I live and commute in a very congested and dangerous area of Tampa Bay. The Bay area has been identified as one of the most dangerous areas in the nation for bicycles and pedestrians.

I've been riding since I was a child in growing up in a small town. I have also been riding motorcycles on the roads since 1966. I have bicycle commuted in Japan and Italy.

That all being said: I try to use the Multi-use trails in the area when possible. Where they fade away I will use the shoulder and on occasion the sidewalks to avoid narrow, no shoulder, heavy traveled roads. I hate using the sidewalks but the abuse from cagers is not something I care to put up with to/from work.

I currently ride a cruiser for my commute and so cannot "sprint" or maintain higher speeds on the stretches without proper bike lanes or paths. When I rode a MTB or road bike I was much more comfortable "taking the lane" as I could run at higher speed.

I ride offensively defense!! I keep my head on a swivel, I try to make eye contact with the cagers. I smile and wave a lot! I love commuting on the bicycle but it's certainly not for everyone and being militant will not help things improve. There is a great effort being made county wide to build more and better trails and add bike lanes on the multi-lane feeder roads.