do you ever feel 'boxed in?'

When I first read the title of this thread, I imagined that it referred to any situation where one is squeezed out by an obstacle on the right and traffic on the left. I have even previously posted Jim’s Law of the Road: “No matter how well paved and lightly traveled a road is, you are likely to be passed by vehicle on the left as you encounter an obstacle on the right.”

Now, I have a remarkably nice reverse 14 mile commute from downtown Boston through mostly residential and light commercial areas to a southwestern suburb. Furthermore I even have the option of a convenient Commuter Rail trip nearly from door to door, with my bike. My only real limiting obstacle is crossing a major circumferential Beltway, I-93 / Rte 128, but even this is via a wide overpass. My suggestions to plot a tolerable commute are to:
- scrutinize maps and accept longer, but more comfortable routes as tolerated
- travel early in AM and/or late in PM to avoid rush hour
- use public transit if possible to circumvent obstacles
- use eye-catching lights, even in daytime
- wear a rearview mirror because no matter what the road is like, Jim’s Law will apply.
(I wear right and left eyeglass-mounted mirrors for riding the left side of one-way streets, and for rotaries, aka roundabouts.)

This winter though, the heavy snowfalls and cold temperatures have deposited virtual glaciers on some of my safe-riding road shoulders, putting me directly onto the right hand travel lane of some major thoroughfares. I have described how I handle this temporary obstacle:

I actually thought up this technique riding a heavy, highly commercialized arterial in a Detroit suburb on a visit there, so it can be useful year round, where there are places to pull off.

Finally, here’s the most radical suggestion I have read, from a website about cycle commuting:

I must admit though, I don’t necessarily agree with his choice of an optimal location as described on the website.