Tally: First Week's Commute
 

So, I got a bike for Christmas. I got the lights, I planned my route, and I went out and actually biked to work.

I've had

Two cars nearly turn left into me, one in the pouring rain while I had both a pedestrian walk symbol /and/ a green light and she was running the red turn arrow, with me standing in my pedals while going straight, hand outstretched 'stop', yelling with my bright front blinkie in her face. I know she didn't see me, the way she jerked to a stop...how she didn't I will never know.

One man snidely tell me bikes aren't allowed on the sidewalk. (They are, and my evening commute takes me on a road that, while 35mph and peaceful in the morning turns into two packed lanes of 55mph swerving speeders at 5:30. I take the sidewalk for a few blocks, at least until my new light comes in)

Two honkers

One motorcyclist tell me I was 'F*ing crazy' when I correctly stayed in the 'straight' lane instead of sticking to the right side of the right hand turn only lane.

A nice guy stop before turning into a gas station because he (OMFG) /saw me/ going straight, and flipped off the cars honking behind him. Anonymous SUV guy, you are awesome.

And a multitude of funny looks.

All in all, it's a lot better than I expected for South Florida - I think I've picked a decent route, though I need to tweak my evening commute a bit. I generally don't get bothered, especially in the mornings. Though I have gotten into the habit of putting my hair in pigtails when I ride - oddly, it really lowers the swerving and zooming. I guess guys and kitchen workers are a lot more offensive on two wheels than 'lil ol' me' Cheesy, but whatever works, right?

I've also found myself being much more hyperaware when walking around, even in buildings - looking around corners, stopping to look both ways. Sigh.

-B

Sounds like you need a very bright helmet-mounted light to supplement whatever other lighting you have. I shine mine directly at motorists' faces when they're in a position to cross my path. That includes oncoming left-turners, cross-traffic at intersections and whatnot. Currently, I have a DiNotte 200L as my helmet light.

I love the DiNotte lights, but I was recently laid off (last day is Wednesday), so currently spending that much on a helmet light is a bit out of my range.

I do have a green Down Low Glow on order, so that will help a lot. And once I am again gainfully employed, I'm planning on getting DiNotte front and back.

I wish my friend from Hornblasters had a bike-mounted train horn. I'd go deaf, but noone would run me over!

Airzound. Look it up. It's a LOUD puppy.

Ooops. There goes the commute. :D

Hope your new job is located on an even better bike route.

Oddly enough, it was doing just that that I almost got hit by someone making a left, not seeing me and I ended up with a broken arm. And my headlamp is BRIGHT!

This was the kind of driver that would have run into you even if you were driving a semi-tractor. It happens. :(

Yes, but in a semi, I would have won.

And that kind of attitude is why I "get" to "share" the road with thousands upon thousands of Expeditions, Navigators, Escalades, H2s and Suburbans.

Yay for your first week's commute!

Since you mention the ped walk symbol, I'm assuming you were on the sidewalk when the cars nearly turned left into you? If bikes are allowed on the sidewalk where you are they may not be allowed in crosswalks. Especially at busy intersections better to get off and walk across. Drivers are not expecting to see bicycle-speed traffic on the sidewalk, and what people don't expect to they often don't see when they are distracted (by cell phones, whatnot)

Doesn't sound like a pleasant road though to be on, and I presume its your only choice.

You may also want to try an air horn to wake up the inattentive :)

I don't share the road, it's all mine. ;o) And I don't have a car, just me and the bikes, occaisionally with a trailer.

Yeah. =p Going to keep riding though.

The nice thing about the bike commuting is that it gives me even /more/ flexibility when it comes to job location. I live near a tri-county light rail station. The commute to the former job was all bike, 8 miles each way. If I get any sort of job to the counties north or south, I just ride to the Tri-rail, take my bike aboard, read for awhile and ride to my destination. Someone in a car would end up spending hundreds of dollars more to drive a similar distance from their original job, spending at least an hour more on the interstate each way.

So, score =)