I conquered a new frontier

[Eli_Damon]

There is a section of limited access highway which includes a rotary that I normally avoid on my weekly trip to and from choir practice. Bicycles are not prohibited on this road. I assumed they were prohibited for a while but I finally noticed that there was no sign indicating such prohibition. I was still afraid to try it even though it would make my trip significantly shorter and less hilly. I finally did it and encountered no problems. In fact, it was really nice riding on a smooth, straght road with cars passing me in a separate lane.

[Helmet Head]

There is a section of limited access highway which includes a rotary that I normally avoid on my weekly trip to and from choir practice. Bicycles are not prohibited on this road. I assumed they were prohibited for a while but I finally noticed that there was no sign indicating such prohibition. I was still afraid to try it even though it would make my trip significantly shorter and less hilly. I finally did it and encountered no problems. In fact, it was really nice riding on a smooth, straght road with cars passing me in a separate lane.
Outstanding! Can you provide address coordinates so we can see it on google maps?

[CB HI]

Way to go!:beer:

[krazygluon]

nice. we've got a limited access ring-road around lexington. 1/3 or so of it however has traffic lights and a 45mph limit and I've seen bikes there periodically..what I laugh at is that legally I think you can enter the road from this point and ride around the city on the 55mph part because there are no signs at the transition points stating it. (its only posted at the onramps at this part)

Now where's that lawyer almost-sister-in-law of mine to help me figure this one out.

[Eli_Damon]

Outstanding! Can you provide address coordinates so we can see it on google maps?

Google maps never works for me but it's Purple Heart Drive in South Hadley Massachusetts.

[SingingSabre]

Woot!

[derath]

This (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=purple+heart+drive,+South+Hadley+Massachusetts&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=48.909425,81.738281&layer=&ie=UTF8&z=15&ll=42.221939,-72.597699&spn=0.022501,0.053988&t=k&om=1&iwloc=addr) circle?

-D

[N_C]

There is a section of limited access highway which includes a rotary that I normally avoid on my weekly trip to and from choir practice. Bicycles are not prohibited on this road. I assumed they were prohibited for a while but I finally noticed that there was no sign indicating such prohibition. I was still afraid to try it even though it would make my trip significantly shorter and less hilly. I finally did it and encountered no problems. In fact, it was really nice riding on a smooth, straght road with cars passing me in a separate lane.

Is there a minimum posted speed limit? If there is, even with no sign specifically prohibiting bicycles, unless you can maintaint the minimum posted limit then you are prohibited from riding on that roadway.

[Eli_Damon]

Is there a minimum posted speed limit? If there is, even with no sign specifically prohibiting bicycles, unless you can maintaint the minimum posted limit then you are prohibited from riding on that roadway.

I don't think so.

[Eli_Damon]

I've taken that rotary several more times now and I've figured something out. The rotary is about 25 feet wide and has no lane lines and choosing a lane position was confusing. I figured out that the best position is right in the middle. That way cars exiting the rotary won't right hook me and cars continuing through the rotary won't get pissed at me for blocking their way.

[JohnBrooking]

That sounds like a good position. I took Road I last year and as part of the class we rode a rotary. It had two lanes, and the instructor had us enter, ride around 3 or 4 times in the right portion of the inner lane, then exit when we had the chance for the direction we were going. That's the thing about rotaries that you might not think of at first: If you can't move out when your road comes up, you can always just go around again! :)