Originally Posted by RobertC

Like the title says, I may give up on walking to work and start cycling. I have been cycling to work, at various locations, for about ten years; however, my work is now very close to where I live, about three blocks.

I decided to start I decided to start walking for two reasons, the first is that it doesn't take much longer. The second is that I have been putting on a lot of weight lately …

Here is the problem; people just aren't looking for pedestrians. I never had as many close calls as I have started having while walking. The trouble is that the walk light puts me in the path of left turning cars behind me. It is one particular intersection.

That same intersection has put two of my co-workers in the hospital after being hit by cars. The intersection is a bit poorly designed. Because of a turn right before the intersection, people are entering it without having ample time to scan for hazards.

Like I said, I may reconsider the whole idea of walking and go back to my bicycle.

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston

…Of course I contend with their fears using many of those talking points as mentioned above. One soft argument I read on Bikeforums is that cycling in traffic really does look dangerous to car drivers ensconced in their vehicles. Personally I feel pretty safe, well-lit, with unlimited vision with mirrors, and pretty nimble on my bike. Nonetheless, I’m totally attentive to the cars around me, and I have a number of safety aphorisms in my mind to keep me alert…

Once though, I was standing on a busy intersection (Massachusetts and Commonwealth Aves) one Saturday night watching somehappy-go-lucky student-type cyclists on Hubway Bike Share bikes, no helmets, riding along and laughing in traffic, and I thought to myself that really does look dangerous.