Originally Posted by
DnvrFox
If you don't feel safe riding city roads, it is indeed a good idea not to ride on them!!
I tell my wife (and others) to never do anything that you/they feel is unsafe while bicycling, and follow that maxim myself.
Cycling amenity, which includes feeling safe, can be dramatically different between riders depending on experience and tolerance.
Some people are happy in a riding environment that would scare the pants off others. Often that comes down to experience, knowledge and bike handling ability.
It's not necessarily a sleight on anyone if they feel uncomfortable in certain situations, although they may indeed be contending with greater risk -- such as a heavily used MUP compared with an adjacent, lightly trafficked parallel road.