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Originally Posted by chipcom
(Post 10549114)
IMO it depends upon the city or burb and the person doing the riding...so gross generalizations are pointless.
I ride through a city (Binghamton) I don't think is much of a city compared to White Plains, New Rochelle, Yonkers, Mt. Vernon, that I occasionally rode through years ago. |
Seems as if maybe the OP doesn't feel comfortable riding in traffic, generally.
My commute is suburban to urban. No preference for one or the other part. |
Only a few downtowns can offer up streets this bare around midday. Last time I enjoyed such a thing was in downtown Tacoma. (Well, actually downtown Vancouver's this way a lot, also, but it's a pretty small town.)
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2691/...9d15abcc_b.jpg |
I think time of day is more important. When people are rushing to get to places is when most people get killed. How many cyclists get hit during the middle of the day compared to any other time of the day?
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Originally Posted by LesterOfPuppets
(Post 10550570)
Only a few downtowns can offer up streets this bare around midday. Last time I enjoyed such a thing was in downtown Tacoma. (Well, actually downtown Vancouver's this way a lot, also, but it's a pretty small town.)
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2691/...9d15abcc_b.jpg DUDE thats like 3 miles from my house. That trail is beautiful! |
I live in the suburbs and I think it's more dangerous then downtown. The main problem in the
'burbs is speed, most people just drive too fast. You just have to choose your route more carefully. The good thing is that I have a lot of choices as to which roads I can take and there are a lot of quieter roads with less and slower traffic. Also there are few MUP's and some of them are dirt and gravel so it's a nice thing to go offroad sometimes and enjoy the nature. The main thing about riding in the 'burbs is you have to know how to link your route together. I do a lot of long distance rides through the 'burbs 100++km's long, but I know how to link all the streets,mups,roads together to make it a fun long distance ride. Then again cycling will never be 100% safe no matter where you ride. |
Originally Posted by rhm
(Post 10549108)
Pretty tough call, if you ask me. The city has far more dangers, but they are constant dangers that rarely hide from you. In the suburbs the dangers are fewer, but faster and less predictable. The two require different skills and different strategies. The one you're less familiar with will be more dangerous. In my own case... I can't make the call.
Next favorite is medium size arterials. Stuff like a 3 or 4 lane street, where there's plenty of room to pass, but it's also only about 35-45mph (I don't care what speed limit it's posted at... I care what speed drivers are actually going). Then even if there's not officially a bike lane, I can take a lane, and drivers can get around me. These sorts of roads tend to be *very* busy and have very unpredictable traffic. Big arterials or small highways suck. Once drivers think they have a "right" to be going over about 45mph, things can get really bad, really fast for me. I still use these sorts of roads, but it was really helpful to work on foot or on city buses before I started riding on some of the local ones. Taking the time to pay attention to how traffic flowed made it a lot easier. |
I'd vote for city. More route options, less reliance on high-speed arterial roads.
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I don't do much city riding. My mostly suburban commute ranges from idyllic to thrilling. First leg is on a 45 mph, 4-lane collector, but traffic is usually pretty light, and most people just move over to the other available lane. Then it's into the residential streets for a couple of miles, speed limits ranging from 30 to 20, with all the streets being unlined (which is probably best) and the newest ones exceedingly wide. Then it's a 40 mph stretch built to rural standards, but with very light traffic. Last two legs of the journey are a 55 mph rural 2-lane, narrow, no shoulders, and then a collector similar to the first one, except that since there's no development here, people have a tendency to drive considerably faster. Still, traffic is fairly light at the right times, and drivers mostly courteous.
My only experience in "the city" is last year a friend and I rode to downtown on Bike to Work Day (Free Burritos!). Once we cleared the industrial complex where we both work, we found a new bike path that connected us the rest of the way, leaving only the last couple of miles on the streets. Given that my experience is thus so limited, I would concur that traffic, while much more dense, was slower and didn't really seem to be a problem. I had an easier time understanding where traffic was and blending in. Out on the fast roads, I sort of have to cross my fingers and hope for the best on the narrow parts. |
Add a third option:
- City - Suburbs - Rural Personally I feel plenty safe on urban and suburban rides. In my case they are a matter of degrees because our downtown is relatively small and not gridlocked except for at the peak of rush hour. The biggest scary thing to me is a proposal to allow bicycles to ride in the lanes that are currently reserved for bus and right turn only traffic. Not crazy about buses. Out in the country, though, I feel very exposed and yet invisible at the same time. I don't like it much. |
Originally Posted by Doohickie
(Post 10560860)
Add a third option:
- City - Suburbs - Rural Personally I feel plenty safe on urban and suburban rides. In my case they are a matter of degrees because our downtown is relatively small and not gridlocked except for at the peak of rush hour. The biggest scary thing to me is a proposal to allow bicycles to ride in the lanes that are currently reserved for bus and right turn only traffic. Not crazy about buses. Out in the country, though, I feel very exposed and yet invisible at the same time. I don't like it much. The preacher man says it’s the end of time And the Mississippi River she’s a goin’ dry The interest is up and the Stock Markets down And you only get mugged If you go down town I live back in the woods, you see A woman and the kids, and the dogs and me I got a shotgun rifle and a 4-wheel drive And a country boy can survive Country folks can survive I can plow a field all day long I can catch catfish from dusk till dawn We make our own whiskey and our own smoke too Ain’t too many things these ole boys can’t do We grow good ole tomatoes and homemade wine And a country boy can survive Country folks can survive Because you can’t starve us out And you cant makes us run Cause one-of- ‘em old boys raisin ole shotgun And we say grace and we say Ma’am And if you ain’t into that we don’t give a damn We came from the West Virginia coalmines And the Rocky Mountains and the and the western skies And we can skin a buck; we can run a trot-line And a country boy can survive Country folks can survive I had a good friend in New York City He never called me by my name, just hillbilly My grandpa taught me how to live off the land And his taught him to be a businessman He used to send me pictures of the Broadway nights And I’d send him some homemade wine But he was killed by a man with a switchblade knife For 43 dollars my friend lost his life Id love to spit some beechnut in that dudes eyes And shoot him with my old 45 Cause a country boy can survive Country folks can survive Cause you can’t starve us out and you can’t make us run Cause one-of- ‘em old boys raisin ole shotgun And we say grace and we say Ma’am And if you ain’t into that we don’t give a damn We’re from North California and south Alabam And little towns all around this land And we can skin a buck; we can run a trot-line And a country boy can survive Country folks can survive |
I'm not a Texan; I'm a yankee that lives in Texas. And I grew up in the city/suburbs, it's what I know. I'd consider living in the country but my wife grew up in a rural area and she's had enough of that junk. (When she was born, her parents lived in an 8' wide mobile home on 100 acres with no power or indoor plumbing.)
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And although I have no claim on anything in that song, yeah, it rocks.
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Originally Posted by Doohickie
(Post 10561350)
I'm not a Texan; I'm a yankee that lives in Texas. And I grew up in the city/suburbs, it's what I know. I'd consider living in the country but my wife grew up in a rural area and she's had enough of that junk. (When she was born, her parents lived in an 8' wide mobile home on 100 acres with no power or indoor plumbing.)
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Originally Posted by Doohickie
(Post 10561355)
And although I have no claim on anything in that song, yeah, it rocks.
Goin' to the city, got you on my mind, Country sure is pretty, I'll leave it all behind, This is my decision, I'm comin' home to stay this time. 'Cause I'm a fool for the city, I'm a fool for the city, Fool for the city, I'm a fool for the city. Breathin' all the clean air, sittin' in the sun, When I get my train fare, I'll get up and run. I'm ready for the city, air pollution here I come! 'Cause I'm a fool for the city, I'm a fool for the city, I'm a fool for the city, I'm a fool for the city. I'm like a fish out of water, I'm just a man in a hole. The city lights turn my blues into gold. I ain't no country boy, I'm just a homesick man. I'm gonna hit the grid just as fast as I can. I'm tired of layin' back, hangin' around, I'm gonna catch that train, then I'll be city bound. {Rod - Solo} I ain't no country boy, I'm just a homesick man. I'm gonna hit the grid just as fast as I can. I'll get off on Main Street, step into the crowd, Sidewalk under my feet, yeah, traffic's good and loud. When I see my inner city child, I'll be walkin' on a cloud. 'Cause I'm a fool for the city, I'm a fool for the city, I'm a fool for the city, I'm a fool for the city... I'm a fool, (Fool for the city) A fool for the city, (Fool for the city) I'm a fool, (Fool for the city) A fool for the city, (Fool for the city) I'm a fool, (Fool for the city) A crazy fool, (Fool for the city) I'm a fool yea, (Fool for the city) A fool for the city, (Fool for the city) (Fool for the city) (Fool for the city) I ain't no country boy, woo! :D |
I have worked in the worst neghborhoods in the city. Did not have a problem. You usually hear the old clunkers coming rom behind. In the burbs, I have gotten stopped becuase the police officer wanted me to ride on the sidewalk and I have had the "n" word yelled at me. You can't hear the cars either.
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I would immediately say city is safer...but I really didn't start riding until I moved to the city, so I am biased. In the city I can (in general) keep up with traffic. The thought that someone could come around a corner going 60mph in the suburbs terrifies me more than anything. I feel very at home in city traffic.
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Originally Posted by urban rider
(Post 10563614)
I have worked in the worst neghborhoods in the city. Did not have a problem. You usually hear the old clunkers coming rom behind. In the burbs, I have gotten stopped becuase the police officer wanted me to ride on the sidewalk and I have had the "n" word yelled at me. You can't hear the cars either.
One bozo rookie had the nerve to try to tell me that "we don't allow non-residents on our roads" and didn't realize that I was his Commissioner...till the backup he called for (after I called him everything but a white man and told him I was gonna shove that pistol up is ass if he didn't put it back in the holster) showed up and started laughing so hard he almost peed himself. :lol: |
My experiences seem to mirror many of the other comments. There are pros and cons to each cycling environment. More often than not in my locale, urban seems to be more cycling-friendly for me.
Urban - Lower speed differential - More attentive and accomodating drivers - Better connectivity and route options due to grid pattern roadways - More intersection hazards - More pedestrians and other cyclists (many of whom are unpredictable) to watch for Suburban - Higher speed differential - More aggressive and distracted drivers - More dead-end secondary streets, forcing me onto arterials - Fewer intersections |
I agree that it totally depends on the individual city or suburb. Here (Twin Cities area) if you ride downtown (Minneapolis) there are bike lanes, traffic is moving slower, and there are a lot more bikes, so drivers are more accustomed to seeing you. In a lot of the surrounding burbs, you still have a lot of traffic, cars are moving faster, often times there is no shoulder, and drivers are not expecting to see bikes. So in general, in my area, I would say that downtown is probably safer than the burbs.
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I would say city. Because, Just as the suburbs don't have as much traffic, those same motorists are less likely to expect a cyclist.
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Originally Posted by chipcom
(Post 10565361)
One bozo rookie had the nerve to try to tell me that "we don't allow non-residents on our roads" and didn't realize that I was his Commissioner...till the backup he called for (after I called him everything but a white man and told him I was gonna shove that pistol up is ass if he didn't put it back in the holster) showed up and started laughing so hard he almost peed himself. :lol: |
Originally Posted by xtrajack
(Post 10549081)
I have no frame of reference for comparison. I live in a semi-rural area. I feel safe on my commute. I've not ridden in a city, personally I would be more concerned/worried abut the traffic in the city. The population in the closest town is about 7,600 (2000 census). Which is also the largest in the area and the county seat.
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Originally Posted by gerv
(Post 10567875)
He went for his pistol, but you were quicker to draw your wireless mouse?
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