Originally Posted by
mhifoe
Have you tried riding with a trailer in traffic?
IMO you get much much better treatment from other traffic than when solo.
I never have an issue with reckless overtaking and being squeezed when riding with a trailer, unlike when alone.
I've tried the trailer thing. I haul cargo with it all the time, and have taken the kids on the road too.
I've biked all over Ireland and in the UK too, so I can tell you from experience that drivers are so very much more inattentive and agressive here in the states, especially in places like Connecticut, where the dangers of urban driving are combined with the sense of entitlement and inattentiveness of the suburbs. It's crazy here.
I have a folding trailer and two mounts for the rear dropout, so I can even keep one on my utility bike, but I'm still reluctant to go with the trailer....
As for a trail-a-bike, I know my 3 year old is not attentive enough to hang on to that for 30 minutes of busy traffic.
The route has a lot of shoulderless right turn only lanes that dictate taking the lane at intersections. A trailer/trail-a-bike is not the best thing to do this in.