Where should you ride your bike on the roadway?  Can you hitch a ride on a car?  Answers to questions like than can be found in the Illinois Vehicle Code.  Here it is as it pertains to bicycles:
http://www.ilga.gov/legislatio.....nois+Vehicle+Code%2E

What is the proper width for a bike lane?   When should traffic engineers use bike lanes, shared lane markers, a side path, or just let bikes mix in with the traffic?  Answers to questions such as that can be found The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, (aka AASHTO) Guide for the Planning, Design, and Operation of Bicycle Facilities.  

AASHTO is the group that defines national standards for traffic control devices, such as specifying that Stop signs should have a red background, or that a double yellow center line means do not pass.  Here is a link to the 2010 draft edition of the AASHTO Guide for the Planning, Design, and Operation of Bicycle Facilities (223 pages).  http://design.transportation.org/Documents/DraftBikeGuideFeb2010.pdf