[kiki]

I have never really ridden a bike on the streets before, so I'm finding it really intimidating to be on my bike when there are cars and buses whizzing by me. When biking on the street, am I supposed to stay as close to the right as possible, or can I bike in the middle of the rightmost lane, or even in the middle of a center or left lane? I feel like I am holding up traffic when I bike in the middle of the lane, but when I am biking on the right side of the road and sharing a lane with a car or bus, it feels really narrow, like there's not enough space for the two of us without the vehicle having to get out of my way or run me over. When stopping my bike at a traffic signal, can I stay in the middle of the lane, or should I stay close to the right side of the lane to get out of the vehicle's way? What about weaving in and out of traffic... can I ride my bike on the dividing lane stripe between lanes of cars, both when they're moving and when they're stopped at a traffic light?

Thanks!