Portland Press Herald reports a new law that motorists may cross a solid yellow line in order to pass a bike.

“When passing a bike, a car or truck will be permitted to cross a solid yellow line. Those no-passing zones are designated as unsafe for one motor vehicle to pass another. Since bikes are smaller and slower, a car or truck can safely venture across the center line in many circumstances.”

I wonder if we have that here. I didn’t see it in your entertaining and helpful interpretation of Minnesota bicycle statutes.

The harshest opinions of cyclists I’ve ever heard came from a group of nurses chatting while I wrote up my charts. They seemed to feel adult cyclists were an affront to nature. In particular they had a great deal of difficulty with the concept of crossing a solid midline to pass a bicyclist. For whatever it’s worth men seem to enjoy crossing that forbidden line; consequently I have had many more close encounters with frustrated female than male drivers. The men tended to just pass – albeit technically breaking the law.

On another level there’s a strong cultural component. Adult cyclists tend to be middle to upper class, and most have at least a college degree. From a primate point of view, the power relationships for some drivers are temptingly inverted.