How do you deal with the constant fear of being hit by a car? My commute to school is only 3 miles. Part of it has a bike lane and a separate MUP if I so choose to use it. I then have to turn onto a busy two lane road that has no shoulder whatsoever. I have to cross a main four lane intersection and go over railroad tracks which gets a little awkward when I'm behind a school bus. At least 3 times per morning, I can just barely reach out and touch a car trying to pass me.

If I use the sidewalk, it takes me 45 minutes to get to school because I have to keep crossing the street using crosswalks since the sidewalk doesn't go the whole way down on both sides. The right side of the road has an OK sidewalk that gets me almost the whole way to school, but the left side is abysmal (pot holes, no ramps, etc). At the main four lane intersection, I have to switch over to the left side of the road because that is where the only crosswalk is, and then the sidewalk ends shortly after the intersection so I have to switch back over to the right side without the use of a crosswalk and the cars are not very friendly when trying to cross here because they're thinking about the green light at the major intersection coming up.

I don't like using the sidewalk because it takes forever, but I also don't like using the road because I don't feel safe. I sat down and played with Google Maps, but the only alternative route that I could figure out still crosses over that busy four lane road, and it would take me into a very shady part of town. I wouldn't be stuck on the busy two lane road for two miles, though.