canuckbiker

In a couple days I will be moving to Regina, SK. Compared to my little town of Caronport, there will be ALOT more traffic. I guess I better brush up on my cager avoidance skills, eh?

DCCommuter

You may find that in the bigger city motorists are more used to cyclists and have a better idea of how to act.

I've read that the biggest predictor of a city's cycling safety is how large the cycling population is. The more cyclists, the safer it is. Big cities tend to have more cyclists.

Anthony King

Dense, crowded urban areas slow down cars because of the greater number of lights, turns, other trafiic, etc. I much prefer riding downtown where there are tons of cars doing 35, maybe 40 at the most than in the suburbs where people do 55 on 40 mph roads. Also, as stated above in many big cities motorists are more aware that cyclists have the right to the road and to take a lane.

vrkelley

Bigger cities sometimes give more options. You may find alternate routes that are less busy.

sbhikes

Especially if the city is laid out on a grid. Suburbs are all curvy and cul-de-sacs with high-speed boulevards, and the country isn't all that much better. You never have much choice in your route. In the downtowns the streets are usually laid out in a grid, so by going over one block you can find another parallel street to use if the one you were on is too congested, fast, ugly, whatever.

LittleBigMan

Give yourself, and the drivers on your route, time to adjust to the new situation. It may be that everyone will work well together right away. Or, it might take more time. Above all, you should be the one who takes the responsibility for your own safety and adapt to your new environment.

Ride well!

RocketsRedglare

I forgot how scary it was to ride in a rural area, if no shoulders and narrow back country roads until I went riding with my cousin in upsate NY.

All though the back country roads are much more scenic and peaceful, your whole ride can be ruined by a Gennesse beer truck passing you at at 50 mph at close range.

I-Like-To-Bike

Don't feel bad, Rocket, about your transient forgetfulness about different cycling conditions. Some Bike Forums posters apparently assume all busy high speed (50+ mph) roads come with rideable shoulders, patient careful drivers, empty passing lanes and/or ever present wide outside lanes. It explains the ease with which the 'experts" can give out all-inclusive cycling advice that is useless/reckless in environments about which the provincial experts have no clue.

Dahon.Steve

Agreed.

I find riding out in the burbs to be highway cycling. There's nothing like riding in New York City on a Sunday at 6:00 o'clock in the morning. I got lost last weekend for the first time and could not figure out a safe route home because ALL routes were highways with cars going 55 mph or more! I took the train back home and stayed in the city where it was actually safer with cars, trucks and buses.

Dutchy

Well said. I get that feeling also. Down here the whiteline IS the shoulder.

CHEERS.

Mark

LittleBigMan

You are as inflexible as those you seem to criticize. Bike facility advocates have long considered Atlanta to be the worst place for cycling, but I enjoy riding the roads here. They are just fine where I ride.

By contrast, the "bicycle facilities" around here are often a joke.

bluejack

Enjoy the city, my friend! There's no rush like sliding easily past a traffic jam, the poor suckers all banging their horns, gridlocked, and angry in their oxygen deprived bubbles while you cruise along, drinking in the sunlight and fresh air (ok, it's probably half carbon monoxide, but it's *odorless*).

City has different rules, different hazards, different opportunities, but in many cities bicycle is by far the best way to get around. Free, plentiful parking; faster than the bus, and sometimes the car; and 'vehicular cycling' is both more possible and more fun when the speed limits are in the 15-25 range. Watch out for crazy peds, crazy cyclists (yeah, not all cyclists are saints), crazy drivers, potholes, metal grating, trolly rails, unexpected construction and you'll be fine. It's exhilarating, educational, and healthy. Urban riding is the best!

I-Like-To-Bike

Well good for you. Does your enjoyment mean that the Atlanta roads are good enough for everybody else too? Does your special enjoyment factor mean that the status quo is also good enough everywhere else, at least for all the cyclists who matter (i.e. those who are like yourself)?

Does the mindset to find personal delight with cycling in the Atlanta environment give special insight into all other cycling environments and other cyclists' personal requirements/enjoyment factors? Does it explain ranting about bicycle facilities at every opportunity regardless of the thread subject?

The Octopus 

I felt safer cycling in Boston than I do now in Columbus. There were a lot more cyclists so motorists were more aware of us. There was a lot more traffic, which brought the speeds of the cars down considerably. In downtown C-bus, it's not uncommon to see speeds in the 50s -- even I've driven down East Broad Street in 5th gear before. It's just a gut feeling, but I think the more dense the urban environment is and the more cyclists are on the road, the safer the environmet is for cycling, even if you do add a lot more cars, city buses, and taxis to the mix....

JohnBrooking

Don't know how big Regina is, but you might benefit from reading Robert Hurst's The Art of Urban Cycling. I read it a few months ago and found it beneficial, even though I'm not in the kind of big city urban traffic he's talking about.

Crashtest

Regina has less than 200,000 people, right? I think there are that many within a couple miles of my house. What are the roads like? Are they fairly wide?

Not trying to be a smart a$$ - I'd LOVE to live in a city that size. I'm sure you'll get used to the extra traffic - just be careful out there!

Guest

Get used to the constant stoplights, buses, darting pedestrians, etc.

There's good and bad of living in a big city.

Koffee

Roody

Most people get to love the city. That's why so many people live there!

Michel Gagnon

Crashtest put the finger on it. The major difference is where you rode vs where you will ride. Were you riding only within the village or on rural roads? And will you be riding only within Regina or on the wide arterials surrounding it?

Guest

I really do love the city, but I just get really annoyed trying to get a quality ride through the urban streets. It makes for inconsistent riding.

Koffee

Uberneot

I find the pedestrians here in NYC to be worse than the autos. They're less predictable and pay less attention. That probably seems weird considering the reputation New York city drivers have. But it's true. I've had plenty more run-ins with peds then with cars, and that includes cabs!

Roody

When you trail ride you're looking out for roots and rocks. When you road train, you're always futzing with your cadence and your heart rate. When you ride in the city you're reading the traffic and the potholes. They're all fun when you're riding in the groove.