolan - Minnesota

...

On Mon, 12 Apr 2004 11:05:40 -0500, "Edward Dolan" <[email hidden]>

wrote in message : said:

I think what Ted was getting at is their instruction and
advice to cyclists about holding their own in an aggressive
and confrontational way on the road with motorists

Yes. The fact that this makes them safer is no excuse for
their failure to cower in the appropriate manner before the
Almighty Car. And the fact that the training and methods
are based on extensive research surely means that the
research must be wrong, because when eivdence conflicts
with Dolan preconceptions, it's always the evidence that's
wrong isn't it?

--
Guy
===
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after
posting. chapmancentral.co.ukchapmancentral.co.ukOpen ↗

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at
Washington University

Ed,
I avoid riding on the shoulder if it's littered with debris or loose gravel.
I have read about people who ride on the shoulder and end up falling into
the traffic usually having the upper extremities crushed under the wheels of
a car.
In a case where the shoulder is clean I ride there, if not, I ride on the
edge of the road ,that ,I feel is safer than risking a fall from gravel or a
blowout.
When I recieve my new Cartike I will be more apt to take to the shoulder.
Ben fox
"Edward Dolan" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Curtis L. Russell" <[email hidden]> wrote in
message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Ted said:

The problem with these so called effective cycling
courses is that they

are

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

usually put on by Critical Mass types.

I only know about ten EC instructors personally. While
they pretty much cross the spectrum as to advocacy, none
are critical mass proponents. While no doubt there are
some that are, can you support in any way the term
"usually" from above? Your experience with the issue is
what, exactly?

I think what Ted was getting at is their instruction and
advice to

cyclists

Quoted message said:

about holding their own in an aggressive and
confrontational way on the

road

Quoted message said:

with motorists (see my story in a previous post in this
thread about the Florida cyclist who thought she was a
car). That can't be right. Maybe

most

Quoted message said:

of the time it will work, but the one time it won't work
is all it will

take

Quoted message said:

to get you killed.

For instance, it there is a paved shoulder on the highway,
then a cyclist should be on it, even if it is rougher,
littered with debris and you may

not

Quoted message said:

be able to go as fast as you would like. Why should a
cyclist be on the shoulder and not on the roadway proper?
Because that is where motorists expect him to be. They
will be [censored] if they have to go around you

ever

Quoted message said:

so slightly when there is a shoulder they think you should
be on. If they are sufficiently [censored], they will
maybe just brush you and knock you over as they pass. What
do these EC instructors advise? Tell us that and then I
will tell you what I think of them.

--
Ed Dolan - Minnesota

...

"Just zis Guy, you know?" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Mon, 12 Apr 2004 11:05:40 -0500, "Edward Dolan"
<[email hidden]> wrote in message <qt-dndkKx8TAI-fdRVn-
[email hidden]>:

Quoted message said:

I think what Ted was getting at is their instruction and
advice to

cyclists

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

about holding their own in an aggressive and
confrontational way on the

road

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

with motorists

Yes. The fact that this makes them safer is no excuse for
their failure to cower in the appropriate manner before
the Almighty Car. And the fact that the training and
methods are based on extensive research surely means that
the research must be wrong, because when eivdence
conflicts with Dolan preconceptions, it's always the
evidence that's wrong isn't it?

What facts would that be pray tell. All I ever get from you
are assertions about facts that may or may not be true. But
in any event I will trust my safety to my own
preconceptions and not get mired in your mess of facts and
so called research. You bike your way and I will bike my
way. So far I have been doing just fine without any advice
from so-called experts.

--
Ed Dolan - Minnesota

"Ben Fox" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Ed, I avoid riding on the shoulder if it's littered with
debris or loose

gravel.

Quoted message said:

I have read about people who ride on the shoulder and end
up falling into the traffic usually having the upper
extremities crushed under the wheels

of

Quoted message said:

a car. In a case where the shoulder is clean I ride there,
if not, I ride on the edge of the road ,that ,I feel is
safer than risking a fall from gravel or

a

Quoted message said:

blowout.

I am only talking about paved shoulders, not gravel
shoulders. I will never ride on a gravel shoulder except
very briefly to let traffic clear, but if I have to bail out
of a tricky traffic situation I will take to the ditch if
necessary to get out of the way.

I think it is perfectly safe to always ride on a paved
shoulder. If the litter is bad, then you just have to slow
down some. If you are going to fall, you must ensure that
you fall away from traffic and not into traffic. I will
admit some shoulders are so narrow that they can be worse
than useless. Nevertheless, even a narrow shoulder is
better than no shoulder at all. If a road or traffic
situation ever starts to get scary, the very best thing you
can do is just to slow down and get out of the traffic
lane. It is always of paramount importance that you not be
hit by a motor vehicle.

Quoted message said:

When I receive my new Cartike I will be more apt to take
to the shoulder.

It may be that you will not be able to take the shoulder at
all because of rumble strips embedded in the surface of the
shoulder. On a two wheeler you can normally still use the
shoulders even when they have rumble strips in them but with
a three wheeler you cannot. There is just not room for the
third wheel which will be right on top of the rumble strip.

I regard it as extremely dangerous to be in a traffic lane
on a trike. Always remember if you have to take to the
shoulder to get out of the way of traffic be sure to do so
no matter how rough it is. I have seen trikers who refuse to
do this and they are literally playing Russian roulette with
their lives.

I have several trikes myself so I am not prejudiced against
them. But there are roads I will ride my 2-wheelers on that
I will not ride my 3-wheelers on for reasons of safety.

--
Ed Dolan - Minnesota

On Mon, 12 Apr 2004 13:11:00 -0500, "Edward Dolan" <[email hidden]>

wrote in message : said:

I think it is perfectly safe to always ride on a paved
shoulder.

And only the facts disagree...

Quoted message said:

If you are going to fall, you must ensure that you fall
away from traffic and not into traffic.

Note that this means you need to plan your falls well in
advance. Ideally you can arrange only to fall off when you
are in your yard. Given that...

Quoted message said:

It is always of paramount importance that you not be hit by
a motor vehicle.

... that's where you'll be cycling as well. And driving, and
walking. If avoiding being hit by motor vehciles really is
your overriding concern the only way to do it is never to
leave the house.

Quoted message said:

I regard it as extremely dangerous to be in a traffic lane
on a trike.

That would explain the vast numbers of tricyclists killed on
the roads every year. I know of one in the two years I've
been watching for such things.

Quoted message said:

Always remember if you have to take to the shoulder to get
out of the way of traffic be sure to do so no matter how
rough it is.

Crass. If the shoulder is rough, stay in the traffic lane
where you have a right to be. One thing I guarantee:
cowering in the gutter will make matters worse, not better.

Quoted message said:

I have seen trikers who refuse to do this and they are
literally playing Russian roulette with their lives.

And how many of them have been killed thus far?

--
Guy
===
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after
posting. chapmancentral.co.ukchapmancentral.co.ukOpen ↗

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at
Washington University

On Mon, 12 Apr 2004 12:30:52 -0500, "Edward Dolan" <[email hidden]>

wrote in message : said:

Quoted message said:

Yes. The fact that this makes them safer is no excuse for
their failure to cower in the appropriate manner before
the Almighty Car. And the fact that the training and
methods are based on extensive research surely means that
the research must be wrong, because when eivdence
conflicts with Dolan preconceptions, it's always the
evidence that's wrong isn't it?

Quoted message said:

What facts would that be pray tell.

Start here: johnforester.comjohnforester.comOpen ↗

Quoted message said:

in any event I will trust my safety to my own
preconceptions and not get mired in [...] facts and [...]
research.

As per usual.

Quoted message said:

You bike your way and I will bike my way.

No problem with that, but that's not what you are doing. You
are handing out advice which runs counter to best practice.
And you are scaremongering.

Quoted message said:

So far I have been doing just fine without any advice from
so-called experts.

That's what I thought until I started following their advice
and found out just how much safer things get.

CTC is the UK's national cyclists' organisation. They run
training courses for adults. Recently the head office team
attended one of the courses just to get a feel for what they
are like - all of them came away having learned new and
genuinely useful techniques. These guys don't just ride
bikes for fun, they are full-time cycle advocates, and even
they are not too proud to learn new things. Neither am I. I
changed my riding style significantly after reading
Cyclecraft, the UK equivalent of Effective Cycling.

--
Guy
===
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after
posting. chapmancentral.co.ukchapmancentral.co.ukOpen ↗

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at
Washington University

"Arne" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:3Nwec.5$uF3.2@lakeread04...

Quoted message said:

As soon as I saw this:

"Traffic operates according to rational principles "

I agreed with you and quit reading further....

Another irksome thing I've seen a group of cyclist do is
not ride single file on busy streets.

Arne

I don't think that is a requirement, a cyclist has just as
many rights on a rode as a car

Quoted message said:

=====================
"Edward Dolan" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:b7WdnRceN93DEOfdRVn-
[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I briefly read it and it is nuts. Follow the advice
given there and you

will

Quoted message said:

end up deader than a mackerel. Our fear of being hit
from behind by an overtaking vehicle is sound and sane.
It happens all the time and to

very

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

experienced cyclists too, not just neophytes and
amateurs. I have not

spent

Quoted message said:

the past 40 years reading newspaper reports of cyclists
getting hit on

the

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

road by motor vehicles for nothing.

Cyclists are no more part of the traffic on the road
than are

pedestrians.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

We are obstructions because of our very slow speed in
comparison to

motor

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

vehicles.

When I am on the highway on my bike I am prepared to
take to the

shoulder

Quoted message said:

at

Quoted message said:

a moments notice if and when a traffic situation
develops that warrants evasive action.Yet I have seen
other very many cyclists who are not even aware of
what is behind them. They are out there on the road
blind, deaf

and

Quoted message said:

dumb because some fool has told them that they have a
perfect right to

be

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

there and to take up their fair share of the road. That
kind of

stupidity

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

passes all understanding.
--
Ed Dolan - Minnesota

On Mon, 12 Apr 2004 11:05:40 -0500, "Edward Dolan" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I think what Ted was getting at is their instruction and
advice to cyclists about holding their own in an aggressive
and confrontational way on the road with motorists (see my
story in a previous post in this thread about the Florida
cyclist who thought she was a car). That can't be right.
Maybe most of the time it will work, but the one time it
won't work is all it will take to get you killed.

I'll wait for his reply. The above has nothing to do with my
question, which is specific to the claim that EC/LC
instructors are usually critical mass adherents. And your
comments are not per any EC/LC instruction that I have
observed, and that probably far exceeds any that you have.

Curtis L. Russell Odenton, MD (USA) Just someone on
two wheels...

Edward Dolan said:

... The dumbest thing I ever say in my life was a gal who
had just taken a course in safe cycling and she had become
convinced that she should take the full lane as if she
were a car. The rest of us were way over to the side of
the road because we didn't want to be run over. The cars
were piling up behind her and I never saw so many [censored]
off motorists in my life. I think some were getting ready
to run over her. When they finally could pass they tried
to brush her off the road. Later that evening we tried to
talk some sense to her, but she had been thoroughly brain
washed by this damnable safety course she had taken
earlier. I wonder if she is still alive....

This appears to be a willful misinterpretation of
vehicular cycling.

When I ride on streets with parking, I will take the lane
when passing parked cars so I am out of the door zone. I
will then drift back to the right when there are no cars
parked to let following motor vehicles by. Unless the
following drivers are completely brain dead, the reason for
my behavior is obvious. I have never had a negative reaction
from motorists in these circumstances.

--
Tom Sherman – Quad Cities (Illinois Side)

"Just zis Guy, you know?" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Mon, 12 Apr 2004 12:30:52 -0500, "Edward Dolan"
<[email hidden]> wrote in message <noOdnZYrZcfLT-fdRVn-
[email hidden]>:

[...]

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

You bike your way and I will bike my way.

No problem with that, but that's not what you are doing.
You are handing out advice which runs counter to best
practice. And you are scaremongering.

Everyone on this newsgroup is free to read what I have to
say and draw their own conclusions. They are equally free to
read what you have to say and what the so-called experts
have to say too. I can live with what anyone decides for
themselves. I will trust to my own judgment and common sense
and if others want to go with the so-called experts and get
themselves killed, they are perfectly free to do so.

--
Ed Dolan - Minnesota

"Just zis Guy, you know?" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Mon, 12 Apr 2004 13:11:00 -0500, "Edward Dolan"
<[email hidden]> wrote in message <FJWdnQS-7_wjRufdRVn-
[email hidden]>:

Quoted message said:

I think it is perfectly safe to always ride on a paved
shoulder.

And only the facts disagree..

You are always safer on the shoulder than you are in a
traffic lane. Period!

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

If you are going to fall, you must ensure that you fall
away from traffic and not into

traffic.

Quoted message said:

Note that this means you need to plan your falls well in
advance. Ideally you can arrange only to fall off when you
are in your yard. Given that...

If you have even a split second of warning before a fall you
can generally lean away from the road toward the outside and
take your fall there.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

It is always of paramount importance that you not be hit
by a motor vehicle.

... that's where you'll be cycling as well. And driving,
and walking. If avoiding being hit by motor vehciles
really is your overriding concern the only way to do it is
never to leave the house.

Being in a traffic lane with fast moving motor
vehicles is the most dangerous thing we ever do in our
lives as cyclists.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I regard it as extremely dangerous to be in a traffic
lane on a trike.

That would explain the vast numbers of tricyclists killed
on the roads every year. I know of one in the two years
I've been watching for such things.

Trikes are few and far between and many of them are ridden
on residential and city streets, not out on the open road.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Always remember if you have to take to the shoulder to
get out of the way

of

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

traffic be sure to do so no matter how rough it is.

Crass. If the shoulder is rough, stay in the traffic
lane where you have a right to be. One thing I
guarantee: cowering in the gutter will make matters
worse, not better.

Saving your life from being hit by a car or truck is not
cowering. It is being sensible. If you insist on your
rights, maybe your heirs can sue the offender from your
grave, but that won't be of much satisfaction to you.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I have seen trikers who refuse to do this and they are
literally playing Russian roulette with

their

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

lives.

And how many of them have been killed thus far?

A close call is almost as bad as a kill. It will take years
off your life. Furthermore, see Meinecke's post about the
importance of courtesy when being out on the road with other
users (cars and trucks).

--
Ed Dolan - Minnesota

"Curtis L. Russell" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Edward Dolan said:

I think what Ted was getting at is their instruction and
advice to

cyclists

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

about holding their own in an aggressive and
confrontational way on the

road

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

with motorists (see my story in a previous post in this
thread about the Florida cyclist who thought she was a
car). That can't be right. Maybe

most

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

of the time it will work, but the one time it won't work
is all it will

take

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

to get you killed.

I'll wait for his reply. The above has nothing to do with
my question, which is specific to the claim that EC/LC
instructors are usually critical mass adherents. And your
comments are not per any EC/LC instruction that I have
observed, and that probably far exceeds any that you have.

I respond as is my wont to what ever is written in my own
inimitable way. But I don't blame you for not answering the
proposition I placed before you (which you have inexplicably
not included in your message here). We all know of course
that what the so-called experts have to say about bicycle
safety is a lot of hooey and none of it is worth the paper
it is written on.

By the way, aren't critical mass types always urging
cyclists to be aggressive and confrontational with motorists
about their issues. It seems my point is right on target as
that is my understanding of what these so-called safety
experts are always urging too. I have only ever attended one
brief class on how to cycle safely on the open road and I
thought it was all nothing but pure nonsense.

--
Ed Dolan - Minnesota

"Tom Sherman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Edward Dolan said:

... The dumbest thing I ever say in my life was a gal
who had just taken a course in safe cycling and she had
become convinced that she should take

the

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

full lane as if she were a car. The rest of us were way
over to the side

of

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

the road because we didn't want to be run over. The cars
were piling up behind her and I never saw so many [censored]
off motorists in my life. I

think

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some were getting ready to run over her. When they
finally could pass

they

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tried to brush her off the road. Later that evening we
tried to talk

some

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sense to her, but she had been thoroughly brain washed
by this damnable safety course she had taken earlier. I
wonder if she is still alive....

This appears to be a willful misinterpretation of
vehicular cycling.

When I ride on streets with parking, I will take the lane
when passing parked cars so I am out of the door zone. I
will then drift back to the right when there are no cars
parked to let following motor vehicles by. Unless the
following drivers are completely brain dead, the reason
for my behavior is obvious. I have never had a negative
reaction from motorists in these circumstances.

What you do is sensible and courteous. I do the same. But
not all the brain dead folks out on the road are motorists.
Many of the brain dead are cyclists. They are not only dumb,
but they are discourteous to motorists. These dumb cyclists
make it hard on the rest of us who are not dumb. The Florida
cyclist I was describing above was dumb in my opinion. There
was simply no reason for her to be holding up traffic when
she could have gotten over on the admittedly very narrow
shoulder and let the traffic go by.

--
Ed Dolan - Minnesota