Cycles of all sorts

Vehicular cyclists and other drivers who are traveling in accordance to the vehicular rules of the road use speed positioning between intersections. When lanes are marked, slower drivers generally operate in the outermost travel lane. When lanes are not marked, slower drivers generally operate as far to the outside of the traveled way as is reasonably efficient and safe.

As drivers approach a junction of ways, destination positioning comes into play and they position themselves laterally according to their destination (left, straight or right):

• Where lanes are marked, slower drivers approaching a junction should choose the outermost lane that serves (i.e., corresponds to) their destination. For example, if the outermost lane is turn-only lane, drivers in that lane who do not intend to turn outward should merge inward into the adjacent lane. Drivers of narrower vehicles should be careful about moving to the side of marked lanes when turning, as drivers of overtaking wider vehicles may be tempted to share the lane during the turn.

• When lanes are not marked, drivers approaching a junction will travel along the inside of their side of the road if turning toward the inside, along the outer side if turning to the outside, and in between if going straight.

The best rules of the road allow any slower driver (including vehicular cyclists) to establish the center of the outermost marked lane (between the left and right tracks of wider vehicles) as their default or primary position. When traffic is:

• overtaking and will likely be significantly delayed while waiting to pass without that travel lane, and
• the lane can be efficiently and safely shared with that traffic,

then the polite driver moves over in the secondary position close to the outer edge of that lane. In general, drivers are more visible and predictable in the primary position than when they are traveling along in the secondary position.