In principle it’s supposed to be the case in the U.S., but the law is mostly “cyclists should get out of the way of cars, oh except when that’s not reasonable” and then all the important law is in wrapped up in interpreting the exception. There’s a lot of advancement on that front, but it still kind of sets the tone and mindsets the wrong way around.
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In every state that I have ridden in, the law is that cyclists have equal rights to the road as cars except on limited access roads. I have actually read some of these motor vehicle laws. I cannot vouch for every state, but my impression is that this is true in most US jurisdictions. Now there is also a great deal of discrepancy between the law and how it is enforced.
I have ridden over 25 years in traffic in major US cities. In terms of stupidity, I have actually seen more idiocy from bicycle riders. The difference is that a car is a two ton weapon, and can do far more damage than a cyclist.
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That’s true, however most people don’t give two hoots about the law, they’re cranky that you’re slowing them down. If I had a dollar for every time I’ve been honked at, screamed at, told to get off the f’in road, passed way to close in attempt to intimidate, etc. I’d be able to afford a really nice island to cycle on without other people on it. Sad part is, Wisconsin is considered one of the more cycling friendly states.
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I hate to be a naysayer but at times, and unfortunately, the cyclists are at fault too. Not sure if anyone saw that video of row which broke out between a cyclist and a motor vehicle in Singapore. Then another one last year where a bike coming down from a slope at a relatively high speed and crashed into an MPV…
https://paultan.org/2022/03/07/malaysian-cyclists-dont-ride-faster-than-you-can-brake/
Or even that God-damned accident from 2017 in Johor, Malaysia, which the court’s ruling was that lady driver was charged for manslaughter…
Just my two cents, not inciting any arguments here or dishonouring Sir Evan’s ride in honour of Sir Dan, but just something to ponder about at times…
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Sir Darren yes, sometimes the cyclist is at fault. But I think here it is a small minority.
We had a case here in San Jose, CA where a girl on her phone veered into a bike lane and struck and killed a cyclist. She decided not to stop but instead drove to a Starbucks to get coffee, where she called her father and told him what she did. At least had the sense to go there and take her back to the scene and admit what she did. But her morning coffee was more important than stopping to see if she could have provided aid and assistance.
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Day 2 done.
Defender x 2
That was brutal. Legs were cooked from yesterday. Did the first at 80%. Second at 75%. Felt like I was starting a knighthood at 90%. 
Not only did my legs feel cooked, I smelled like it too. 
Glad today is laundry day!
Onward tomorrow to day 3!
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Nutz
Edit:
Seriously. Nutz!
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I live I Las Vegas and it’s crazy how many times I’ve had people come way to close… sometimes the big trucks ‘ rolling coal’ on us on the road. I agree that we need more signage and drivers should obey the 3ft. for Pete Law, which most do not.
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Once I actually saw this enforced. I was riding on a rural 2 lane road when an a$$hole in a Porsche with plenty of room to pass decided he would get way too close and buzz me. He was so consumed with his self importance he didn’t see the police car behind him. The cop lit him up and when I rolled by the cop gave me a wave. Most of the time there is no cop around or the driver slows down because the cop is there.
I can say it made the remainder of my ride much more enjoyable though.
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@Joymartino What part of Las Vegas do you live in? I live in the north part of the valley and there are a few bike lanes, but not enough. It’s slowly being improved, but is nowhere near what it needs to be. The bike lanes and bike paths need better connections. And I agree, the signage and driver’s education needs drastic improvement as well.
A lot of people are considerate, but it only takes one jerk to ruin your day. I try to ride only during daylight and on wide roads with nice shoulders and/or bike lanes whenever possible. But driver’s need to learn that when the road doesn’t have a bike lane the car does not have priority right-of-way over cyclists.
@DarrenWCKam There are definitely cyclists that go the other way and either act rudely and/or act like they should always have the right-of-way when they don’t or try to push back inappropriately against motorists. It’s never 100% of one or the other. A lot depends on the culture and infrastructure of any given region and the number of cyclists v motorists and everyone’s individual attitudes, etc.
In our area it’s definitely designed for and dominated by motorists, and law enforcement and the justice system unfortunately also tend to lean towards motorists regardless of the laws. It doesn’t help when a crash is referred to in the media as an “accident” regardless of the cause, or when drivers do a hit-and-run and leave a dead cyclist unable to tell their story. In the case of the Las Vegas 5, they were traveling on edge of the wide shoulder of a highway with safety vehicles and were still hit by an impaired truck driver. But in other cases motorists intentional swerve or clip or belch exhaust to intimidate cyclists.
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In the Boston area, I have seen far more cyclists run red lights than I have seen cars run red lights. I have seen cyclists ride in the blind spot of a big truck, weave in and out of parked cars, and go the wrong way on one-way streets, among other stunts. These are accidents just waiting to happen. None of those riders were messenger-cyclists, who are another species entirely.
I have had my close calls with cars, in one of which I executed my first bunny hop without ever doing it before. Fortunately, I was clipped in. In another one, my understanding of the laws of physics helped me out.
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You’re awesome Sir Evan!
Suffer Suffer Suffer
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Day 3 Done. 
Defender just one time again. Legs were surprisingly lively. Started on 90%. Then to 85% on the next interval. But stayed at 85% for the third and then back to 90% for the final interval.
Needed some good recovery spinning and then some yoga after.
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then back for more Defender 
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@emacdoug Today was trending into a recovery day, until I saw your post…
In honor of your friend, which I’m sure was a hero, I did Local Hero. Was brutal. Was beautiful. At times, I needed your post as a reminder to “why am I doing it?”
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I’m totally opposite of you in the Inspirada area of Henderson.
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Defender for Sir Dan Day 4. Plus Cobbler.
Legs feel like lead this morning. Defender is only 58:57, so there’s 1:03 that could be used for a minute more of lead-in spinning. Just sayin… 
Will work hard to cobble this all together this morning to defend the memory of Sir Dan and all those souls lost on the roads…
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Jeepers Sir! You are something else!
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Monster 
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