Originally Posted by
Roody
I don't see why traffic speed would be different for a female than a male, but I'm pretty sure you're not sexist, so that probably isn't what you mean. High speed streets can be an obstacle to any person of any gender, if they don't know how to handle them. You can try to avoid arterials, but in some cities this just won't work well. Most utility or transportational cyclists probably have to learn how to handle themselves in traffic sooner or later. LAB offers courses and so do other organizations. There are plenty of books and web sites that help too:
- Effective Cycling by John Forester (a BF member)
- The Art of Urban Cycling by Robert Hurst (also a BF member)
- Bicycle Safe--How Not to Get Hit By Cars (a good web site that covers the basics of traffic cycling)
These are good starting points, especially the last one since it's just a click away!
I didn't mean to imply that girls can't handle heavier traffic, nor was I saying that I can't handle heavy traffic; like almost everyone else, I pretty much have to use arterials every day (though if I can travel on a side street going the same way, I'll do it, because it's a lot more pleasant). I was just trying to say that, for a beginner, regardless of gender, heavy car traffic going at speeds high enough to ram your liver into your rib cage might be scary at first.