I have a new route (since January) which takes me past the local mall, to my office just on the other side of it. The main road past the mall is 4 narrow lanes (two each way), no shoulder (less with current snowpiles), bad pavement, and usually standing water due to recent snowmelt. Even with riding in the right tire track of the right lane (the closest to the side I want to be), I'm effectively taking the lane, especially since cars in back of me have trouble finding a gap in traffic to pull into the left lane. (Their problem!) I'm fine with this, and haven't even had any problems with annoyed motorists so far, but still, it's an annoying to me to have to use that road at all! So yesterday, I tried something different.

What I did was to turn into the mall, and ride the road that goes around the outside of the building, inside the parking areas. This takes me right back to another road that leads to my office, and it's not much farther distance, if any.

The morning was fine, because the stores weren't open yet, so there wasn't much traffic of any kind. I expected that the afternoon might be more of a hassle, what with cars entering and exiting parking lanes, and pedestrians all over the place, but it really wasn't too bad. Granted, you have to keep alert, and it's not December, but I'm thinking that it might actually work pretty well. The cars are only going about the same speed as you are, so you can take the lane the whole way without holding them up, increasing your visibility and buffer space. And working with pedestrians isn't any worse of a problem from a bike than from a car, maybe less of one. I'm thinking that if I just keep alert and drive conservatively and vehicularly, this might actually be a better option than competing with through traffic on the outside road.

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John, when you say MALL I think of The Galleria atTyler mall here in Riverside. It's pretty big and very busy. I'm afraid to walk to the mall from my parked car, much less ride a bike through it! All those car drivers are looking for is a parking space!

On the other hand, the mall where I park to commute is much smaller and not as busy. As long as you ride safely and keep a lookout, it shouldn't be a problem.

I'm sure in CA there is a law against this (you can't cut through gas stations on the corner to avoid the light) but who's really going to care in this case?

I ride to malls sometimes to do clothes shopping and the whatnot. Whatch out for dazed and distracted shoppers in a cinnabon induced coma talking on their cells about the great deals Abercrombie and Fitch had while digging thru bags of their latest purchases.

Otherwise, sounds like you've got it figured pretty good. But parking lots are filled with distracted drivers, as they aren't really 'driving' yet, still in 'parking' mode.

I was thinking more of that scene in Blues Brothers where they drive the cop car through the inside of a mall, and tear the place up. That would be pretty cool on a bike.

I do find that riding in parking lots is more dangerous than riding on the road, as the motorists are more unpredictable. Still, if it seems like an improvement to you, then it probably is.

Scary!

To clarify: (1) It's not a huge mall (nothing's huge in Maine; the bus tour guides in downtown Portland refer to the (the!) 16-story apartment building as the Sears Tower of Maine); (2) I'm riding on the road around the building, not cutting through the parking lots. I am definitely wary of cutting through the parking lots.

Yeah, watch yourself.

Malls are notorious for stupid fender-benders as people rally race for parking spots, pull out without checking their mirrors or blind spots, and generally neglect to pay attention to the 8 different directions from which traffic might be coming.

In the midst of all this, they're probably not looking for a cyclist so stay on your toes.

I'm not in your saddle so I don't know what the perimeter road looks like versus the main road nearby, but my inclination based on what you describe would be to pick the actual street.

Rather funny if there is a CA law against this, as one local mall in San Diego is part of a transit hub and actually has a road that terminates in the mall, thus making the mall road the only thru way.

I think if I were regularly riding in a mall, I would use the most outside track. You will avoid both motorists and pedestrians, as the peds are going from the lot to the stores, and the motorists are usually looking for spaces close to shopping. You might find an outside track that is rarely used.

genec, since I posted I went over the CA Vehicle Code to see if cutting through mall parking lots is addressed. I couldn't find anything.

I was also being slightly sarcastic at the time....

In general I would advise against riding in malls except when necessary, because the rules of the road are not adhered to as well. For one thing, you're much more likely to find someone driving on the wrong side of the road in a mall parking lot than on a "real" roadway.

Having said that, there are exceptions to all general guidelines, and your circumstances certainly seem to qualify. Not only is the mall small and generally quiet, but the alternative is highly unpleasant.

I like riding in malls all the time and enjoy the experience of not having to struggle for parking. Some cars can be real dangerous to the cyclist because the parking situation forces them to spend up to 20 minutes going in circles. Some malls have light traffic but other malls are filled up by noon. These are the ones you have to be carful and ride in the middle of the lane. A lot of malls keep the buses parked in the back and you have to watch for them too. I find it discriminatory that those taking public transportation have to wait in the cold far away from the mall because the store does not want transit users waiting inside when the bus has not arrived. Such is the life of the transit rider.

During Christmas and holiday shopping, it's a jungle. I won't park up front and prefer to stay in the back and lock the bike on a pole far away from the door.

How's this for scary? When I was a teen one of the good places for parents to teach teens how to drive was at the mall before the stores opened and it got busy.

Hi John,
I plan on riding next week for the first time in a while.
I am really looking foward to it. I agree with the other guys,
you just don't know what people will do in a parking lot.
OTOH, I have ridden that stretch of road past tweeters, and it scares me when there isn't any snow at all. The guys at Back Bay Bike have seen me at the Mall on my bike, and their opinion is that I am nuts to ride there. I pretty much agree with them. But I plan on going once in a while anyway. Sanity was never my strong suit. Let's let the weather improve a bit, and if it's still copacetic we can meet.

Hi, late,

Good to hear from you again. The stretch of road I describe is actually after you come down the hill from Running Hill Road, over the Interstate, with the car dealership to your left. Before yesterday, I would go straight through, past Uno's, Weathervane, McDonald's, etc. down to the right turn to get to Hannaford's. Heavy traffic and potholes and cracks all over. (Probably not as bad on my hybrid than a road bike, but still unpleasant.)

My office used to be on Southborough Drive, across from Circuit City. The Cummings Road bridge over I-95 was extremely unpleasant, but OTOH, I didn't have to ride around the mall. Now I do, but the Running Hill Road bridge at least is much nicer - two lanes each way, and a small shoulder.

Are they commuters? They sound like they are a bit too afraid of traffic. I respect your own trepidation, as I would anyone's, but for people who work in a bike store to encourage people to be afraid of traffic rubs me a little negatively. It's one thing to say to be careful, but another to dismiss it as "nuts".

You've got to wonder about bike shop dudes (& dudettes) that don't bike commute!!

Hi,
most of them do commute. Our Mall is a high traffic area with little in the way of shoulders, and plenty of dangerous spots. Most cyclists avoid it, and for good reason. I feel I can do it, and that someone
needs to make a statement of sorts just by being there on a bike.

Well, I hope I'm not being over-confident. But with my office now on John Roberts Road, there's no getting around it (in all senses of the phrase); I have to ride there if I want to bike-commute. Of course I can understand not going there for a pleasure ride!

I think it's a good area in which to sharpen the VC skills, and in my experience so far, those skills help it be not quite so scary. And I definitely try to keep alert at all times. Next time you're in the store you could mention to them that you know a guy who regularly commutes there!

Can't tell by your description whether you're already doing what I'm going to suggest...

Delivery trucks need "safe passage" without worry of running over strollers, grannys etc. Your best bet might be to use the delivery route lanes if that's practical. These routes are paved and usually unmarked. The trucks usually come early in the morning and that lane is clear most of the day...Trucks are easy to see but you will be invisible (so always wait for them if you see 'em backing or pulling in).

If that becomes your route, you'll see same trucks at about the same times. This solution is not for everyone but it works for me.

I find I worry about this a lot..ONce I was knocked down by a day dreaming motorist at a low rate of speed...Thought I was gonna see the underside of his sports car...
I find I stay on the perphiery...Go out of my way to avoid intersections or where there are stop signs that motorists run through from a right angle to me...Since motorists are often oblivious to everything...We can't be..

I try to avoid spending time in and around mall parking lots, or any parking lots for that matter, cycling or otherwise. I find when there's only a painted line, and not a physical barrier, separating folks on a largely square area that people take "shortcuts" diagonally accross rows of parking spaces towards perceived openings without so much as glancing down the spaces between parking rows for the vehicles that should be driving there. The more I think about it, the more I really hate parking lots.

I think parking lots are the most dangerous spot for cyclists..Hard to totally avoid them ...Keep to the outside perimeter, so there are no cars to your right.....Avoid rows of parked cars,where there are not stop signs..

I would ride through the mall!

The problem with most malls is that they are ususally placed in the middle of sprawl. The engineers who designed them have little or no regard to foot or cycle traffic. The exit and entrance ramps are designed for motor traffic only. The exits leading into and from the mall are fast with little or no consideration for anothing other than a car.

Here's an update, in case anyone's interested. I've been cutting through the local mall's parking lot for about two months, since I first posted this, and I have to say it's actually working quite well. To be more precise, I don't actually drive through the parking areas, but just on the roads that connect them to each other and to the public road. I do this because the main road next to the mall, which I would otherwise have to take, is shoulderless and congested.

In the mornings, between 8 and 9, the stores aren't open yet and there's hardly any cars around at all. I can see for hundreds of yards in 360 degrees as I approach the stop signs, so I don't usually even need to stop.

In the afternoons, of course it is busier, and I do have to pay attention, and at least slow down and be prepared to stop at the stop signs. But the good thing is that the cars are not going any faster than I am, so there's no problem with taking the whole lane at all times for the best visibility. It's even kind of a good way to practice VC skills, because you can ride vehicularly just like on a real road, but the traffic is slower than on the road, and there is more time and opportunity to practice your negotiation with motorists and pedestrians, with less pressure and risk. And where I exit the mall lot onto the main road, the light cycle often works out that I can make a right turn and immediately get into the left lane for a required left turn with no overtaking cars to negotiate with, an unexpected bonus!