Ride Right

Not sure how CA is.. but in Texas we have the right to take the lane in certain situations.. and your video missed this important safety measure.. The important one is 4b.

Texas Law when we can take the lane;
(3) a condition on or of the roadway, including a fixed or moving object, parked or moving vehicle, pedestrian, animal, or surface hazard prevents the person from safely riding next to the right curb or edge of the roadway.
(4) the person is operating a bicycle in an outside lane that is:
(A) less than 14 feet in width and does not have a designated bicycle lane adjacent to that lane; or
(B) too narrow for a bicycle and a motor vehicle to safely travel side by side.

Yep, we have that exception as well in our mandatory FTR law (CVC 21202), and it's disappointing that they missed that important exception in the video.

Doesn't the car roll through the stop sign in their first example?

Do they not have bells in California? What's this “On your left” business?

Ding dong… Apologies for my redundant comment which I can edit but not delete. Please ignore this text.

Anyone else notice that, in the “car back” example video, the white truck clearly crosses a double yellow line? This is exactly the type of situation where it is probably not the safest approach to ride to the far right – the lane is simply not wide enough for a car and a bike to pass side by side.

I agree with the other commenters that this video misses the mark in its omissions of any mention of CVC 21202 in favor of the “let's all get along” approach, which really means “let's all recognize that motor vehicles are the primary and dominant road users and and every attempt must be made to cede to their supremacy by all other road users.” I don't like that way of thinking. Maybe this video is a hoax and was really made by AAA?

Here's CVC 21202–read (a) closely:

Operation on Roadway

21202. (a) Any person operating a bicycle upon a roadway at a speed less than the normal speed of traffic moving in the same direction at that time shall ride as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway except under any of the following situations:

(1) When overtaking and passing another bicycle or vehicle proceeding in the same direction.

(2) When preparing for a left turn at an intersection or into a private road or driveway.

(3) When reasonably necessary to avoid conditions (including, but not limited to, fixed or moving objects, vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians, animals, surface hazards, or substandard width lanes) that make it unsafe to continue along the right-hand curb or edge, subject to the provisions of Section 21656. For purposes of this section, a “substandard width lane” is a lane that is too narrow for a bicycle and a vehicle to travel safely side by side within the lane.

(4) When approaching a place where a right turn is authorized.

(b) Any person operating a bicycle upon a roadway of a highway, which highway carries traffic in one direction only and has two or more marked traffic lanes, may ride as near the left-hand curb or edge of that roadway as practicable.

[...] a new video from the Marin County Bicycle Coalition and Marin Cyclists Road Club instructs riders to ride to [...]

I nominate the Marin Bicycle Coalition and the Marin Cyclists for the prestigious “Uncle Tom Award” which is given to deserving organizations for their outstanding and tireless efforts to see that our nation's motorists can travel on our highways and byways at whatever speed they choose, unencumbered by roving packs of pesky bicyclists stubbornly asserting their own right to use the public way. It'll be a tough competition as both the League of American Bicyclists (a perennial favorite) and the Texas Bicycle Coalition are especially strong contenders this year. Dr. Walter Crankset of the University of Northeastern Oklahoma extension campus at Broken Elbow will be the master of ceremonies at the award presentation. The event will be held again this year at Larry's Cafe in lovely downtown Broken Elbow, and both the state police and National Guard will be on hand to prevent another unfortunate set of events similar to last year's. So come on down to Broken Elbow for the festivities, but remember that Larry runs a cash bar and it's probably a good idea to have some bail money handy.

There are many reasons to not ride right. In this video they forgot to equal this out. There is the sub standard lane law that is in every state that I know of. It just did not look good when they were already in a sub standard lane and they moved to right or when they were about to pass several parked cars and moved to the right. A motorist has even less responsibility under the law when you ride on the shoulder. Where did they get these riders I can ride my mountain bike tandem with two inch wide tires by myself at faster speeds than those lycra clad models in that video. This really reeks of the cyclist inferiority complex that I read about. I find that when I do what this idiot suggests. Motorists get even closer to me. I think it is the predator instinct that causes this. I am considering marketing a bag of paint that will explode when a motorist makes contact with your bicycle. This will make them more likely to see and not hit you. I believe the thought of having to repaint the auto or have it look like puke will help them pay more attention to driving.

frightening! The video doesn't even match the audio.
At the end, the bicyclists are taking the lane.
When passing, he tells us we should look behind us but the cyclist seems to forget that.

Most distressing is the realization that this is one of the nicest, most professional videos out there. They had all this money and obviously, good intentions – but to leave out the exception of non-standard width lanes is appalling.

The 'debris' is so pretty and obvious. They go around it but don't signal to traffic behind them that the pack is all about to move to the left…

Uncle Tom is exactly right. It's not **quite** as explicit as our council guy getting news airplay that we need to ride “as close to the curb as possible!” (after a fatality and a serious injury to a minor that prompted thenews report — *both* of which happened to cyclists riding on sidewalks).
GAGGAMAGGOT!!! Put some bunny ears on that guy and make him crouch a little more.

☯ You know the MCBC's logo is a yin/yang, indicating a mystical cosmic balance between a bike and a car. Far out, man.

This is an appalling example of bad safety advice. The producers of this video obviously have not studied bicycle safety from real safety experts and they are actually recommending riding to the right in some situations where it is more dangerous to do so.

http://www.bikexprt.com/streetsmarts/usa/index.htm