Bike advocates: do not tell people to just "take the lane."
Telling people the safest place to ride their bike is smack in front of impatient drivers behind them is not the way to get more people on bikes.
Building infrastructure that protects them from those drivers is.
Well-meaning bicyclists will often respond to my close pass videos by telling me I should not be afraid to take the lane.
I'm not afraid to take the lane. I'm actually a pretty brave, intrepid person, and I've voluntarily and knowingly done some very dangerous stuff in my life. Rode horses professionally. Learned how to use a trapeze. Hiked the AT. Jumped out of planes...until it got boring.
I'm not risk averse. If my video appears to show me not taking a lane on my bike, rest assured it's not because I'm chicken.
But here's the thing. NO one should have to take the lane. It's scary as $^#$ to put your body in front of a fast-moving multi-ton metal box that's driven by someone with woefully inadequate training.
And if doing that IS in fact the safest way to ride on some roads, then the problem is not with the rider. It's with the road.
@DrTCombs You have to take the lane well ahead of the cars so that they see you and have enough time to change lanes (which is required by law where I live). They would do that if they saw a car ahead of them. It is important to also have a mirror to keep an eye on how the drivers behind you are behaving. It amazes me that so many cyclists don't have basic safety equipment like a mirror.
@DrTCombs Sorry. I am just offering my 50 years of cycling experience for anyone who may be reading. Each person may have different experiences depending on time and place. I wasn't meaning to sound condescending.