Whatever you feel safest, if there is a bike lane ride in it. When the bike lane turns into a turnlane get on the sidewalk or your chances of being roadside junk are pretty high. If there is a sidewalk with store doors close to it dont ride too fast or just get on the road for a bit. You are a biker and you do have the right to take a lane when needed, I do not choose this that often because the chances of you being hit are magnafied. Be careful just because you are obaying the law does not mean someone wont hit you.

makes sense. it's what I do. It's what many would do if they could.

Not necessarily. Not if the bike lane is in the door zone, for example.

Go to the left of the bike lane into the through lane.

"Magnafied" is not a word; you mean "magnified". But in fact the opposite is true: you take the lane for your safety, i.e. because it reduces your chances of being hit.

In Bellevue, even the pedestrians aren't safe- tragically, Kemper Freeman's mom was hit and killed by a motorist.

Yeah, Bellevue is one of those "the drivers aren't paying attention" suburbia hellholes, but you're safer on the roads. It's still tedious to ride from the Performance store to Bellevue Square, though. Bel Red Road is a stellar example why more people don't ride bikes on a daily basis.

If you go slow and pause at every driveway or cross street, the sidewalk can be a safe place to ride. Sometimes it is the best option. Usually you are better off in the road. The two biggest issues with sidewalk riding are driveways and intersections. Most motorists will pull out across the sidewalk first, and then look left. They figure if there were any pedestrians on the sidewalk, they would have seen them directly in front of the driveway. Along comes a cyclist on the sidewalk at 15 mph and he's on the hood before anyone knows what's going on.

The second problem with sidewalks is they dump you out in the street at intersections. If you want to cross with the pedestrian light at slow speed, it can work. Don't enter an intersection at 15 mph from the sidewalk.

To the OP, I am in agreement with you. I just don't feel safe on the road. The cars are whipping by at 60-70km/hr, and it freaks me out. I made a point one time to do my entire commute on the road... but its scary as drivers are not predicatable...will they swerve into me? will their car veer over to where I am? On the sidewalk..they are wide... no bushes hiding driveways...I can see everything, I am far away from the cars... That being said....intersections do become a problem and I have to stop or meander my way back onto the road. I see it as a minor inconvenience. I'm looking to get a road bike...if I can reach speeds up to 40km/hr, than i'll be on the road and take the entire lane. But until then, I can't really go that fast on my mountain bike.

See, this is why I stay on the sidewalk for quite a bit on my commute. I ride a cheapie folding bike which has a top speed of 7mph on flats, and around 15-17mph on steep downhills. I don't bother riding it on hills--I can jog it up faster (around 4-5mph). Of course, the engine needs some work, but from what I hear, even uber-fit riders have trouble going past 15mph on flats, as the gearing is so ridiculously low. I do NOT want to ride in traffic going 50mph when I'm going 7mph. It's like a death wish.

EVEN the pedestrians? I thought, per mile, walking was THE most dangerous mode of transportation in North America.

I agree that the faster you can go, the more confident you are. That's why I often don't ride unless I feel up to the task of sprinting when I have to. On the same note, it's why I won't ride with anything other than my stiff-soled road shoes because I can't sprint fast (or what passes for fast w/ me) with my casual cycling shoes as they just turn to mush when I stand on the pedals.

I think that if the OP got a road bike or at least made his ATB faster by losing the suspension and adding slick tires that he would feel more comfortable on the road as he would be faster. That's not to say that one can't go fast on an ATB but it takes a level of fitness that I think most of us just don't have (translation: a level of fitness I don't have ).

I would suggest safety equipment. Makes me feel much safer than a sidewalk.
Lights, Reflective vest, rear view mirror, going that extra mile.


Good Luck!

I would recommend taking the lane in these tight situations. You are less likely to be seen on the sidewalk and if the road is narrow you'll get yourself in a pinch if you ride too close to the gutter. You will have to force many motorists to pass you safely on these narrow roads.