gna

In light of the recent Scientific American article discussed here, you may wish to ask gender, too.

I avoid high speed and high traffic streets, especially ones with shopping mall/parking entrance and egress. In St. Paul, that means I avoid Snelling Ave. and University Ave., though I know people who ride on University, as it is quite wide and so has a de facto bike lane. I don't know anyone who rides on Snelling. I also try to avoid streets that have on ramps/off ramps for highways, as drivers are not looking for bicycles and are in a big hurry.

As far as safety factors, I like bike lanes or bus/bike roads. I ride on the Intercampus Transitway here in the Twin Cities, which is limited to Bus/Bike/Emergency vehicles. The other road (Energy Park Drive) is 4 lanes with no shoulder, but fairly low traffic, so there's plenty of room for drivers to go around me. It also is relatively clean, without debris/broken glass/leaves all over it.

I will go out of my way to avoid certain roads, but on the whole I'm lucky--my chosen route doesn't cost me much, perhaps a tenth of a mile. If I pick up my daughter on the bike, though, I definitely go out of my way and take bike lanes/quiet streets.

Speed limit of a preferred road varies--Energy Park Drive (see above) is 40, but has its advantages. I prefer drivers to be going slower, though.

rando

Do you avoid certain roads or intersections? Why?

yes. I'llnot ride on the multi-lane 45 mph arterial that I drive my car on to work. instead I'll use side streets or the sidewalk, which is legal here.


What safety factors do you take into consideration when planning a route?

mostly traffic volume and speed


Do you sacrifice time and distance for safety, like roads with less traffic or bike lanes?

yes.


What is the speed limit of a preferred road?

30 mph or under

trekker pete

Do you avoid certain roads or intersections? Why?

A few, but, intersections aren't a big problem with my route. I don't rank them a high concern unless there are lots of them.

What safety factors do you take into consideration when planning a route?

Number 1, without a doubt is shoulder width/condition. Give me a wide clean shoulder and I will ride it to hell!

Do you sacrifice time and distance for safety, like roads with less traffic or bike lanes?

Yes. My ride home is the better part of a mile longer. Riding in is not an issue as sane folks are still in bed at 5AM.

What is the speed limit of a preferred road?

Not much of an issue really. Infact, if I had to make a generalization, I'd say I prefer high speed limits as these roads tend to have good sight lines and shoulders. I wouldn't think twice about riding an interstate highway. Unfortunately in the east, it's petty much illegal.

We thank you for your time and input.

You're quite welcome.

hobbsc

Do you avoid certain roads or intersections? Why?

I ride in a small city of ~15,000 people. I avoid multi-lane roads and roads with railroad crossings. 4-way stops with turn lanes are a nightmare in a car or on a bike. I also avoid a couple of sections of two-lane road due to high traffic, frequent speeders, and a lack of a shoulder.

I don't ride on the shoulder, but if I have to ditch, it's the safest place to go.

What safety factors do you take into consideration when planning a route?

Multiple lanes, railroad crossings, speed limits, shoulders.

Do you sacrifice time and distance for safety, like roads with less traffic or bike lanes?

Not necessarily. I generally look for the shortest route, but if it's dangerous, I won't mess with it. Multi-use paths (assuming they actually get you somewhere and don't meander around to the arse end of nowhere) are an amazing means of getting places fast and are preferable (in my opinion) to riding on the road.

What is the speed limit of a preferred road?

30MPH and under.

sggoodri

I avoid narrow roads with just two narrow lanes, heavy traffic and high prevailing speeds if there is a more pleasant route that won't add more than minute or two to my trip. I do this to avoid delaying other drivers or tempting them to pass with oncoming traffic.

I avoid high speed arterials when riding under particularly low visibility conditions such as rain at night.

Pavement surface, visibility, amount of turning, entering or crossing traffic.

Only to a small degree, e.g. 10% trip time for significant reduction in undesirable conditions. I sometimes choose to avoid bike lane routes if the bike lane is not well swept or is badly designed.

35 mph.

MNBikeguy

Narrow, fast, potholes, traffic - Bad.
Wide, slow, smooth, empty - Good.
How do you encapsulate and quantify this remarkable information into a college thesis?

TwoHeadsBrewing

Do you avoid certain roads or intersections? Why?
Yes, congested roads even with bike lanes are both more dangerous and less pleasurable to ride on.

What safety factors do you take into consideration when planning a route?
Low traffic density, smooth riding surface, marked bike lanes, and directness of travel towards my destination.

Do you sacrifice time and distance for safety, like roads with less traffic or bike lanes?
Yes, but only within a reasonable amount. I won't make my commute twice as long just to ride with less traffic or a marked bike lanes. But, tacking on another 20-30% of time to my ride would be very acceptable.

What is the speed limit of a preferred road?
Less than 35mph.

chipcom 

Do you avoid certain roads or intersections? Why?
I'm riding a bike, not driving a car, so I tend to avoid roads or intersections that put me in the same stressful situations that I would experience driving a car...gridlock, lots of stop-n-go, jerk-off drivers, rough pavement, lack of intuitiveness, etc.

What safety factors do you take into consideration when planning a route?
Traffic patterns, road conditions, visibility, enough room to share with motor vehicles without having to slow them down too much.

Do you sacrifice time and distance for safety, like roads with less traffic or bike lanes?
No different than if I were driving...with the exception of terrain. I'll avoid a big-assed climb on the way into work if I can, don't mind them on the way home. Less traffic is always good, no matter what kind of vehicle you are operating. I don't care about bike lanes, but I do prefer either multi-lanes, or if only a single lane, that it be wide or have a decent shoulder. I don't get either on my current route.

What is the speed limit of a preferred road?
If I have room to operate, I don't care about the speed limit. These days, 50 is the new 25 anyway.

neil

I try to avoid city freeways, usually only use them if I'm leaving town in directions where it's the only practical route. Highway travel must have a decent sized shoulder, and I prefer highways with lower traffic volume and slower speed limits if at all possible. In some areas the back roads are paved, and I'd rather be on a paved back road than a highway (but highways beat gravel).

The one road I avoid entirely is a mess of narrow lanes, buses pulling in and out from the curb, curbside parking, and lots of traffic. Funnily enough, since it has a bus/bike/taxi lane, this road is listed on my city's bike map as a recommended route. I won't drive on that road either, and have now mastered route planning around it. Which brings us to the fallacy of bike/bus lanes. Bikes and buses are fairly incompatible vehicles, since bikes move at a slow and steady pace, while buses move fast and stop frequently, resulting in a constant leap frogging. Combined with the aggressiveness of many bus drivers, I just try to avoid bus routes if it's not an inconvenience.

Lower traffic volume is always preferred if the increase in distance is not significant. Usually I bike one block over from busy arterials.

Width of curb lane (or existence of a well-designed bike lane), preference for off-road bike trails if available and reasonably direct. Most MUTs, however, are recreational trails and don't provide good transportation routes...the only ones I use regularly are the ones that follow rail lines, since they conveniently go in straight lines.
Traffic volume is the other major factor.
Up to a reasonable limit. I will go out of my way if it means I enjoy the ride more, but not more than 10 minutes or so (Let's say up to 10% increase in travel time, up to a maximum of 15 min). Unless I've got the time and inclination to go for a joy-ride, but your route planner should NOT kick out a joy-ride route.
Depends on width and traffic volume. I've biked on roads with limits up to 110 km/h, and had no problems with them because they have so much space. I've also felt threatened by bad drivers on tighter roads with a 50km/h limit, because cars often insist on passing with inadequate space. Speed limit is not the factor that drives comfort or perceived level of safety.

ks1g

Yes. Combination of traffic volume, width of roadway, number of lanes, availability of alternate routes or bike paths/MUPs, time/distance spent in higher-traffic zones, time of day. Examples: WILL ride shoulder of Fairfax County Pkwy in daylight for several miles and to cross Dulles Toll Rd/Rt 267 as wide shoulder offers a safe bike path with better visibility to drivers vs the paved side path. Prefer longer but lower speed/traffic volume side roads and bike path/MUP over Dranesville Rd/Rt 228 at all hours as bike lane is poorly maintained, traffic speed (45 mph sl, 50 mph+ traffic), volume in proximity to high school, loss of bike lane prior to entering a 25mph zone.

Same as above: Combination of traffic volume, width of roadway, number of lanes, availability of alternate routes or bike paths/MUPs, time of day.

Yes. Lower traffic volume/speed limit will win out over a poorly maintained bike lane on a road with faster and higher volume traffic.

For commuting, ideal is a 25mph with a reputation for strict enforcement by local LEO. Will tolerate 45-50 mph in daylight for areas of lower volume and availability of a wide curb lane or paved shoulder. Higher tolerance for routes for weekend recreational riding, based on lower traffic volumes.

My personal perception is a wide paved shoulder or curb lane on a fast road is safer than a poorly maintained bike lane on a secondary road. So it is also a function of lateral distance from overtaking traffic and the ability of that traffic to see and avoid rather than share the same lane.

I hope you are planning to talk with the very active cycling community in Charlottesville, and contact county and community-level cycling organizations (in NoVA/DC, that would include FABB and WABA) and not limit yourselves to a non-scientific self-selected survey population.

macwild

Do you avoid certain roads or intersections? Why?
Well, from my house to work, there is really one one route I can take for 2/3 of the way. Unfortunately, since I live in the country, the road is only 2 lanes, no shoulder and posted speed limit is from 45 to 55.

What safety factors do you take into consideration when planning a route?
Posted speed and shoulder

Do you sacrifice time and distance for safety, like roads with less traffic or bike lanes?
Yes I would if it was possible

What is the speed limit of a preferred road?
45 or less

LarryMelman

The major streets in my area (2 or 3 traffic lanes each way, with a left turn lane, right turn lanes at major crossings, and bike lanes that come and go) are on a 1-mile grid, and secondary streets (1 or 2 traffic lanes each way, usually a left turn lane, lower traffic volume and more reliable bike lanes) are on the 1/2 mile and cross the major streets with traffic lights.

Do you avoid certain roads or intersections? Why?
I totally avoid the major streets.

What safety factors do you take into consideration when planning a route?
Traffic volume, avoiding left turns across multiple lanes of traffic, always crossing major streets at a light.

Do you sacrifice time and distance for safety, like roads with less traffic or bike lanes?
My shortest commute on the major streets is 7 miles. My usual route is about 10 miles, using the 1/2 mile streets. Interestingly, a MUP is available for large parts of the commute, but I avoid it because it does not have stop lights where it crosses the major streets. At peak traffic hours, it is impossible to cross the major streets safely on the MUP.

What is the speed limit of a preferred road?
35.

soho2009

Do you avoid certain roads or intersections? Why?

Yes - Because of traffic volume, lack of scenery, crime, habit

What safety factors do you take into consideration when planning a route?

1. Time of day, by far!

Do you sacrifice time and distance for safety, like roads with less traffic or bike lanes?

Absolutely!

What is the speed limit of a preferred road?

20-30 mph

rhm

I agree in principle.

I have changed my route many times over the 8+ years I've been commuting, as various things, such as road conditions and my equipment, have changed. Changes in route have resulted for specific reasons, and it is very difficult to generalize why I prefer one route over another.

For example, I used to ride down 7th Ave and through Times Square; but when they improved the 7th Ave bike lane, and turned Times Square into a pedestrian (and bike) area, my style of riding no longer worked. I now ride down 5th.

For another example, I used to ride over an awful open steel grate bridge, which I preferred to the dirt tow path by the D&R canal; but then they put crushed gravel on the canal towpath, and I changed my route. Even so, there are still a couple weeks in winter when snow makes the canal impassable, and a couple more spring when snowmelt makes the canal too muddy, so then I'm back on the steel bridge. Now the bridge is closed for repair... and what will it be like when they're done? I may change my route again....

mikeybikes

Yes. I try to avoid some of the extremely narrow residential one-ways in Denver. Some of these streets are barely wide enough for two parking lanes and a traffic lane. I generally just ride one block over two a bit better of a street. Fortunately, there's few of these stretches.

I also try to avoid busy intersections where downtown's grid intersects with the rest of the city grid. Downtown grid is diagonal to the rest of the city grid. This makes for some tricky intersections in which you can have traffic is coming from numerous directions. Of course, when going from the rest of the city to downtown, its unavoidable, but I try to make the trip involve only one of these intersections. This means avoiding the streets bordering the downtown grid.

Many of the more busier streets have parallel roads that are either marked as a bicycle route in Denver's map, or is a one-way street which is easier for bicycle traffic. So, I avoid the busier streets. Example, instead of Colfax Ave, I'll take 16th Ave just one block north, or depending on the neighborhood, the 14th/13th Ave one way couplet going in my direction (just one block south of Colfax).

I also make extensive use of Denver's bicycle route map. Makes planning routes to ares of Denver I know less about much easier. While I don't strictly follow the routes, they provide a good guideline.

Traffic level, width of the road, and design of the intersections.

As mentioned before, this means avoiding narrow, single traffic lane one-ways, and crazy intersections where different street grids intersection.

I also avoid roads with extremely high traffic levels (the aforementioned Colfax Ave). Denver's grid system is designed well enough that there is always going to be a parallel road that is safer.

Not really. Choosing an alternate route generally means one or two blocks in either directions, so distance or time is not increased by much.

30mph or less. There's very few streets in the city with speed limits more than 30mph. Those that do, are generally streets I'd be avoiding anyways for their high traffic levels. Out in the 'burbs, that goes higher due to less dense traffic. On in the country or the mountains, speed limit doesn't matter so much.

DX-MAN

I tend to avoid the 'main drags' in my town, mostly because of the rude, thoughtless actions of those in 4-wheeled cages.
The primary safety factor is what I mentioned above. I can quickly detour around construction zones, etc.
I don't consider it a sacrifice to add time and/or distance to a commute; it's RIDE TIME, the best time of my day!
If I had a choice, no street in town would have a speed limit above 35, and it would be ENFORCED.

tarwheel 

Do you avoid certain roads or intersections? Why?

Yes. I avoid heavily traveled, multi-lane roads due to the speed of traffic, poor visibility and potential for harm.

What safety factors do you take into consideration when planning a route?

I generally commute on roads with little traffic, wide lanes and paved shoulders. Try to cross larger roads at intersections with traffic lights rather than stop signs. There are no bike lanes or paths available on my commute route, but I would probably ride them if available.

Do you sacrifice time and distance for safety, like roads with less traffic or bike lanes?

Yes, definitely. My bike commute route is totally different than the route I take when I drive. My bike route is about 2-4 miles longer than my driving route, partly to avoid heavy traffic and partly to increase the mileage for training.

What is the speed limit of a preferred road?

Preferably 35 mph or less but don't mind roads with 45 mph limit if they have wide lanes and/or shoulders.

gerv 

answers in bold...

hoffsquared

Do you avoid certain roads or intersections? Why?

Yes, I do not ride on road with two lanes going each way unless it is for less than 1/10 of a mile or so. The quickest way to work would be for me to ride along a road such as this the entire way. There are way too many turnoffs, shopping entrances, intersections, and cars for me to do this. I also avoid intersections that also have 'access' lanes. At these intersections I must watch for quite a few additional cars.


What safety factors do you take into consideration when planning a route?
Few cars, nice road, shoulder and/or bike lane, lighting, not many left turns, and general location. With respect to general location - there is a block I avoid due to concerns for my personal safety.

Do you sacrifice time and distance for safety, like roads with less traffic or bike lanes?
Yes, I do. My ride is about 2 miles longer to use a bike path and avoid areas I don't consider safe.

What is the speed limit of a preferred road?
Less than 35mph.

RogerB

Do you avoid certain roads or intersections? Why?
Yes, based mostly on traffic volume (ADT), but other factors are speed limits, lane width, number of lanes, presence of shoulders, number of intersections, etc.

What safety factors do you take into consideration when planning a route?
See answer above, but I also considered where the sun would be in relation to my direction of travel. (Will overtaking drivers be blinded by morning or afternoon sun?)

Do you sacrifice time and distance for safety, like roads with less traffic or bike lanes?
Somewhat. I have to meander a bit to avoid the major arterials as much as possible. The busier streets around here have MUPs running alongside them, but I prefer a quiet street with no special bike accomidations.

What is the speed limit of a preferred road?
Hard to say. The 30 mph streets can be high volume, and I'm more concerned about volume. At some point on my route I have no choice but to ride a two-lane, 55 mph highway with no shoulders, but this road section is preferable to a 4-lane section of 45 mph road with higher volume and limited sight distance (due to a large S-turn).

rumrunn6

Do you avoid certain roads or intersections?
++ No

Why? (not)
++ I do not because I want my commute to be as few miles as possible.

What safety factors do you take into consideration when planning a route?
++ I do not. I take the route with the fewest miles

Do you sacrifice time and distance for safety, like roads with less traffic or bike lanes?
++ I do not sacrifice distance or time for safety. (do you see a trend here?)

What is the speed limit of a preferred road?
++ 25 mph - 35 mph

aharris

Do you avoid certain roads or intersections?
++ Yes
Why? (not)
++ If time I avoid narrow curves on rural two lane roads (have heard of at two cyclist hit on one of these curves) but will take them in the early am as there is so little traffic it is never an issue. I enjoy my rural route more than a (slightly) more direct state road that is less scenic, more heavily traffic.

What safety factors do you take into consideration when planning a route?
++ Minimize narrow/fast/crowded road sections, some consideration for time of day (many of my roads have NO traffic in the am)

Do you sacrifice time and distance for safety, like roads with less traffic or bike lanes?
++ Within reason (+/- 10 min on hour commute), also can choose a route with an ice cream stand break or a country store to pick up wine or milk etc. on way home.

What is the speed limit of a preferred road?
++ 25 mph - 45 mph

Andy_K 

There are some roads I avoid completely and others that I don't like but am willing to use. Mostly the difference has to do with the availability of alternatives.

I try to avoid roads with no shoulder. If the road has low traffic levels, this is not as much of a problem. Visibility is also a factor. For instance, a winding road with no shoulder is worse than a long straight road with no shoulder.

I also try to avoid roads with many commercial parking lot entrances, particularly if the road is landscaped with trees or bushes between the road and the parking lots.

You didn't specifically ask what type of roads I like to use, but I think this is probably just as important as the types of roads I avoid.

I prefer roads with clearly painted traffic lanes over roads with no lines, even if the road with no lines has less traffic (unless it has nearly no traffic).

I really like roads with designated bike lanes, but I know others who specifically dislike them. Ideally a route planner would have an option to let the user choose a preference in this regard.

As a matter of preference, mostly unrelated to safety, I prefer roads with better pavement.

I regularly choose a busy, well paved arterial road (45 MPH speed limit) with a bike lane over a poorly paved side street (25 MPH speed limit) with no bike facilities. The side street in this case has fairly steady traffic. The arterial road with bike lane seems safer to me. In particular, I have fewer negative interactions with automobile operators.

Strangely, I don't think I actually avoid the intersections I dislike. Instead, I adjust my riding to cross the intersection more safely.

I dislike intersections where the normal flow of bicycle traffic crosses the normal flow of automobile traffic. For instance, there is an intersection (you can see it here) on my route where I am riding in a bike lane and two lanes of traffic turn right (one with the option of going straight) without a stop.

Another terrible intersection (see it here) has me in a place where one lane of traffic has just split into three lanes and I need to cross two of these lanes from a bike lane so that I can make a left turn.

One final intersection (see it here) I'll cite involves me being a bicyclist who uses a MUP being forced to appear unexpectedly in traffic. On this road, bikes are diverted from a bike lane onto a MUP for one block (many choose to stay on the road despite heavy traffic and a 40 MPH speed limit. The MUP ends abruptly at this intersection which has a wide cut out for cars turning right. There are also bus stops on both sides of the corner where the MUP ends. A teenager was killed by a bus here last year.


Yes, but I probably won't go more than 25% out of my way unless the shorter route is very unsafe. If the shorter route has isolated problems (like the intersections cited above, all of which I cross daily), I'll instead adopt strategies for safer riding in those locations. (At the last intersection, for instance, I stop if the light is green and wait for a red light so I can walk my bike out into a spot next to forward moving cars.)


The lower the better. I don't use roads with a speed limit above 45 MPH. However, as mentioned above, speed limit isn't always the best factor for determining the safety of a road.

1242Vintage

Do you avoid certain roads or intersections? Why?
Yes. I avoid a couple of intersections that are next to the Interstate. Coming off the interstate vehicles are going way too fast and have had a couple of close calls with vehicles running red lights at these intersections.

What safety factors do you take into consideration when planning a route?
I consider the prevailing vehicle speed, traffic volume, number of intersections/driveways and width of shoulders.

Do you sacrifice time and distance for safety, like roads with less traffic or bike lanes?
Yes. Will go out of my way for a lower speed road with less traffic. I keep a copy of the city map with the bike lanes marked out for when I travel to unfamiliar locations. I try to hit the bike lanes if they are not too far out of the way.

What is the speed limit of a preferred road?
Speeds above 35 mph start to make me nervous.

squirtdad

I think your are going to have a really hard time breaking your responses out...but

Do you avoid certain roads or intersections? Why?
Yes. Primary reason is personal knowledge that that road is as good for cycling as others. Reasons not good: Bad pavement, Too narrow for volume and speed of traffic.
What safety factors do you take into consideration when planning a route?
First consideration is getting from point a to b. Safety in not prime concern, over all riding comfort experience is, which coincides with safety. I will often ride a double lane road with bike lanes in preference to a narrower single lane road.
Do you sacrifice time and distance for safety, like roads with less traffic or bike lanes?
Sometimes, but not always. Again total riding experience not safety, is key for me
What is the speed limit of a preferred road?
No specific speed limit. preferrence is based on multiple factors, width, route, bike lanes, experience, traffice volume/speed

we want a copy when done