I understand what Paul is saying that they think that it's safer for them to be in the middle of the lane so that they're more visible and it helps prevent the squeeze play.
In a lot of cases, but not the majority of cases, people will move over to let the traffic pass. However, in most cases that I've seen around here, is that they don't move over and continue to hog the road. The other issue with this behavior is that on a road that has a 40 or 50 mph speed limit, they're riding in the middle of the road around a blind curve. Then you have a vehicle that could weigh up to 80K lbs. going 45 mph and can't simply stop to avoid hitting them. But the part that pisses people off is that when a vehicle does get behind them and it's clear to pass, the bicyclists continue to ride in the middle of the road.
The thing that I don't understand is that they ride in the middle of the road with no fear of getting killed or causing a wreck between two on coming vehicles with them in the mix. 99% of them also drive cars and they know full well that they're risking their lives every time they ride.
Ya BUT, it’s incumbent on any commercial driver to be driving his rig at the speed it can be stopped, no different than if your daughter’s car stalls out on a blind curve, rigs need to be going a speed that anticipates those types of scenarios.
I'm not sure if you've ever driven a truck or not. But if you have, you should understand that physics and the laws of motion will prevent you from stopping on a dime. If the speed limit is 40 mph, I want my drivers to follow the speed limit and get to their destination and return safely. The posted speed limit is the safe speed that is dictated by .gov. At the same time, I don't want my drivers to drive 20 mph just in case there might be a bicyclists around the next turn. Accidents happen all of the time and it can be an unfortunate situation if my daughter is broken down on the shoulder around a blind curve. However, in the case of a lot of bicyclists, they are willingly riding in the middle of the lane around the blind curve which is putting their own lives, as well as the lives of innocent travelers in peril.
Last edited by StoneCutter; 10/25/22.
"Government is not the solution to our problem, government is the problem." Ronald Reagan
