How often do you get passed?
#26
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OK last night was a normal commute home, I counted 357, that's probably +/- 15.
I forgot to count on the first little section, that was maybe 5-10 cars, it's only like 100 yards.
Then turn left on the big artery (3 lanes each way) that leads to/past the interstate, I counted 160 in about half a mile til the freeway, and made it to about 300 while still on that road after the freeway. Turning onto the other major road, I got up to 356, and for the last mile and a half I take residential streets, only one more car passed me.
I forgot to count on the first little section, that was maybe 5-10 cars, it's only like 100 yards.
Then turn left on the big artery (3 lanes each way) that leads to/past the interstate, I counted 160 in about half a mile til the freeway, and made it to about 300 while still on that road after the freeway. Turning onto the other major road, I got up to 356, and for the last mile and a half I take residential streets, only one more car passed me.
#27
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I have a 13.5 mile (each way) commuting route, and about nine miles are on a path. For some of that, it's bike only, and some of it is mixed use. I pass hundreds of people on bike and on foot. Or they pass me. I live in a densely populated place. My route is the most heavily used bike commuting route in the US.
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“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
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That's where a Radbot or other pattern-blink taillight comes in handy; once you have their attention, most will take advantage of the otherwise empty road to give you all the room they can. It's just a matter of being able to say "I'm here and I'm relevant" in a way they catch from a good distance.
#29
born again cyclist
i counted again last evening and this morning for a total of 4 sets of data:
morning commute #1: 5 cars + 1 motorcycle
morning commute #2: 6 cars
evening commute #1: 3 cars
evening commute #2: 7 cars + 1 motorcycle
so ~6 passing motor vehicles is average for me over the course of 5 miles.
man i love mellow side-street bike commuting!
morning commute #1: 5 cars + 1 motorcycle
morning commute #2: 6 cars
evening commute #1: 3 cars
evening commute #2: 7 cars + 1 motorcycle
so ~6 passing motor vehicles is average for me over the course of 5 miles.
man i love mellow side-street bike commuting!
Last edited by Steely Dan; 05-18-17 at 01:45 PM.
#30
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There's one very short stretch on my commute where I can move from Main Street to Meadow Lane (actual names), but most of the area between the suburb where I live and the suburb where I work is filled with an uninterrupted maze of cul-de-sacs. Picking a route through there would probably double the distance of my commute.
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#31
born again cyclist
by comparison, this dense grid of interconnected main streets, secondary streets, and side streets pictured below represents the first couple miles of the neighborhoods i commute through on the far northside of chicago. there's usually a way to avoid the busy streets if you want to, without needing to go stupidly out of your way or doubling your distance.
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Nice! My dad grew up in Chicago and had a job in HS delivering flowers. He's in his 70s and can still drive you to practically any address in the north or west side without consulting a map. That street grid is burned in his brain.
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For kicks I mapped out a route from my house to the office that avoids high traffic roads as much as possible. It wasn't possible to avoid them completely because of a couple of creeks that are only bridged for high traffic roads and the lack of options around where I work, but it's mostly residential. I was surprised to find that it only adds a bit over two miles.
It kind of looks like the result of a fractal generator though. I might give it a try some day.
It kind of looks like the result of a fractal generator though. I might give it a try some day.
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#34
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And winding/rolling terrain (i.e. many blind turns). We have that here, one of three routes between Eureka and Arcata; it's called Old Arcata Road, and is the second least safe route. I've ridden it a few times, but while it's a beautiful ride, the narrow shoulder and lots of fast traffic makes it a little too nerve-wracking for a regular commute.
#35
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That's where a Radbot or other pattern-blink taillight comes in handy; once you have their attention, most will take advantage of the otherwise empty road to give you all the room they can. It's just a matter of being able to say "I'm here and I'm relevant" in a way they catch from a good distance.
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There's one very short stretch on my commute where I can move from Main Street to Meadow Lane (actual names), but most of the area between the suburb where I live and the suburb where I work is filled with an uninterrupted maze of cul-de-sacs. Picking a route through there would probably double the distance of my commute.
#37
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I ride nearly 10 miles of rural roads on my commute, and have done it hundreds of times. I have not once had a problem with anyone not seeing me. But I still much prefer multilane arterial roads over 2-lane rural.
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Most of my commute is on busy multi lane roads, no way I could count.
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But I still much prefer multilane arterial roads over 2-lane rural.
#41
born again cyclist
i counted again last evening and this morning for a total of 6 sets of data:
morning commute #1: 5 cars + 1 motorcycle
morning commute #2: 6 cars
morning commute #3: 4 cars
evening commute #1: 3 cars
evening commute #2: 7 cars + 1 motorcycle
evening commute #3: 1 car
so now with 3 full days of commuting data at hand, i feel confident enough to calculate a real average:
on average, i am passed by 4.67 motor vehicles per commute leg (5 miles).
let's just round that up to 5, and because my commute is 5 miles long, we can call that an average of ~1 passing motor vehicle per mile (1 pmvpm)
and i promise i'll stop doing this now
morning commute #1: 5 cars + 1 motorcycle
morning commute #2: 6 cars
morning commute #3: 4 cars
evening commute #1: 3 cars
evening commute #2: 7 cars + 1 motorcycle
evening commute #3: 1 car
so now with 3 full days of commuting data at hand, i feel confident enough to calculate a real average:
on average, i am passed by 4.67 motor vehicles per commute leg (5 miles).
let's just round that up to 5, and because my commute is 5 miles long, we can call that an average of ~1 passing motor vehicle per mile (1 pmvpm)
and i promise i'll stop doing this now
Last edited by Steely Dan; 05-19-17 at 03:03 PM.
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