I have ridden on Rt 7 in Albany, NY. There is a stretch of it(about 1 mile in length) that has stop lights/at grade crossing, yet it's posted "Bicycles prohibited"...Yes, I have ridden through the stretch and would do it again is a heart beat. I know US 7 in Rutland, VT has the stupid sign'S' posting "Bicycle not allowed in the marked lanes." Yet the shoulders are so small it makes riding on the shoulders almost impossible. I think that one/both of these could easily be taken to court and you would win as the bicyclist.

The Interstate Highway Act that Eisenhower passed(what a goon) simply states that if any state wants to put in/maintain an interstate highway..."If you are removing a main route that cyclists use to get from point A to point B you have to replace that route with another route that has to meet certain specifications(one being the percent grade of the route...hence why you see all these bicycle/hiking trails pop up right beside interstate highways...they put them in and then never maintain them)." Out west they can't keep you off the interstates unless their is an alternative route. I pretty much guess common sense also says that alternative route can't take you massive miles out of the way compared to the former route.

While I agree about the crap you see on the shoulders I do disagree about them being safer. I would much rather ride on the interstates then on the bike roads. The crap I have seen drivers do on two lane highways(pulling out in front of you at at grade crossings/driveway/parking lots, to turning a two lane highway into a three lane highway(even semis being the one making the head on pass, and plenty more) I would rather ride on a stretch of highway with one way traffic and limited access any time. I have did it right here in NH on one of the few spots in the eastern part of the country where you can legally get away with riding on the interstate(the alternative routes don't meet federal percent grade requirements and NH never finished off the bike path so the only LEGAL route is the interstate...between two exits only.)

I guess the real deal is how use to riding with traffic are you. I'm so use to since I live in an area where I have constant traffic, including semis all the time. I rarely can more than one minute at a stretch without cars passing by me. Most of the time I can't go more than 10-15 seconds without cars going past me. I'm very use to highway traffic...some people aren't.

I simply look and if I don't see a sign that says it's off limits...I ride it. Granted I have been a few place, eastern NY on the VT border, right west of Bennington. I was about to turn left onto NY279 to take the shortcut to the north side of Bennington. As I made the turn I saw the darn sign "Bicycles Prohibited". I screamed bloody murder. I still don't see why that two lane stretch of roads in off limits. Totally stupid. They force you into town so you can spend your money in town instead of saving it for later. I saved and still only spent it where I was planning on spending it at.

Now I fess, I saw a guy riding on I-20 in central/west TX last month. I was fine with. I would do it in a heartbeat...but I would wear a helmet...unlike him. I think that should be mandatory if you are going to ride on an interstate. I-20 in TX is not posted off limits. It wasn't until I crossed the mighty Mississippi River that I started to see those signs I so much hate.

I heard about another guy that was riding after dark on I-20 around the Midland area. OUCH!!! I wouldn't try that one...especially around Midland. I would take the frontage roads.

The worst thing is knowing when plan a ride which highways are limited access and which aren't. US33 between Columbus and Athens, OH is a real pain in the butt as parts of it are limited access and parts aren't. I rode that stretch last year and it was a real nightmare trying to dodge around the limited access stretches. Let the bikers ride. Boy would that simplify route planning dramatically. This year I ran into thinking I had the route coming home from Ohio all figured out and then on day 3 I started running into stupid Bicycles Prohibited signs and had to continually be trying to figure my way around the darn mess. Let the biker ride.

Sorry about the long dissertation but this is something I have a BIG beef with.