Originally Posted by rando
let's talk in more concrete terms. I'll use myself for an example. I have been bike commuting for a very short time compared to most of you. (a little over a year). my routes are comprised of sidewalks, neighborhood streets with "Bikeroute" signs, some Bike lanes with sharrows, and neighborhood streets without any bike markings. most streets are 25 MPH limit. traffic is sparse.
the route I take to work in my truck is a six-lane 45 MPH arterial where traffic during non-rush-hour times (when I'm biking) is heavy and generally goes 45-60 MPH. I rode this route once and didn't like it, so I resumed my back routes.
my recollection of this experiment is that I was not that scared, but I had the feeling of being out of place and not going fast enough. (I remember that I almost wore myself out trying to "keep up" with traffic before I realized there was no way I could) I got two honks from cars.
Do I have a phobia, taboo, superstition, inferiority complex,or is it just a matter of personal preference?
You have a perfect right to cycle any route that you choose (freeways generally excepted). If your only adverse feelings were those of "being out of place and not going fast enough", then I would say that those reflect the cyclist-inferiority superstition. As long as you are obeying the rules of the road for drivers of vehicles, you are doing the right thing and nobody should complain. As for honks from motorists, that just shows how ignorant they are and says nothing about you. Just ignore them as nothing more than foolishness.