I think both things are true.
The shoulder looks like by far the better place to be, AND the honking cars are idiots. It doesnt have to be either/or.
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Yea, with a shoulder that wide it’s a bit obnoxious to not use it. debris be damned. With a shoulder that wide its obvious to me the road is a higher speed road and that is another reason to use the shoulder, and it’s obnoxious to go <20 on a bike there.
Just becuase you can use the lane by the letter of the law doesnt mean you should. Same thing applies to states without rolling stopsign law. Drivers who get mad at you by not putting a foot down at intersections. We are doing both of us favors not fully stopping if that driver happens to be behind you.
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If I had to ride there I’d ride the shoulder. Almost regardless of what was on the shoulder. At pinch points I’d push into the road gradually well in advance of the pinch point to ‘telegraph’ my intention.
A couple things I immediately noticed. It’s a double yellow. The shoulder in your shot seems fairly wide (and yes I can see that it fluctuates in and out). I can see it’s been ‘graded’ a few times as well. That’s just the price of admission sadly.
Knowing that people are going to blaze down it at 60… I’d be mid right inside that shoulder (where safe).
If it were dotted yellow (or unmarked) and a speed limit more like 25-30 I’d likely stay on the edge of the road and just ride fast. 
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Unfortunately for where I ride in the Bay Area, not every driver knows these rules. Some therefore believe I’m wrong for biking in the driving lane. Then they get upset to the point where they honk or swerve at me. I’m not going to change that driving behavior or get angry with it.
That’s why I ride with a Varia and left handlebar mirror. I’ll ride on the main road until there’s a car coming, then move to the side to let the car pass.
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I’d say yes you are being obnoxious riding on a busy road with that much shoulder (hey you asked lol). No way I’d ride on the road in the scenario you describe
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Yeah, this would be a road that, regardless of my legal ability to ride in the lane, I would ride in the shoulder or avoid. I don’t live out there but I live in Philly and any semi-major road that connects semi-major suburban towns would be a no-go for me except in very short bursts to connect other roads. They’re just too busy, too fast, and too many people don’t expect to see riders on them and will become angry (as you’ve seen).
It’s just not worth the stress, the abuse, and the possible injury and death.
Some actual suggestions, if the debris in the shoulder is really bad you could maybe contact PennDOT and see if they could run a street sweeper down the shoulder to try to pick up most of it. You could also contact the police and say that you’ve had multiple vehicles harass you on the road (though I doubt they do much of anything without video evidence and some real threats or injuries).
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I would try and find an alternative route with less traffic as you’re never going to reconcile the question. Legally the OP can ride anywhere to the right of the unbroken white line. Despite the legality of your position you will find ignorance, impatience or someone having a bad day a reason to find your road position unacceptable. Arguably you could have been the the left of the line and still received ill informed comment. Like I said it’s a circular argument!
I was of the mind not to let idiots define my behaviour, however we are soft skinned vehicles which means a more defensive riding mind set.
Cycing in traffic is recreational hazard we need to mitigate. Faster moving traffic amplifies the risk, due to the distance covered per second by the vehicle which leaves the driver less time to react.
You’re not being obnoxious.
I wouldn’t ride on that road.
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Your question about your obnoxity becomes irrelevant the second you get hit. Be thankful for wide shoulders and lower tire pressures.
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Personally, I’d ride the shoulder (and be grateful for the rumble strip). Obviously debris on the shoulder is annoying, but there is a very similar road I ride, where traffic is at highway speeds, and the rumble strip gives me yet another layer of awareness, on top of my Varia and usual heads-up riding.
As a default rule, you should take the lane. You are far more visible in the center of the lane, and this encourages cars to pass just as they’d pass any other slow moving traffic - by moving into the other lane and giving you wide berth. Taking the lane is almost always the safest choice.
With that said, you also need to be aware of local traffic conditions. If traffic is heavy, there is a double yellow, and there is a wide, rideable shoulder, I’d consider taking the shoulder. But that’s a lot of ifs.
Also keep in mind that some of those honks may have simply been well intentioned drivers letting you know they were there. Sorry you got yelled at, but there’s no reason to think that every driver was that upset you were on the road.
Personally, I ride roads much like that for most of the year, and have for decades. I think I get aggressively honked at or yelled at a few times a year (roughly as often as I get honked or yelled at when I’m driving my car). I don’t believe I’ve ever had 10 drivers acknowledge my existence in 10 minutes.
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Do you own a Garmin Varia? If you really don’t want to ride on the verge (which is where I would be) you could ride on the road until the Varia lets you know a car is coming and then move across to the verge to let it past. Minimises the time you spend on the verge and you come across like a considerate cyclist for vehicles coming up behind you. Mostly win/win.
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In my country you have the right to ride two abreast, and in that road you would have someone ride close to the road edge and someone more or less on the line, occupying a bit of the road. People in cars just take their time and then overtake safely. People honking and hurling abuse are… Well, I don’t think they are justified, I’ll spare the names. I guess they are also victims of car culture and will die of a stroke and/or remain demented their last couple of decades, just because in their minds you are supposed to move only by car and everyone who doesn’t is just an inconvenience to be removed. The self-entitlement of drivers makes me really burn with anger, but there’s also the angle to consider, you won’t convert anyone by being right only if it comes off as aggressive or annoying. So I try to be gracious about stuff even when I’m in the right.
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Agree with most of these comments. It’s a bit obnoxious to insist on the road with a wide shoulder and if it’s a higher speed road with traffic, I’d ride somewhere else.
My solution for these situations is to use my Varia radar. I’ll ride in the lane when there is no traffic to avoid flats and debris and when I see a car coming on radar I’ll drift over to the shoulder just as I see the car approaching.
I feel like the radar serves two purposes. First the car sees me in the lane and either slows or is planning some kind of pass. Now that I’ve got their attention, I slip into the shoulder just before they get to me and they don’t have to pass in the other lane and everybody is happy. It’s so easy since I can track their approach on the radar.
I love the Varia radar. It’s the best cycling accessory I think I have ever purchased and it was one I didn’t know I was going to love until I got it.
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Me too, prior to purchase I couldn’t really see the value in it but now I don’t go out on the road without it. Ever.
You are not being obnoxious.
If I ended up on that road, unfamiliar with the shoulder and its condition, I would take the lane. Shoulders end abruptly, blocked by parked vehicles, etc, and entering and leaving the lane of travel in my experience has been more dangerous that taking my 2 feet of the lane.
If I’m familiar with the road and know I can trust the shoulder I will use the shoulder then though.
If it’s that busy though, I would likely be limiting my exposure on that road, regardless of the shoulder an it’s usability.
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I would absolutely be on the shoulder, 100%, and would feel incredibly exposed in the road. No way I’d ride left of the line.
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In my state I need to be “as near to the right roadside as practicable”. I always assumed that included the shoulder where one exists; other than the conditions stated to move left. Now “practicable” is open for interpretation.
39:4-14.2, 39:4-10.11 Operating Regulations.
Every person riding a bicycle on a roadway shall ride as near to the right roadside as practicable exercising due care when passing a standing vehicle or one proceeding in the same direction. A bicyclist may move left under any of the following conditions: 1) To make a left turn from a left turn lane or pocket; 2) To avoid debris, drains, or other hazardous conditions on the right; 3) To pass a slower moving vehicle; 4) To occupy any available lane when traveling at the same speed as other traffic; 6) To travel no more than two abreast when traffic is not impeded, but otherwise ride in single file. Every person riding a bicycle shall ride in the same direction as vehicular traffic. In New Jersey, the law states a bicyclist must obey all state and local automobile driving laws. A parent may be held responsible for the child’s violation of any traffic law.
Constant traffic and how many passing opportunities for cars? Do you move over every so often so they can get by, like a slow moving tractor might?
I wouldn’t say obnoxious, but I believe you are probably inducing some anxiety. Most people want to be safe. They don’t want to get in a head-on collision and they don’t want to run you off the road and they don’t want the people behind them honking at them or making dangerous passes. It’s possible you might feel safer in the lane of traffic, but they are feeling less safe by you being there, and some lash out. (Also, some people are just jerks, obviously.)
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This x1000
We’re sharing the road and we are a tiny minority as far as the numbers go (at least where I live). Whether I’m in the right or wrong, I’m gonna do everything I can (within reason) to make the folks in the cars not hate cyclists. Whether they get upset because they are jerks or just don’t understand cycling, I don’t really care. If I can avoid holding up traffic by riding on a safe shoulder and risk flatting more frequently, I will. If a narrow road has no shoulder and cars are stacking up behind me unable (or too scared) to pass, I’ll find a safe place to pull off long enough to clear the backup. Sure, I’ll have a little interruption on my ride, but less than the delay/frustration I might have caused for all those drivers stuck behind me. Another thing drivers respond well to is letting them know you are aware they are trying to pass and help by waving them by when it’s safe. Just pedaling down the road without acknowledging the cars you are holding up is going to piss some folks off. There are times where you have to take the entire road and hold up traffic to make yourself safe, but I try to avoid those situations for any length of time because it’s going to upset many drivers and road rage adds exponential danger to any situation. Yeah, I know my rights as a cyclist, but I’ve known too many people hit by cars who were “in the right”. Common sense and “being the better human” goes a long way in my opinion.
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