thcri

Where do you feel the safest? On a 4 lane highway with and extremely large shoulder after the speed bumps 10 feet or so or a 2 lane with no shoulder? There is more traffic obviously on the 4 lane but are the drivers more alert versus a two lane that does not have much traffic. Reason I ask is I will be riding this week end in a nearby town and I can take one or the other, they parallel each other. I have previously rode the 4 lane last year and felt very comfortable on it.


PS: mods if you want to move this to the safety forum please do.

topflightpro

A couple of years ago, I brought my bicycle with me when I went to my parents' house for Thanksgiving. They live in the suburbs of Atlanta.

My father asked where I was going to ride on Thanksgiving morning, and I named several roads that were four to six lanes wide, without wide shoulders, and with speed limits around 45 mph. One of the intersections I would be driving through annually ranks among the 10 most dangerous in the entire Atlanta area.

He asked, wouldn't it be safer to ride on several other roads that were all two lanes with speed limits of 35 to 45 mph?

I told him no. My rationale was that it was Thanksgiving morning, so traffic would likely be light on all roads. But the bigger roads have much wider turns, so drivers would be able to see me well in advance and could move over. The roads he suggested, which would have less traffic on a normal day, had many more blind turns curves and hills, and I felt less safe there.

I had no issues riding that day, though a lot of drivers did seem surprised to see a bicyclist on the road.

Nachoman

I think I'd always opt for a shoulder.

RT

Rode from Colorado Springs to Dallas on 50 and 287 - 2 lane (one way), wide shoulder, 65 mph speed limit. I was much more comfortable riding in these conditions than any other. I only wish I could commute on that road. Needless to say I did not hit the maximum posted speed limits >:-)

Quel

Depends on the individual road I guess. Around here, I mostly ride on two lane roads. The traffic on the four lane roads is just too high speed. I'd rather have someone coming at me at a net 10 mph than net 30, regardless of the space they have to pass me. Lots of times they just don't use that space anyway.

urbanknight

+1 Shoulders and bike lanes make me feel safest, but otherwise it does depend on the road.

thcri

I am just wondering if drivers are more alert on a faster paced 4 lane highway and would be more apt to see a biker? I have ridden on a 4 lane highway a couple of times. One rider chewed me out for doing it. I tend to agree on the shoulder first. A driver on a two lane out in the country for all I know is didle dadling, possibly texting or putting on make up. I own a small business with about 30 vehicles on the road. Our insurance company has found that Hands Free Cell Phones is no safer than just holding the phone in your ear. It all comes down to being aware of what you are doing.

98TJ

I don't think so.

I feel safest on a two lane country road. Country folk are friendly and, on a long country road there are less intersections, less obstructions to the driver as far as actually being able to see me, and the air is cleaner.

A 4-lane with a shoulder is generally in an area with a higher population density and more drivers that are in a hurry and jockeying for position so they can get one car farther ahead before they cut off another driver and turn into the nearest strip mall. (How's that for a run-on sentence?)

svtmike

I feel safest on a two-lane rural road too. After that, two-lane side streets. Most of the four-lane and up roads here have inconsistent shoulders -- they come and go. My experience as a driver is when there's a cyclist on the four-lane, it's often impossible to see him from the left lane because he's blocked from view by other vehicles, and you have drivers slowing and shifting over into the left lane from the right for no apparent reason. I don't have any desire to cause that kind of issue around me so I avoid 4-lane roads as much as I can when riding.

DXchulo

I agree. As long as there isn't tons of debris in the shoulder and it doesn't disappear off and on, I'd go for the busy road with the shoulder.

It's not that people pay more attention on busy roads, but you'll have your space and people won't have to maneuver around you. You're pretty much out of their way and you can ride in peace. A lot of times the surface is smoother, too.

Pug

Ken Kifer's theory was that cyclist were safer on 2 lane roads. Logic being that on 4 lane roads motorists will be more focused on cars passing them, etc and less focused on potential cyclists on the road. I would post a link to his web site but it doesn't seem to be responding today. I'm not sure how many lanes were on the road where the drunk driver killed him

prathmann

There's also the pleasantness of the cycling to consider. For example, it's legal to ride on the shoulder of I-5 from the SF Bay Area until you get to the outskirts of the LA metro area. I-5 is a very high-traffic route with an almost continuous stream of trucks passing at about 75 mph. But it has wide shoulders and I felt quite safe bicycling on it. But it's not very pleasant. There's the constant noise from the traffic and I felt like I was hardly moving; partly because we were going so slow compared to the other traffic and partly because the wide cleared freeway right-of-way removed us from nearby visual cues. So we didn't get the usual feedback of making progress relative to trees, houses, and other nearby objects.

So while I'd consider the I-5 route as being quite safe - good shoulder separated from the traffic lanes by a rumble strip, very straight with excellent sightlines - I'd still prefer to use lower traffic two-lane roads.

halfspeed

If you post to the RASC bulletin board, you can probably get opions about the specific roads you are considering from people who ride them.

rishardh

This thread reminded me of a Genie joke told to me by my Dad.

A guy living in an island woke up a Genie and was granted only one wish. He asked for a bridge to the main land so he could travel safely and not worry about bad weather. The Genie said that the wish was too materialistic and to try again. He then asked for the power to understand women. The Genie promptly replied... do you want 2 lanes or 4 lanes.

DCB0

THis, to me, sounds bass-ackwards. People are much less likely to expect a bicycle on a faster road. THey also approach the bike faster and have less time to react.

I don't think there is a real difference between one or the other type of road for drivers paying attention.

STP

No theories in my decision. I don't care for traffic so I opt for the roads with less of it, period. Don't care if there are shoulders or not.

Phantoj

I would try the 2-lane... if it just parallels the 4-lane, it probably only gets light, local traffic. Light traffic rural 2-lanes are the best riding there is, IMO, if the surface is in good condition.

Spookeay Bird

I don't get it?

calamarichris

+1 Conditions vary by region and by circumstance, but generally the best & safest roads are usually the local 2-laners that have faster, more efficient highways parallel to them to bleed off the volume & pressure.

It's good to have choices. Locally here in C'bad, we recently had a beautiful new road built over the hill to our East: Twin Oaks Parkway. It's a sustained 4-6% grade for almost two miles. It's a great climb, but the traffic is heavy on it.
BUT the upside is that Elfin Forest Road, (which is roughly parallel, but not nearly as direct as the new road) has become a car-forsaken paradise!

rooftest

huh?

A four-lane road with a wide shoulder and a low-traffic 2-lane country road are equally appealing to me. It's the 2-lane, heavy traffic, high speeds ones that are a little more intimidating.

That's always been my experience when riding on freeways. FWIW - I've probably done that drive 50 times, and I have NEVER seen a cyclist on there. PCH or the 101 would be my route of choice for a bike trip.

pallen

I'm not sure I completely understand the description of the two roads. In general, I prefer that cars coming up on me have another lane to change into to go around me. A wide shoulder is also good as long as it its clear of glass and hazards.

gregf83 

+1. I always choose 2 lane roads with no shoulder over a freeway or even highway with a shoulder.

thcri

Yeah huh is right I meant the wake up ones on the side of the road. The shoulder had ten feet after them.

tero

I always ride on these older roads which have been supplanted by new 4-lane roads as the main arteries. The traffic is much lighter and slower, and the road is windier and much more interesting to ride.

Kind of Blued

Nice work! My favorite part about riding on the shoulder of highways is that large trucks going 65mph push a HUGE amount of air straight into your back as they pass. It's like an artificial tailwind. I also ride noticeably harder on them, simply because it's pretty terrifying.

I'd still go with the two-lane, no shoulder road for many of the reasons listed here. Quieter, lower traffic, more scenic, etc. If you're worried about being rear-ended, a helmet mirror, a blinking rear LED, and tactics can help a lot, despite being something of a faux pas amongst people here.

When you see a car coming up in your mirror, float a meter out into the lane or so, and stay there until the car is within 100 yards or so. This will help them see you/your LED, and hopefully eliminate their idea of passing between you and a car coming from ahead. They won't assume you have a mirror, rather, they'll assume you can't hold a line, but so be it, as long as it instills caution when they pass you.