Every one of these situations depends on the scenery....
- How dense is the population? ... traffic?
- How flat, hilly is the terrain?
- What is the condition of the road? How many potholes?
- How many lanes are there?
- Is there a shoulder for you to allow others to pass?
- Is there ANYTHING to pull over on the side of the road? Parking lots and such?
- What is the speed limit? How fast is everyone else going?
- How many traffic lights, signs are there?
- How many curves are there in the road? ... or is it always straight shots?
- What is the nighttime lighting situation like?
- Are cagers typically friendly to cyclists?
- Do you typically make yourself visible and known to cagers?
Depends on the situation. No two roads are the same, but the majority of roads around here permit me to take up the roads when need be. When there is a sidewalk, it is perfectly legal, here, for me to ride on said sidewalk. If there is no sidewalk, then the center of the lane you will find me.... the vast majority of the time.
Riding a bicycle SAFELY is more innate than people realize. But there are a select few who are afraid to claim the road when there should be no problem doing so.
The entire point of CLAIMING THE ROAD is simply to...
(1) *NOT* ride ON the solid white line, when there is
(2) NO SHOULDER,
(3) NOR ANYWHERE ELSE to "fall back"
You ride the line with no shoulder, and you're asking a driver to clip you while he gambles between hitting you or oncoming traffic.
Do people not realize this? If you were behind the wheel of vehicle, and you were st00pit enough to try to pass a cyclist on the solid white line... would you prefer to hit the oncoming traffic, or the cyclist??
Not saying you'd hit either one, but remember... you're st00pit... just like most cagers. Which one would you choose? I would opt not to hit the oncoming traffic, personally.... but in reality, I wouldn't put myself in that position to begin with.
HENCE, THE REASONING... why I claim the road. I won't let ANYONE get in that position. Because I'm sooo not st00pit to the point that I won't let ANY ol' st00pit potentially clip me.