The Advocacy forum has lots more great advice, too.

Riding in the gutter is not what you want to do; cars aren't as likely to see you and worse, they will try to get past you without crossing the lane stripe, greatly increasing the risk of hitting you. If you ride a few feet off the curb, they will be able to see you and move over. Having a rear blinky light is a must, even in the daytime.

When I come to an stop light/sign, I take the middle of the lane so I can cross the intersection and the cars have no choice but to notice me. I've only had a couple of people say anything to me and once I informed them it would be illegal for me to ride on the sidewalk, they moved on.

For most of my long distance riding, I prefer to drive into the countryside and then begin my ride. At least around here, people in the country are WAY more tolerant of bicycles and the level of traffic is very low.

I also enjoy riding around the various neighborhoods and avoid the busy roads altogether. Plenty of short but steep hills in town and I always find a new section of town to explore.