rickyhmltn

My commute is 14.5 miles. I travel a road called US 23 North there. It's a "four lane" (2 lanes on each side with a raised median in the middle) this has a speed limit of 55 mph but many people travel is 60-70 and sometimes faster. Now occasionally I must cross one side, into the median and wait for traffic to space out enough to get on the other side. The are 18 wheelers "Coal trucks" and other that travel the road. Anyhow I'm not unnerved by it really, but I was just wondering what would you guys do?
I've traveled it successfully a number of times but I wonder if what I'm doing is crazy.

Check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsakLtqc5TQ and skip to about 1 minute even in it. It's not exactly my road, it's further north than I am, but it's pretty much dead on the exact type of road I travel. I ride way on the right side of the white line, near the guard rail.

So would you do this? I guess I'm just second guessing myself. I haven't commuted it in about 9 months but plan on doing it again regularly.

Six jours

I ride roads like that on a regular basis. Frankly, I don't really care whether motorized traffic is moving at 40 MPH or 70 MPH. Dead is dead, although I suppose the "open casket" vs. "closed casket" issue might be of some consideration.

I do have to admit that I'm looking forward to the advice from the "take the lane" contingent...

bikemig 

It wouldn't be my choice of a commute if there are any reasonable alternatives. It doesn't sound as if there are. If there is a decent shoulder, it is obviously doable. It's a drag being on a fast road when there is a fair amount of traffic.

DX-MAN

With a shoulder that size, what's the problem? Does it not run the length of your commute? I have a commute route (one of several, since I HATE endless repetition) that has a 2-mile section just like that. No problem AT ALL.

RideroftheStorm

I don't have a problem with the highways myself in terms of a feel for safety. I do find them terribly boring as they aren't the prettiest roads to ride, but they get you where you need to be fast.

plustax

I ride on those all the time as do most of the folks who go on group rides in the club i associate with.

rms13

The roads I commute are all 25-35 mph speed limit but many people do 50+. There are plenty of jerks in expensive luxury sports cars that need to do 80 in a 35 here. So while my gut reaction is no I would not travel on a freeway, I probably would get comfortable after a while.

I-Like-To-Bike

Yes, I did for 7 years on 6 miles each way on US34 a busy 55mph road without a rideable shoulder. Not as much fun as a good bicycling route; but it was the only route to work. Good lights and riding about three left of the right edge of the 10' traffic lane worked for me.

mihlbach

It really depends on the nature of the traffic. If there are cars and trucks blasting past you in a constant stream in double file, then i would avoid it. If the traffic is reasonably sparse i wouldn't view its as a problem.

zonatandem

Commuted on roads like that for 16 years . . .

caloso

This.

Baytree

I'd rather ride on a highway with a good shoulder than on regular streets with 40 mph traffic. On the highway you don't have people making turns or opening doors into you. Fast traffic doesn't bother me as long as I have a few feet between myself and the cars.

My commute is basically the same as yours, and I deliberately picked it over other routes because it's safer. The slower roads around here have teeny shoulders and lots of blind curves.

caloso

I don't know about Kentucky, but in California every country road is 55 mph unless marked otherwise.

Drew Eckhardt 

Yes unless the shoulders have full-width rumble strips. Those aren't pleasant.

parkersdad

I travel one every morning. The speed limit is 55 and most of the way has a good shoulder but there is about 1 mile where there is not a shoulder. Cars just have to come around me. I am just more alert.

UberGeek

If your road is in fact like the one in the video (Complete with very wide shoulders), I wouldn't have an issue on that road. Might be a bit boring, but boring is better (IMO) than getting doored, or getting a right-hook.

stockholm

No, I wouldn't, I'd be scared.

spivonious

I would find an alternate route, but if that was my only choice, I'd do it.

rumrunn6

if this is a poll, my vote is no. however, I used to have a couple high speed zones I called "kill zones" because they had so much potential for a swift and violent end, but I rode them anyway for short distances

CommuteCommando

Here's mine. I take the lane when necessary and safe. That does not appear to be the case here.

I ride roads like that all the time. Often at 4:00 to 5:00 AM. At that time traffic is light enough that crossing the road safely is usually easy. On one I often run a red light to turn left onto it. There is usually no one around, and it is one of the few I cannot trip with my bike.

chasm54

Looks OK. As usual on this type of road, the entrances to and exits from the highway are the dangerous moments, exercise sufficient care at those points and you should be fine.

nudave2005

The NYS Troopers would get you off the road in Rochester at least. Non-motorized vehicles are prohibited on the expressway/freeway, whatever you want to call it.

baron von trail 

I hate riding with continuous traffic. Trucks stink; cars are loud. It's simply no fun. I feel fortunate in that my time on a road sees only about 10 cars and the rest is MUP.

PaulRivers

If you have a 2 lane highway with a wide enough shoulder to ride on, and a rumble strip between you and the road traffic, you're probably fine. The scariest part of the road in that video, though, is when there's onramps that merge onto the highway. That's the most dangerous part as a biker on the shoulder, imo.

As other people said, it mostly depends on how much traffic that highway gets as well. A constant stream of traffic is a far bigger problem than light traffic, especially if you need to cross the highway at some point.

Finally, as another poster mentioned above, you might want to check if it's actually legal to ride your bike on that highway at all. I know where I live it's not legal to ride your bike on interstates, don't know what kind of laws and exactly what kind of highway that is where you are.

CommuteCommando

I know of two sections of interstate freeway in CA where bikes are permitted, I've heard there are others. https://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/243366257 https://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/243368461
They are exceptions because the detour between where you get on and off is more than a certain number of miles. I have ridden the second one northbound several times. The first bypasses the Marine Base at Camp Pendleton, which is usually open to cyclists who were must wear helmets and carry ID on base. Some times the base closes to cyclists due to maneuvers, though It has never happened to me where I had to take the freeway. There are rebels that will take the freeway rather than wear a helmet or carry an ID, or both.

The perpendicular cross roads are not as bad as the merges. The off-merges, where cars are right crossing you from behind (left cross in Chasms case) are the worse. I turn my head, check behind, signal, and "take the lane" if a) its clear or b) I make eye contact with the car coming from behind and am certain he will let me cross. If neither of these take place I stop and cross ped style.