Stop being jerks. Seriously. Don’t believe the hype. You do not own the road. While you may technically have the same legal “right” to the roadway as motor vehicles, this does not excuse common sense and good manners. Case in point, this guy:

As you can see, this guy’s got 6′ worth of pristine, paved, clean, clear shoulder to work with. He would be able to get his pedal on while not impeding traffic. Instead, because he has the right to do it, he’s going to sit a foot out in traffic, forcing me to drive 15 mph in a 45 mph zone. That’s a power trip of Trumpian proportions.
Remember, just because you have the “right” to do something, doesn’t mean its the right, or even the smart thing to do. You have a right to walk up to Shaq and call him any name you want. Just don’t be surprised if there’s unpleasant repercussions.
One final note: your bike weighs 19 lbs. My car weighs over 3,500. We can get into the calculations of mass, inertia, and force; however, I can sum it up a little more succinctly: the car will win every time. Be smart. Be polite. Don’t be a jerk, and we’ll all get to where we’re going at our respective pace using our preferred mode of transportation.
Your pal,
Mose