Yeah, that's the problem; he doesn't see an issue having traffic slowed down and a dozen cars behind him. Everyone else is the problem, hence the thread.
I have never had a dozen cars behind me. Anytime any car approaches from the rear I am looking for ways to work them around me. I take a very cooperative approach to riding on the road. I doubt anyone has ever been behind me for more than 30 seconds. All of us have been hung up by an inconsiderate motorist for longer than that. Hell, I'll get held up more by other cars today than I have held up motorists over the whole of my bicycle riding life.
I don't normally bike on the road because I'm afraid to, reading this thread doesn't help. I get that a rider needs to be very careful about moving to the right to let cars pass since many of them will crowd past without consideration as to how close their car or their mirror may be to the rider, It's better to have them move left to make a conscious pass. There are a percentage of roadies that make a point of riding siding by side and claiming a whole lane "because it's their right" that really piss people off and cause some of this hate. I remember following bicycles on buisy park roads where I couldn't pass in the oncoming lane, that wouldn't even move over to let me pass on my motorcycle, dicks.
I am very selective about the roads I ride on. I am fortunate that I don't have to use a bike to get where I need to go. I do it for exercise. We have a LOT of dedicated paths here and I use them.
My biggest fear and the risk that is most difficult to mitigate is being hit from behind. I wear bright colors and my default position is mid lane. Being mid lane makes me more visible. Other motorists are much more likely to process me as traffic if I am mid lane. I have had drivers stare right at me when I was on the shoulder and pull right out in front of me. It happens far less frequently when I am mid lane. When a vehicle approaches from behind I kinda drift a little bit within the lane to make myself more visible. Well before they get close I am processing how I will help them get around me. If I can move onto the shoulder, into a parking lane, into a parking lot or other, I'll happily do it. If I can't get out of their way but they can safely pass, then we are all good. I am planning an escape route though in the event that it doesn't look like they see me. I am also looking over my shoulder so that they know that I know they are there.
In places where they can't safely pass and I can't get out of the way, I'll often hold up a finger as if to say "just a sec." I have found that if you let people know that you give a piss about their presence, they are much more patient. When it becomes safe for them to go around, or I find a place to get out of the way, then I wave them around and wave at them. That has served me perfectly. I often get a wave back.
I don't understand why it's an issue for anyone when cyclists are side by side on a road that's so narrow they'd have to go into the oncoming lane to safely pass a single cyclist. Tests have shown that motorists are in the oncoming lane for less time when they pass side by side cyclists rather than those that are strung out end to end. In the case of the video that I posted, the cyclist being side by side was a complete non-issue. There were no other cars in the left lane. What kind of ballbag gets worked up over the effort that it takes to move over? They didn't even have to slow. Is it the physical or emotional difficulty of applying gentle pressure to the steering wheel that causes people to lose their schidt?
I cannot envision any situation in which I's have a hard time passing side by side cyclists on a motorcycle. You can go from 10-40 in 2-3 seconds on almost any motorcycle. It was difficult for me to pick off a pack of Harleys in deals gap on my scooter. I had to work at that.
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