How to handle small/no road shoulder
 

Hi all,

I'd like to ride to my job about once a week. It's roughly 13 miles, nothing tough, but there is one part of the road where the shoulder is almost non-existent. Depending upon the direction, it's also a small uphill/downhill and I see cars practically hitting the mountain as they go through there.

From where I live, there is no other road that goes in this direction (I live in one valley connecting to the the next one). Got a few concerns about this, safety wise.

Suggestions? Or should I give this up? My other alternative is to drive half way, park, then ride, but that seems kinda dumb since the last part would be just a few miles.

Thanks,

Sheldon

Tough one. I ride on lots of roads like that. My opinion is that if you're not willing to take the lane on those roads you're putting yourself in danger and should consider finding another route. If there is so much traffic and you are going so slow up the hills that taking the lane will cause a significant backup, look into areas that you can pull over and let people by and then start to ride again.

Just don't hug the side, you'll get side swiped eventually.

Take the lane. If you try to move so far to the right, the cars will definitely try to crowd you out. I have no problems taking the lane on a busy street if I feel like the cars won't respect me enough to ride around me. Otherwise, it's like Brillig said- find another route.

Koffee

Try to avoid rush hour if you can. My direct commute goes down an extremely busy road and 30 minutes can make all the difference in the world with that one.

The first 5 miles of my commute is on a rural road with no sholders. I have several "blind curves" in there too which make things more interesting. For the most part, I ride on the fog line. When in the "blind curves" I take the lane to keep from being side swiped. That is also my advice to you. As many others have stated as well.

FYI: I am riding on 45MPH roadway with light traffic. You should consider the speed of the roadway as well.

Good luck.

Bob

I normally drive the freeway next to this road. Tomorrow, I'll drive the street and see what the real scoop is. If the distance is short enough, I'll judge whether I can just power up and take the lane and will also look for places I can use as a turnout. I agree if I hug the shoulder, I will get hit. I'd rather have the visibility of the lane, if possible.

BTW, this is Thousand Oaks Blvd from Las Virgenes to Calabasas in Socal. If anyone is riding this route, please let me know your thoughts!

Thanks for the ideas.

Sheldon

I have the same problem on some parts of my commute. I take a part of the lane and most (not all) motorists respect that. I make sure I wear something bright and when visibility is not so good I have a blinking tail light. Good Luck!

What?

How much safer would it be to be walking at 3MPH alongside your bike or mounted on it, posing a smaller target, at 10+MPH?

Paul

Been there done that -- had a six-lane road with no shoulder (speed limits are irrelevant around here as they are routinely ignored) for most of my years at university. I have no hesitation in claiming the lane in those situations. Another thing you need to be aware of is the width of the lane itself. You may be able to get away with riding 2-3 feet from the curb and still have enough clearance for cars to pass you.

I took a drive through there yesterday. The part of the road in question is about 3/4 of a mile in length. It's two lanes, with almost no shoulder at all. Visibility is decent through most of it. There is one part, uphill/downhill, which is 1/4 mile where I guess I'd take the lane. After that, it's no problem. I'm going to try it one weekend with less traffic and see how it goes.

Sheldon