[QUOTE=Rowan;14779365]Yes, it's called cycling amenity. How you feel in any given situation.

You sound like someone who prefers a high cycling amenity, and choosing an alternative route to ride is a good idea.

There are cyclists who can ride in areas of low cycling amenity and aren't afraid to take the lane, and can handle the aggression handed out by others, including fast, close passing and the horn-blowing. Generally, they have ridden for a long, long time, have a well-tuned eye for bailing out, and know what to look for. Bailing out sometimes does indeed mean choosing another route, or getting off the bike.

This is an interesting topic because I ride every day on a busy road with little or no shoulder. Some drivers give me a lot of space but some come close. There are tractor trailers and buses that don't have much room and it is a bit unnerving when they pass. You are basically trusting the driver coming from behind you since you can't see them and with many distracted by cellphones etc. your fate is in their hands. However, I see serious riders everyday on this route and there seems to be a familiar relationship between drivers and bike riders. Realizing that the law is on your side doesn't necessarily mean that you are safe. Indeed there are some drivers out there that are either ignorant or don't agree that they should share the road with bicycles. Those are the ones I fear.
A few days ago one driver came very close and as he passed I realized that he was playing with his girlfriend from the passenger side of the car while holding onto the steering wheel. Amazing.