I am a resident of northern Davidson County and travel Hampton Road daily, as it is the only direct route to Clemmons. However, Hampton Road has become a danger to travel on weekends because of the droves of bicyclists that ride there.
Recently I got behind a group of about 15 cyclists; they rode bunched up, taking up the entire lane for more than five miles, at a speed of 10-15 mph. The cyclist in the rear continued to turn around to assess the number of vehicles mounting up behind the group, but did nothing to signal the group to ride single file, even as the line of cars continued to grow.
Anyone who is familiar with Hampton Road knows how curvy it is, and how few the opportunities to pass arise. Drivers have no choice but wait the entire length of Hampton Road or take a chance that another vehicle is not coming and dart around, risking a major accident.
Cyclists have other places to ride, like Tanglewood and other parks. Or they can, at least, choose a road that has adequate passing zones.
TINA LEDFORD
Clemmons
No, that's not my letter, but copied from today's paper.
Opinions on this situation? I know this road, and it is busy, winding, and 2 fairly narrow lanes. This speed limit varies from 45-55 MPH.
This is one reason I never did group rides.....
The BikeForums Team
-adv-
This is an archived thread, you can find the full version of this thread, with images, links and more content here.
I know this road, and it is busy, winding, and 2 fairly narrow lanes. Here's a quote from a post about where to ride from the chainguard archives (http://www.cycling.org/lists/chainguard/archive/1999/1999-10/940658900001)John [Franklin]'s book 'Cyclecraft, Skilled Cycling Techniques for Adults' (published by the British equivalent of the Government Printing Office) defines 2 relative riding positions in a [marked] lane. The Primary Riding Position is in a lane's center, while the Secondary Riding Position is 3 feet outside moving traffic and at least 1.5 feet from any edge obstructions. The Primary position is available on any road, while the Secondary position may or may not be there.
I think that the ability of a cyclist to comfortably travel along in the secondary position varies dynamically with the unique conditions at a particular time and place, including (but not limited to):
usable width of the marked lane
the cyclist's speed
widths and speeds of all the vehicles that may pass
road curves and grades
presence of junctions (intersections, driveways, alleyways, etc.)
lines of sight at those junctions
cross wind
cross traffic
cross tandem stoker :p
"Captain" Bruce Rosar
sbhikes
People tend to misunderstand. They think the speed limit (45-55) and is the same as the average speed and is the same as the minium speed.
BostonFixed
Honestly, how hard is it for the group leader, or last rider to signal everyone to ride single file for a minute or two, move over to the right and let the cars pass?
If I'm riding solo this is how I do it. No skin off my back to move over for a few seconds. Also, I tend to be more relaxed when there's not a line of car[s] behind me.
Dchiefransom
Even if I move over, I let the car decide when to go. Never wave them around.
'nother
Well, the writer of the letter also had a choice of routes. The letter mentions the road is the only direct route, but not the only route.
While I don't disagree with the sentiment about group rides, I do get kind of irked when I hear car operators say things like, "I was forced to <pass on a double yellow, wait for eternity, etc. etc.> because of cyclists" -- that's complete BS, no one's forcing anyone to do anything, including turn the ignition on the car to begin with.
caloso
I'd be tempted to write a letter something like this:
"I am a resident of northern Davidson County and travel Hampton Road daily, as it is the only direct route to Clemmons. However, Hampton Road has become a danger to travel on weekends because of the droves of motorists that drive there.
Recently I got closely buzzed by about 15 cars; they passed very hazardously, taking up the entire lane for more than five miles, at a speed of 50-60 mph. Some drivers looked at me, assessed my position and speed and the number of other cyclists lawfully traveling this road, but still passed unsafely, honking their horns and shouting threats.
Anyone who is familiar with Hampton Road knows how curvy it is, and how few the opportunities to pass arise. Cyclists have no choice but to take the lane or take a chance that another vehicle is not coming and dart around, risking a major accident.
Motorists have other places to drive, like the Interstate or other major highways. Or they can, at least, choose a road that has adequate passing zones."
'nother
^^ very well said. Nice to toss people's drivel right back at 'em :)
2manybikes
^^ very well said. Nice to toss people's drivel right back at 'em :)
Agreed !
JohnBrooking
Okay, I'll be the devil's advocate. The motorist makes it fairly clear that she is on that road for utilitarian purposes: she needs to get to Clemmons, and this road is "the only direct route." I would have more sympathy for the cyclists if they were also on the road because they needed to get to Clemmons. I know, I know, legally we all have an equal right to the road; that is true. But from a practical point of view, I think a group of cyclists out pleasure-riding should be more considerate than this of others using the road for more mundane transportation, because the recreational cyclists have more of a choice about where they ride than the transportational motorist (or cyclist).
I agree with BostonFixed that common courtesy dictates occasionally going single-file, or even (to be more safe), stopping off the road altogether while cars pass. I wouldn't want a whole line of cars waiting behind me either. To do this for miles and miles just because you legally can, or to make a point, strikes me as rather adolescent. (With apologies to any mature adolescents reading this.)
- John, feeling curmudgeonly
H23
...the recreational cyclists have more of a choice about where they ride than the transportational motorist (or cyclist).
...
I do think that cyclists should move over to allow cars to pass when conditions permit, but I don't think it is fair to make pre-judgments about the relative value of a motorist's trip versus a cyclist's trip because that leads us down a slippery slope that ends with idea that cyclists should only use remote roads or special paths.
For all we know the motorist could have been simply going to return videos or perhaps making a trip to play majong, or maybe to hang out with the other blue-hairs. Maybe she was going to the gym? We don't know, and we don't need to know. The cyclists on a group ride have as much right to be there as the any of motorists do. Furthermore, it is very unlikely that people on a group ride would choose a busy road where it is impossible to pass for 5 miles. These kinds of complaints are typically very fishy. Most likely, this driver was too timid to pass the cyclists and instead decided to stew about it and send a nasty letter to the editor.
Alekhine
I'd be tempted to write a letter something like this:
"I am a resident of northern Davidson County and travel Hampton Road daily, as it is the only direct route to Clemmons. However, Hampton Road has become a danger to travel on weekends because of the droves of motorists that drive there.
Recently I got closely buzzed by about 15 cars; they passed very hazardously, taking up the entire lane for more than five miles, at a speed of 50-60 mph. Some drivers looked at me, assessed my position and speed and the number of other cyclists lawfully traveling this road, but still passed unsafely, honking their horns and shouting threats.
Anyone who is familiar with Hampton Road knows how curvy it is, and how few the opportunities to pass arise. Cyclists have no choice but to take the lane or take a chance that another vehicle is not coming and dart around, risking a major accident.
Motorists have other places to drive, like the Interstate or other major highways. Or they can, at least, choose a road that has adequate passing zones."
:lol:
oboeguy
I'd be tempted to write a letter something like this:
"I am a resident of northern Davidson County and travel Hampton Road daily, as it is the only direct route to Clemmons. However, Hampton Road has become a danger to travel on weekends because of the droves of motorists that drive there.
Recently I got closely buzzed by about 15 cars; they passed very hazardously, taking up the entire lane for more than five miles, at a speed of 50-60 mph. Some drivers looked at me, assessed my position and speed and the number of other cyclists lawfully traveling this road, but still passed unsafely, honking their horns and shouting threats.
Anyone who is familiar with Hampton Road knows how curvy it is, and how few the opportunities to pass arise. Cyclists have no choice but to take the lane or take a chance that another vehicle is not coming and dart around, risking a major accident.
Motorists have other places to drive, like the Interstate or other major highways. Or they can, at least, choose a road that has adequate passing zones."
TINA LEDFORD == PWNED!!!
Nicely done. I was going to post the same thing. :D
'nother
Okay, I'll be the devil's advocate. The motorist makes it fairly clear that she is on that road for utilitarian purposes: she needs to get to Clemmons, and this road is "the only direct route." I would have more sympathy for the cyclists if they were also on the road because they needed to get to Clemmons. I know, I know, legally we all have an equal right to the road; that is true. But from a practical point of view, I think a group of cyclists out pleasure-riding should be more considerate than this of others using the road for more mundane transportation, because the recreational cyclists have more of a choice about where they ride than the transportational motorist (or cyclist).
I agree with BostonFixed that common courtesy dictates occasionally going single-file, or even (to be more safe), stopping off the road altogether while cars pass. I wouldn't want a whole line of cars waiting behind me either. To do this for miles and miles just because you legally can, or to make a point, strikes me as rather adolescent. (With apologies to any mature adolescents reading this.)
- John, feeling curmudgeonly
There's nothing to suggest that the cyclists weren't also on that road "for utilitarian purposes" (what, you thought that Spandex automatically means "recreation?" I picked up my kids with my bike + trailer from day care wearing Spandex the other day...). Maybe the cyclists "needed" to get to Clemmons too. For all we know, the only store in the area that sells Gatorade is there.
It's a very weak argument anyway. People's reasons for using the roads does not put them at a different priority levels. When I'm driving home from work on a Friday nights, I have to deal with the obscene mass of people using the same roads to get out of town for vacations in the mountains or at the beach. The drivers of grocery warehouse trucks have to sit in that same traffic, too. Do you also advocate that the "recreational" drivers should take other roads and/or yield to me and the grocery man because we're on there for a different purpose? I doubt it, but this is effectively what your argument suggests.
holicow
I'd be tempted to write a letter something like this:
"I am a resident of northern Davidson County and travel Hampton Road daily, as it is the only direct route to Clemmons. However, Hampton Road has become a danger to travel on weekends because of the droves of motorists that drive there.
Recently I got closely buzzed by about 15 cars; they passed very hazardously, taking up the entire lane for more than five miles, at a speed of 50-60 mph. Some drivers looked at me, assessed my position and speed and the number of other cyclists lawfully traveling this road, but still passed unsafely, honking their horns and shouting threats.
Anyone who is familiar with Hampton Road knows how curvy it is, and how few the opportunities to pass arise. Cyclists have no choice but to take the lane or take a chance that another vehicle is not coming and dart around, risking a major accident.
Motorists have other places to drive, like the Interstate or other major highways. Or they can, at least, choose a road that has adequate passing zones."
Clever, but wrong. The letter write stated clearly that she DID NOT pass, much less "buzzing" them or "passing hazardously". And while not explicitly stated, she wrote she travels the road daily, and it's probably for work.
As to the arguments that perhaps the bikers had a more "legitimate" right to be there at that time, also wrong. This was a group ride, not a team training for the Tour, a group of (very slowly) responding EMS personnel, or anything other than what it looked like.
I have noticed a disturbing trend of group rides meeting locally right after work (meaning RUSH HOUR) and riding the narrow, busy roads around here, like the subject of the original letter. It won't be long before there's something much worse printed in the paper than this complaint....
'nother
As to the arguments that perhaps the bikers had a more "legitimate" right to be there at that time, also wrong. This was a group ride, not a team training for the Tour, a group of (very slowly) responding EMS personnel, or anything other than what it looked like.
Correct: their right was no more legitimate than the writer's. It was also not any less legitimate. A person's activities before, after or enroute have no bearing on their right or priority to use the road.
Mr. Miskatonic
Recently I got behind a group of about 15 cyclists; they rode bunched up, taking up the entire lane for more than five miles, at a speed of 10-15 mph. The cyclist in the rear continued to turn around to assess the number of vehicles mounting up behind the group, but did nothing to signal the group to ride single file, even as the line of cars continued to grow.
Anyone who is familiar with Hampton Road knows how curvy it is, and how few the opportunities to pass arise. Drivers have no choice but wait the entire length of Hampton Road or take a chance that another vehicle is not coming and dart around, risking a major accident.
A few things:
I'm not much of a group rider, but a car, or set of cars, trying to pass on a road described as "curvy" makes my knuckles white. It is inviting disaster. It seems that trying ot get a group to hold a single line under curvy road conditions isn't exactly easy to do.
What this woman actually wants is for all the bikes to stop and let everyone by. This is also risky, and beyond inconvenient for the cyclist.
Cyclists are not forcing anyone to 'take a chance' by passing in the opposite lane. That is risk the driver elects to take.
I would also lay good odds that it was not for five miles that this person was behind the pack, it just seemed that way with the impatience meter boiling over.
ehammarlund
When i rode in SHP waaaay back in the 1980s, they taught us to leave at least three car lengths between each 2 riders, to make passing possible. And to extend that to a 'truck safe' length if it was that type of road. We did. It worked. No swears or complaints.
Passing a single cyclist isn't especially difficult. Passing 10 is a whole different story. She doesn't want them to 'stop and let everyone by' (great conclusion there; want to show me where in the letter it says that?) What this woman wants is for cyclists to stop hogging the road and have some consideration for everyone else on it, cars and bikers alike. She's a bad focus for the 'advocacy' skills here.
DCCommuter
I commute by bike every day on two-lane roads. Two trips a day, five days a week, fifty-two weeks a year comes to over 500 trips a year. It would be a very conservative estimate to say that on each trip, twenty vehicles pass me without incident. So over 10,000 vehicles a year manage to pass me. I would say it's highly unusual for a motorist to have to follow me for more than 45 seconds. However, about once a week I get someone who doesn't want to pass or know how to pass or know that it's OK to cross the yellow line to pass a cyclist. These people will follow me closely, sometimes trying to pass without crossing the yellow line, sometimes honking, sometimes getting agitated. Based on my experience, I figure there is 0.5% of the population who just have no clue of what to do when they encounter a cyclist in the road, and 99.5% who have no problem.
People in the 0.5% are a real hazard to cyclists, because they will do stupid things, like trying to pass without leaving the lane. Also, what will typically happen is that traffic will back up behind them, and they are very difficult for other cars to pass because they are following the bicycle too closely, and following motorists may not realize there is a bicycle there.
This letter sounds pretty much like what I would imagine the thought processes of somebody in the 0.5% to be.
Bikepacker67
People tend to misunderstand. They think the speed limit (45-55) and is the same as the average speed and is the same as the minium speed.
Ohh C'mon!
Are you telling me that if a car was crawling at 15mph in a 55, he'd be in his rights?
No one disputes the fact that many motorists are morons, but cyclists in groups can be total azzclowns, and if folks are honest, they'd admit that fact.
holicow
...
People in the 0.5% are a real hazard to cyclists, because they will do stupid things, like trying to pass without leaving the lane. Also, what will typically happen is that traffic will back up behind them, and they are very difficult for other cars to pass because they are following the bicycle too closely, and following motorists may not realize there is a bicycle there.
This letter sounds pretty much like what I would imagine the thought processes of somebody in the 0.5% to be.
Therein lies the problem: a lack of empathy, or being able to put yourself in someone else's shoes for a moment.
To me, she sounds like a very reasonable, although understandably frustrated, driver. She's not the low-life who honks or throws things at you (and I've had that happen). She's someone who didn't ask to have her rush-hour commute complicated by riders who were basically flaunting themselves. She COULD NOT PASS, since the group of riders was taking up the entire road in front of her, and the curves (and hills) are too frequent to allow passing in the opposite lane. And the group is too large to pass in a single maneuver.
Dchiefransom
A few things:
What this woman actually wants is for all the bikes to stop and let everyone by. This is also risky, and beyond inconvenient for the cyclist.
.
I believe that's the law in California.
Mr. Miskatonic
I believe that's the law in California.
It does not seem to say so:
1202. (a) Any person operating a bicycle upon a roadway at a speed less than the normal speed of traffic moving in the same direction at such time shall ride as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway except under any of the following situations:
(1) When overtaking and passing another bicycle or vehicle proceeding in the same direction.
(2) When preparing for a left turn at an intersection or into a private road or driveway.
(3) When reasonably necessary to avoid conditions (including, but not limited to, fixed or moving objects, vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians, animals, surface hazards, or substandard width lanes) that make it unsafe to continue along the right-hand curb or edge, subject to the provisions of Section 21656. For purposes of this section, a "substandard width lane" is a lane that is too narrow for a bicycle and a vehicle to travel safely side by side within the lane.
(b) Any person operating a bicycle upon a roadway of a highway, which highway carries traffic in one direction only and has two or more marked traffic lanes, may ride as near the left-hand curb or edge of such roadway as practicable.
The last sentence of #3 seems to apply here.
I am willing to be corrected, since CA is not the state I am in.
caloso
It's this argument that riding more slowly than a car can travel or taking the lane somehow makes it more dangerous.
No, what makes it more dangerous is passing unsafely. The only thing that makes this situation dangerous is Ms. Ledford's impatience. Is her right to the road more legitimate because it's the most direct route to her destination, or because she doesn't wear spandex, or because she pays taxes on her gasoline (we've been over that before, haven't we)? No.
genec
Ohh C'mon!
Are you telling me that if a car was crawling at 15mph in a 55, he'd be in his rights?
Yup... fully in his rights, there is no minimum speed except on certain limited access freeways.
Saw a group moving two "portable buildings" over the last two weeks... they moved pretty slowly, taking up 2 lanes of traffic. They were not doing over 15MPH on 45MPH roads.
Motor homes tend to drive rather slowly too, as do farm vehicles... there is no law that says you have even try to drive the speed LIMIT. Too many folks read that LIMIT as the "must drive speed." It is the DO NOT EXCEED speed.
Dchiefransom
It does not seem to say so:
The last sentence of #3 seems to apply here.
I am willing to be corrected, since CA is not the state I am in.
It's in the section on slow moving vehicles, requiring them to pull over at the first point possible, and let the faster traffic go by. Since bicycles are more mobile than most slow moving vehicles, then we're required to pull over when traffic starts stacking up. I'll try to find the exact section.
caloso
And Holicow, it wasn't meant as a direct refutation of Ms. Ledford's letter, but rather the general attitude expressed by these very typical letters to the editor.
As for the observation that she was probably on her way to work, take a look at the "How Was The Commute Today?" thread and compare the experiences of all those posters who have had threats and insults, if not bottles, hurled at them as they lawfully use their roads to get to work to earn the money to pay the taxes that help build those roads they have every right to travel.
Bikepacker67
Yup... fully in his rights, there is no minimum speed except on certain limited access freeways.
Saw a group moving two "portable buildings" over the last two weeks... they moved pretty slowly, taking up 2 lanes of traffic. They were not doing over 15MPH on 45MPH roads.
Motor homes tend to drive rather slowly too, as do farm vehicles... there is no law that says you have even try to drive the speed LIMIT. Too many folks read that LIMIT as the "must drive speed." It is the DO NOT EXCEED speed.
OK... Mea Culpa.
But c'mon man! Use common sense!
Are you trying to tell me that there isn't a difference between the irregular combine/house-move/street sweeper and a wannabe peloton?
My creed is to just be as courteous as you wish motorists to be, and LEAD BY EXAMPLE.
Dchiefransom
It does not seem to say so:
The last sentence of #3 seems to apply here.
I am willing to be corrected, since CA is not the state I am in.
Here it is. I believe the police would argue that with the increased mobility of a bicycle, we could turn off at just about any place there's a shoulder. I haven't been on many roads where there wasn't room for a bicyclist to pull over, or a group of them.
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d11/vc21656.htm
Turning Out of Slow-Moving Vehicles
21656. On a two-lane highway where passing is unsafe because of traffic in the opposite direction or other conditions, a slow-moving vehicle, including a passenger vehicle, behind which five or more vehicles are formed in line, shall turn off the roadway at the nearest place designated as a turnout by signs erected by the authority having jurisdiction over the highway, or wherever sufficient area for a safe turnout exists, in order to permit the vehicles following it to proceed. As used in this section a slow-moving vehicle is one which is proceeding at a rate of speed less than the normal flow of traffic at the particular time and place.
Amended Ch. 448, Stats. 1965. Effective September 17, 1965.
Laika
The motorist makes it fairly clear that she is on that road for utilitarian purposes: she needs to get to Clemmons, and this road is "the only direct route." I would have more sympathy for the cyclists if they were also on the road because they needed to get to Clemmons. I know, I know, legally we all have an equal right to the road; that is true. But from a practical point of view, I think a group of cyclists out pleasure-riding should be more considerate than this of others using the road for more mundane transportation, because the recreational cyclists have more of a choice about where they ride than the transportational motorist (or cyclist).
Playing devil's advocate to your devil's advocate, you get yourself right onto the slippery slope of assessing the relative needs and intentions of road users. The motorist may well have been on the road for utilitarian purposes, but what purposes were they? Did she need to get to Clemmons to go shoe shopping, or to perform heart surgery? Did she need to go to Clemmons to go to work, or did she need to go to Clemmons to have a latte and a biscotti? There's no-one asking recreational drivers to clear out of the way of those using the roadways for utilitarian purposes, so the problem isn't intention or relative need of the different road users, it's the difference between their vehicles.
And I agree with the poster above re: speed limits. I'd like to see them enforced as such-as maximums, and not guidelines for median rates of traffic flow. NYC would be tons safer if the 30mph speed limit were actually enforced.
scarry
Recently I got behind a group of about 15 cyclists; they rode bunched up, taking up the entire lane for more than five miles, at a speed of 10-15 mph.
10-15 mph???? Club ride, huh? Most club rides travel at more like 20-30 mph.
Someone's exagerating.
Bikepacker67
Playing devil's advocate to your devil's advocate, you get yourself right onto the slippery slope of assessing the relative needs and intentions of road users. The motorist may well have been on the road for utilitarian purposes, but what purposes were they? Did she need to get to Clemmons to go shoe shopping, or to perform heart surgery? Did she need to go to Clemmons to go to work, or did she need to go to Clemmons to have a latte and a biscotti? There's no-one asking recreational drivers to clear out of the way of those using the roadways for utilitarian purposes, so the problem isn't intention or relative need of the different road users, it's the difference between their vehicles.
Well... to be the Devil's advocate thrice removed, what would a fast weekend warrior peloton do if they came across a three abreast loaded touring troupe?
By your logic they should drop down to 12mph and just take a "training" break.
77Univega
Honestly, how hard is it for the group leader, or last rider to signal everyone to ride single file for a minute or two, move over to the right and let the cars pass? --- Around here, the most hard-core cyclists are also the most vigilant in moving to the right of the roadway to let faster traffic pass.
CB HI
Cyclists have other places to ride, like Tanglewood and other parks. Or they can, at least, choose a road that has adequate passing zones.
TINA LEDFORD
Clemmons
Hampton Road (http://tinyurl.com/8sdvc)
The entire road is only 7 miles long and appears on map and by satellite to be the best choice for part of a bicycle ride in the area.
She talks about alternate places for cyclist to ride:
Tanglewood - a golf course park (a whooping 2 mile ride)
other parks - the 2 nearest ones appear to be small country clubs (I wonder if the country clubs let bicyclist ride little circles at their place)
road w/ adequate passing zones - she must mean I40
At least then she would not have to slow for those annoying bicycle things. :mad:
holicow
Hampton Road (http://tinyurl.com/8sdvc)
The entire road is only 7 miles long and appears on map and by satellite to be the best choice for part of a bicycle ride in the area.
She talks about alternate places for cyclist to ride:
Tanglewood - a golf course park (a whooping 2 mile ride)
other parks - the 2 nearest ones appear to be small country clubs (I wonder if the country clubs let bicyclist ride little circles at their place)
road w/ adequate passing zones - she must mean I40
At least then she would not have to slow for those annoying bicycle things. :mad:
Cool link.
As a resident (my house is just to the north and west on that map), there are many, many other roads that are better choices. I know because I rode them. Hampton Rd. is a busy semi-rural road that connects 2 other bigger roads (150 and 58). All those roads around are neighborhoods.
My creed is to just be as courteous as you wish motorists to be, and LEAD BY EXAMPLE.
Right on, bro'. I guess it's harder for some than others.
CB HI
It is good to have a local that can provide some insight. Could you map out two routes you would pick for that area assuming you are headed for Clemmons.
1. What is the best route for a recreational ride.
2. What is the most direct route for a commute, utility ride.
Draw Map (http://tinyurl.com/bgl84)
I had considered that the ride may have occurred on “Bike to Work Day” and the leader was showing the group the most direct route.
I know that my commute route is not the most desirable recreational route, but I find it just fine for getting me to work, even though the Oahu Bicycling map puts a large part of it in red.
Oahu Map (http://www.hawaii.gov/dot/highways/bike/oahu/index.htm)
holicow
It is good to have a local that can provide some insight. Could you map out two routes you would pick for that area assuming you are headed for Clemmons.
1. What is the best route for a recreational ride.
2. What is the most direct route for a commute, utility ride.
Draw Map (http://tinyurl.com/bgl84)
I had considered that the ride may have occurred on “Bike to Work Day” and the leader was showing the group the most direct route.
I know that my commute route is not the most desirable recreational route, but I find it just fine for getting me to work, even though the Oahu Bicycling map puts a large part of it in red.
Oahu Map (http://www.hawaii.gov/dot/highways/bike/oahu/index.htm)
Any road on that map NORTH of Lewisville (which is just to the north of Clemmons) would have been a better choice. That's where I rode, and it's usually good. The area immediately around Clemmons is too congested to be safe, including Hampton Road.
The reason I don't answer your question directly is that I don't think those roads are a good choice for a group ride, period, for the reasons I have already discussed. It would be no more trouble to start from a nearby point, and ride in a different direction that would be much less disruptive, depending on the time of day.
Unless its' early on the weekend, or you are in a big group blocking the entire road for miles, of course.
I can't comment whether this was a "ride your bike to work" thing, but I highly doubt it. Just not done around here...
I may work on that map if I get a chance.
genec
OK... Mea Culpa.
But c'mon man! Use common sense!
Are you trying to tell me that there isn't a difference between the irregular combine/house-move/street sweeper and a wannabe peloton?
My creed is to just be as courteous as you wish motorists to be, and LEAD BY EXAMPLE.
Well we tend to agree there... But regarding the comments presented by the OP, motorists tend to feel "slowed down and delayed" if their progress is impeded in any way, and they tend to exagerate the delays as if they were life threatening.
Most delays tend to take less time then a typical red light or a wait for an office elevator... yet on the road... this is a "terrible delay."
Roody
I'd be tempted to write a letter something like this:
"I am a resident of northern Davidson County and travel Hampton Road daily, as it is the only direct route to Clemmons. However, Hampton Road has become a danger to travel on weekends because of the droves of motorists that drive there.
Recently I got closely buzzed by about 15 cars; they passed very hazardously, taking up the entire lane for more than five miles, at a speed of 50-60 mph. Some drivers looked at me, assessed my position and speed and the number of other cyclists lawfully traveling this road, but still passed unsafely, honking their horns and shouting threats.
Anyone who is familiar with Hampton Road knows how curvy it is, and how few the opportunities to pass arise. Cyclists have no choice but to take the lane or take a chance that another vehicle is not coming and dart around, risking a major accident.
Motorists have other places to drive, like the Interstate or other major highways. Or they can, at least, choose a road that has adequate passing zones."Beautiful! Perfect!