Originally Posted by
JoeyBike
I have been noticing over at the Advocacy and Safety forum that there is a huge divide regarding when cyclists feel safe or unsafe on roads with cars. I am here asking you "Real" cyclists how you feel when cycling under certain conditions. By Real I mean people who use their bikes daily (or very often) for utilitarian purposes like getting to work, running errands, getting groceries, etc. I am NOT interested in input from people who use a bicycle strictly as a toy or a workout tool. Those "Other" cyclists can drive to a starting point to pick and choose when and where they ride.
I want input only from cyclists who have someplace to go and a time frame in which to get there - preferably going to and from work regularly.
You can select more than one situation but please don't select more than three. Stick to the most nerve-racking situation(s)! The less you select, the better the poll data will be.
Thank You!
Hi, there's a lot to absorb in your request. I commuted 3-4 days a week (at least 10 miles each way) for over a decade and wore cycling clothes and shoes and rode a drop-bar road bike with a backpack. During that time the majority of my annual mileage was training and racing. Sometimes I would drive to a ride start, but rarely. Did that make me a "other" cyclist? After over 15 years of not commuting (kids, work responsibilities, etc) I am trying to start commuting on a regular basis, but again, the vast majority of my miles will be training and racing. Also, for the past 4 years, I have been running as many errands as possible using my bike (or walking). By choice and need, I still drive a car (as little as I can).
"Other" cyclists can drive to a starting point, but most of my racing and recreational cycling friends start from home. In SoCal, the urban/suburban sprawl is so great that you have to drive a long way to get out of traffic. Most recreational cycling and race training in this area requires the same skills and encounters the same dangers as utilitarian riding. In fact, the "sport" riders that I know, obey traffic laws and ride more predictably than people who ride in "street" clothes.
As some of your first replies noted, there isn't a question in your first post on this polling thread. Seems like you have trouble with A&S types and with "roadies" and you only value responses from commuters. As someone who is working in my community to help make the roads safer for everyone who rides a bike, regardless of why, you might get a more complete perspective on the dangers and issues that people encounter without segregating those in the cycling community with self-defined labels. After all, every person on a bike could be in a car at that time regardless of their reason for riding. Your "other" riders also might start riding to the store or work or the dentist with encouragement rather than labeling.
To answer the question in your poll; Other: I feel most vulnerable at uncontrolled intersections.