Commuting - Where do you cycle the most?

Curious as to where most people cycle and how this affects their experiences, techniques, etc.

i commute in a little of all as i live in the center of Munich (urban) and ride out 10-12km (7 miles) to the edge of town (German-style suburbia, so more like US style low density)... but i voted urban

in Portland most of my commuting was also urban as i lived 2 miles from downtown

i also have a lot of rural riding experience both in the US and Germany, but more from recreational riding and touring rather than commuting.

I start in low density urban, ride through rural, and go into moderate density urban.

If I take the lazy route that I have been taking of late it's home to station (small medieval market town) -train- station to work (medieval city).

If I'm good (must start again) and cycle the whole way it's pretty much light urban, leading to suburban, then mainly rural until I get a mile or two of fairly heavy urban. As I frequently take the dual-carriageway (four-lane highway?) I miss out on the pleasures of the rural bit.

Richard

I ride through the outskirts of a medium-sized town, sticking to the side-roads wherever possible.
I used to ride through central London a lot and really enjoyed it.
My worst riding is through extensive industrial sprawl developement, with fast wide roads and no alternate routes, but I dont have to do it very often.

I ride from the suburbs into Center City Philadelphia. I consider it mostly low- to high-density urban, as even the suburbs where I live are older, with plenty of apartment buildings and duplexes.

I think this is less challenging than the outlying and rural areas would be, particularly when riding daily after dark. There is plenty of streetlighting and traffic control throughout my route, and only one short stretch where I routinely encounter vehicles going faster than 50mph.

RichC

It depends. Anywhere, I guess.

Most of my riding fits in the first category: high density, inner city riding., as these describe my commuting and utility cycling.

Leasure rides, however, tend to be done in more bucolic settings which fit in some of the other categories: either low-density suburbia, dense rural... IOW: old winding 2-lane roads, sometimes with traffic, and a mix between sections with stop signs and sections without.

I love rural settings and highway riding. However, except during the Summer holidays, I don'T have time for that right now.

Regards,

Most of my riding is to get to where I'm going. This means suburban/urban riding, passing through small towns on the way to the center of Atlanta and back, about 14 miles each way.

Car traffic is always present.

Right down Peachtree Street! Sometimes West Peachtree. Other times Peachtree Center Ave. occasionally on Peachtree Avenue. When feeling bold I go on Peachtree Industrial Blvd. Peachtree Hills Ave is fun...

ummm...urban would be my answer. ;)

Route #1: straight from home to work

Most of my trip is through industrial sections, but I have quite a mix overall. Residential, downtown San Jose, business parks, the north San Jose Cisco complexes ... but mostly industrial.

All traffic all the time. 20 miles each way.

Route #2: from daughter's school to work

Medium density. Residential and small business parks. Some nice trips through older San Jose neighborhoods. All traffic all the time. 13 miles.

After cycling the "Loneliest Road," - US 50 in Nevada, I sure miss the out back.. Maybe not see a car for 10-20 minutes. With a mirror on you could see behind you for miles. Could ride in the center of the road- double/ triple riders, abreast- for miles.. What an experience. God, living in western Kansas might not be so bad, except for their winters.. With dish tv and miles of empty roads, what a life. Who would be bored.?
I voted I ride in suburbia. Unfortuntaely crazy motorists everywhere you look.. Based on what I see, about 10 percent of drivers are every bit the terrorists as those we all witnessed on Sept 11 of last year.. But then SUV's with cell phones are pretty dangerous also..

I practically live downtown. My commute takes me either through the heart of downtown or through the International District (fka Chinatown). It's like a videogame some days.

The weird thing is, when I'm out on a country road, I don't feel nearly as safe with people whizzing by at 50 mph. At least in Seattle drivers are for the most part used to cyclists.

Nothing is as bad as the suburbs, though. Get all those soccermoms on cellphones in SUV's and it's snap crackle pop to my K2.

Originally posted by Puckloki

Nothing is as bad as the suburbs, though. Get all those soccermoms on cellphones in SUV's and it's snap crackle pop to my K2.

You are so right. This describes the suburbs to the east and south of Sacto as well.

Most of my riding is on the commute from my house in Curtis Park (older neighborhood about 4 miles from downtown) to my office near the State Capitol. There's a lot of sprawl towards the foothills in Sacto County but the city itself still has a nice small-town feel.

I complain a lot, but I suspect that I have pretty safe and pleasant commute compared to most. :-)

My route runs through the suburbs, with a short two miles into rural area, then back into suburbia. Traffic isn't anything noteworthy, no long lines of cars or anything. I do notice its absence when I ride at off hours though.

My route has been fine tuned to minimize times at lights by finding ways around lights that don't favor my direction, and the fact that I am on a bike. My route is also fairly dynamic based on the light configuration I am approaching. (I just want to keep moving.. distance is secondary).

So far, it looks like most people ride low density urban, including me. :o

I put low density urban but I ride threw four suburbs and North Minneapolis. Most of my route is pretty quiet (residentual, parkway, etc.) but there there are a few roads heavily traveled. My round trip is any where between 18 and 34 miles round trip, depending on my mood. I'm not really into short cuts.

Originally posted by Sailguy
...with a short two miles into rural area, then back into suburbia. Let me guess: up a nice hill, past vineyard/stables, downhill, reservoir on your right, back to suburbia!

I think I'm just like most of the people here about where I cycle. Mainly low density urban(somewhat) areas. However, the bike lane that is provided for cyclists where i live is a joke! It's simply a small shoulder marked ever so often by the universal bike lane marker( the picture of a person on their bike) sprayed onto the ground. Because of this, it can get a little interesting while trying to complete my route.

What I call "rural" might be considered "suburbia" in someone else's book. The population density is fairly high where I routinely ride, and most people commute from there towards Boston, but there are a fair number of farms, fields, swamps, etc. It makes for very enjoyable / scenic riding. About a third of my commute is through more suburban areas - tightly packed houses with heavy traffic. And about 3 miles is going by a bunch of office parks.

6-7 miles from a suburban town into city centre, fairly level - constant stream of traffic, no cyclelanes and an unpredictable road surface make for an interesting commute.