Years ago, back in my MAMIL days, I, too, would ride in that area. It felt dangerous and was kind of scary. I called it “the sluiceway”–a narrow stream where I couldn’t stop. If I tried to stop, I could get hit by a passing car if I leaned to the left.

So I started taking the lane. Now I was far enough from the parked cars so I didn’t have to worry about getting doored and I didn’t have to worry about cars passing too close. I had space to move if I had to avoid something. It was much better. The biggest concern I had was that people would cut in front of me.

You might ask, “How did you take the lane when there were cars in it?!” And the answer is obvious–I would wait until there weren’t any cars in the lane before entering it.

Now, a disadvantage to taking the lane is that you are as limited as cars are. If the cars stop, you stop–you don’t try to ride between the stopped cars and the parked cars because you’re putting yourself back in the “loser lane” and, ultimately, you’re not gaining anything because you’re going to have to stop and wait for all the cars to pass before you can safely retake the lane.