kickstart

Less reading of A&S threads, and more cycling would be a good start.

The real world isn't as dangerous as the A&S world.

DreamRider85

Great but you didn't answer the fundamental question. How am I supposed to ride lanes that are like half an inch wide?

FBinNY 

Please don't think of this as a put off or an insult, but IMO whatever help is available here won't be enough.

You're irrationally and disproportionately focused on imagined risks. You've elevated it to to the level one might call a phobia. You need the help of a mental health professional to help you deal with or manage these fears. It's not unlike people who are afraid to fly or otherwise partake in activities that others consider safe. A short bit with a professional specialist should solve your issues. It won't change the real world, just your perception of it.

B. Carfree

Do you know the difference between a bike lane and a shoulder? Bike lanes are generally five to seven feet wide and have specific markings and/or signage that make it clear what they are. If those aren't present, that space to the right of the fog line is just a shoulder. It's not part of the roadway. In most states, you MAY ride on it, but you are never required to ride on it.

Here's a simple guideline you should have picked up if you have perused some of the threads here. If the lane is wide enough for a motor vehicle to pass you safely while remaining completely in the lane, ride as far to the right as you can to facilitate such a pass. If the lane isn't wide enough for a motor vehicle to pass you safely while remaining fully in the lane, ride towards the center of the lane so that overtaking motorists can clearly see that they must change lanes to pass. The generally accepted lane width that differentiates these two conditions is thirteen to fourteen feet. Slightly more controversial, although only a few people fight it, is that if there is a shoulder that is wide enough and clear enough to safely ride on it, do so. However, bear in mind that shoulders can suddenly disappear, so don't fall asleep over there.

DreamRider85

I was really confused the other day and it felt really dangerous. I would ride by the airport on the bike lane. But then it would always say that the bike lane has come to an end. Then I'd ride a little bit further and reach another bike lane. The bike lanes would get sooo narrow all of a sudden and I'd have to slow down. Drivers were getting pissed off at me cuz I was trying to figure out what to do. How do I know if the car is not right behind me and won't hit me if I go a little bit left more to the center of the lane? I'm really lost here.

So if a lane is only 3 inches wide, it's just a shoulder, not a bike lane?

Now I do express a lot of fear. But maybe the fear is justified. I don't really know what I'm doing on certain roads. The bike lanes/shoulders just aren't consistent and obvious enough for me to know what to do. And if I constantly turn my head left to see where the cars are, I can crash.

I mean there's all these situations that come up and I don't know how to react other than hesitate. Let's say I'm on the bike lane and all of a sudden, the bike lane ends and it just leads into a curb? That's really dangerous. There are cars coming. What am I supposed to do? If I stop, they could get pissed. If I go left, I could get hit if I don't see them coming. I don't get it....

DreamRider85

But you know what? I think part of my fear is justified since I don't quite know what I'm doing out there on the roads. There's more than just riding on a bike lane. Like I said, What happens when the bike lane ends? Just abruptly stop? Stop and then turn my head to see if there are cars? Or just keep going? All seem dangerous. I don't know what I'm doing.

chasm54

Somebody please put this thread out of its misery.

DreamRider85

Please don't. I need it to go back to and study.

OldTryGuy

There will be no test, so studying is not required. For your safety and that of others, please stay off the roads. Stick with trails.

bakes1

This.

Every post in one of the OP's exact same threads across multiple forums equals nothing more than feeding the troll.
I am done with it in this one at least

Phil_gretz

Oh, go on. Get out and ride!

ColaJacket

It takes a lot more bravery to go on the MUP/MUT with all the 5yo girls.

GH

DreamRider85

Why do u keep bringing that up? I wasn't scared of the 5 year old girl. I was scarred that she could have been hurt and thankfully she was not. She was fine, just very scarred. I did roll down the hill, but was up in seconds. I don't remember what happened exactly cuz it went by so fast. I might have flopped a little bit to act like I was hurt too, and then I rolled down the hill cuz I lost momentum. It happened so quick, I don't remember. But I'm happy she was okay. But she was scarred and will probably remember it for a long time.

italktocats

do whatever keeps you riding

I-Like-To-Bike

Or don't ride if you are too timid to ride.

DreamRider85

Well I like the trail where I can sprint hard a lot, but then again I can't sprint all the time because there will be dogs and people. So now I combine it with riding a stationary bike and I realize that I love the stationary bike, maybe even more than my real bike. Love both now.

baron von trail 

Seems to me you answered your own questions. Why on earth would you force yourself to do something you do not like?

I'm pretty much the same way. I detest roads and ride them only when absolutely necessary, like the few miles I cannot ride on our trail system during my commute to work. I almost never ride a road for recreation anymore, preferring to ride the trails instead.

Roads are a pain to ride, even the rural empty ones because those come with dogs who seem to believe they own that little chunk of road right in front of their yard. I have one rural road I like in my area. It's dog free and cars are sparse. But, it's an exception to the rule because the road running parallel to it, about a mile to the south, is a suicide death trap and the road to the north has two properties with the meanest loose dogs I've ever seen that stand on the road as you approach. Really nice stuff.

skye

good gods, necro troll thread. Put a stake in it, please.

fastturtle

If you want a quantitative perspective, DreamRider85, here is one:
In the US, there are some 44 deaths per billion kilometers cycled. Source (secondary I guess) is here : Forbes Welcome.

This means that if you cycle pretty intensively at 10'000 km/year, your chances of dying will be 0.044 % each year (This is the odds I am living with - well, actually probably half of that from the fact that my country is certainly a bit more cycle friendly than the US, although nothing like Denmark or Netherlands). If you do this all your life from age 20 to age 80, your chances of dying from an accident on your bike will be 2.6 %. Knowing that near age 80 your chances of dying from some other cause will get dangerously close to 100%.

Another way of presenting this degree of risk is to say that if cycling accidents were the only cause of death, by covering these 10'000 km/year you would live on average 2'200 years.