Originally Posted by
froley
I commute from the Meigs/Monroe area to MCC four times a week, going up South Ave to E. Henrietta Rd. I work two jobs, and I commute almost every day to the downtown area and up Lake Ave. I work some wacky hours, so oftentimes I’m riding home past 12AM, which might account for some of the *******s I’ve had to deal with.
Thanks again for the help everyone. I need to work on my assertiveness.
Also, I wonder if I looked the part drivers might take me more seriously. Should I buy some spandex??
Ah! East Hen can be a problem with the I-390 interchange and the MCC traffic.
Have you ever thought of using Clinton Ave south to Brighton-Henrietta Town Line Rd instead? Yeah, there's the one big hill and those little rollers, but I find it's a much nicer ride than East Hen. (Hell, it's a better drive!) Besides, hills make you strong.
Lake Ave after midnight I'd be surprised if I wasn't hassled. Just the nature of the place. Let it roll off your back.
Fear keeps us alive, and fear of getting doored is good, because it positions you out further in the lane, which is also good, (see "Default Lane Position" in Hurst's book).
Wimpy gets you treated badly. Aggressive gets you killed. Assertive is good, it being the balance between aggressive and wimpy.
Looking the part doesn't have to mean spandex--although myself I prefer cycling-specific gear.
A good set of lights helps. Wimpy cheap ones don't. At the rear a PlanetBike SuperFlash or CatEye TL-1100 is my minimum recommendation. I run DiNottes (then again, I have a union job with the city.) I use my lights day and night.
Hi-vis helps a lot too. There are inexpensive, decent, comfy, wicking hi-vis t-shirts at
AlertShirt.com. Vests work for some people, and are easily removed to look "normal" again. I also have hi-vis jerseys and a jacket.
The lights, hi-vis and good technique (mainly lane positioning) work for me. They communicate to drivers that I know what I'm doing, so they feel safer. And the idiots know I won't take any crap.
HTH!