Originally Posted by
newbybiker
Question: There is about a 3 mile stretch of road on my commute that has a bike lane on only ONE side of the road. Should I ride this bike lane both ways to be safe?
No, absolutely not. It is far safer to take the lane in the direction you are travelling than to ride contraflow in a bike lane.
Kudos to you for asking all of these questions before starting out. They key to commuting is a feeling of confidence and safety. That's probably the most common reason for people that are on the fence about commuting to not ride.