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Notes -
According to the AASHTO Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities: A bicyclist has actual width of 2.5 feet, minimum operating width of 4 feet, and preferred operating width of 5 feet. A shoulderless lane needs to be at least 14 feet wide for a motor vehicle to pass a cyclist with an "adequate and comfortable clearance" of 3 feet, without encroaching into the next lane.
According to the AASHTO Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets: Passenger cars are 7 feet wide, and trucks are 8 to 8.5 feet wide. The standard lane width is 12 feet, going down to a minimum of 9 feet on lower-volume roads.
There just isn't enough room.
There's plenty of room. First of all, AASHTO is overly conservative; one must deal in reality, not ideals. Second of all, encroaching into the next lane is usually acceptable too.
The danger is stupid drivers who think that there is room when there isn't, and when they have a choice between hitting a car (low chance of injury) or the cyclist, they plow into the cyclist.
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