Yep ... Highway 11 from Nordegg to Saskatchewan River Crossing.

And yes, you do have to pick and choose the highways you ride, and the time of year or time of day you ride them. In some places highways are busier during the week than on the weekend. In other places it is the opposite. In some places highways are busy during holiday times. In other places they are quiet during holiday times and busy during working/school times.


For example, there's a stretch of highway between Healesville and Narbethong, near where we live, called the Black Spur. It is one of the main highways out to the area where we live, and we would not advise cycling it ... especially not between about mid-December and early-February, when the holiday crowd are coming out from Melbourne to the country. And even through the rest of the year, really early in the morning, and really late in the evening would probably be the best times to attempt it. It is a very, very narrow, twisty road that climbs up and over a range ... 20-ish km of switchbacks and twists and turns, with no shoulder, and often lots of impatient traffic.

If you want to cycle northward out of Melbourne, there are other choices.


But you observe (when you're riding and driving) and figure it out. These days you can also get ahold of things like traffic density maps etc. to help you figure out when the best time to ride the highway might be ... or if the highway is worth riding at all.


This highway, below, is one that is near where we live in Australia. It can be quite busy during school holiday times (mid-December to early-February), when the Melbourne traffic comes up here (this is a somewhat touristy area because of the lakes and mountains around) ... so we don't ride it then. In fact, we hardly ride any of the highways in that area then. We go to less touristy areas to ride.

This highway can also be quite busy during "peak" hours during the week ... going to work time, going home time. But on a weekend in September (when the photo was taken), it can be a decent choice. The shoulder sort of comes and goes, but pick the right time, and the traffic density isn't too high, so it doesn't matter too much.

Thought so, it's so beautiful there.

Statistically, Interstates are quite safe for cycling in the majority of the U.S. that allows bicycle access.

The greatest hazard to cyclists on surface streets is intersection conflicts, and Interstate freeways eliminate most of those. There are no left-hooks on the freeway, no failure to stop at stop signs.

Non-interstate highways are much more hazardous.

Great post!!!! Visibility is what it's all about. My goal is to use colors that aren't naturally occuring in nature. Hi-viz yellow is my number one choice.

You also make a good point about riding comfort level. I ride in an urban/ suburban environment. I'm totally comfortable riding in the city or on highways around my homes in Jersey and Florida. That said, I don't delude myself about the risks I'm taking. For example IMO, that the riding in FL is more dangerous than riding in Jersey.

At times I do just as you suggest, put the bike on the rack and drive to a quieter area. If I'm going to do a fifty mile loop it really doesn't matter where I start. And mixing it up somewhat by driving to different areas gives flavor of touring when the schedule won't allow more than a day ride.

Traffic stopped or almost so on the TP, I'd ride that. Usually traffic is traveling at 75mph. Which is why bicycles aren't allowed on the Turnpike. The other pic may be what you call a highway, but we in Jersey call that a country road.

That said, your point is well made.

What's my problem? Before I get to that, l will tell you what I consider a highway. And that is, for the purposes of my posts on this thread, my definition of a highway doesn't matter. What does matter is the OP's definition of a highway. HE STATED THAT HE WAS RIDING WITH 60MPH TRAFFIC ON A 3 FOOT STRIP. He is asking his question: Is this safe, within that context. My answers here are taken within the context of his question, not from my own experience. Clearly, he is not riding on bucolic California SR 89. Nor is he riding on the beautiful highways pictured in one of the posts. He has 60mph traffic by his own defintion "whizzing" past at 3 to 4 feet. I could be wrong. Maybe he is perfectly safe. But it's not wrong to advise him to use his judgement. And, it's not wrong to warn him of the obvious dangers.

What's my problem? Again, within the context of this thread it is the reckless advise to just go for it! None of you are riding that highway. You respond with pictures of beautiful low traffic country roads to support your advice. If those roads are as safe as they look in the pictures I'd let my grandkids ride them. Beyond that, posting that MUPs are more dangerous than Highways? Really? I'll give that MUPs can be one big PIA and that you might end up with a scraped knee from an incident. But posting such advice is irresponsible at best. You are not going to get run down from behind by a semi on an MUP.

I didn't come onto this thread to get into it with anyone, just to let the OP know that he should use his own judgement.

As for the rest of us, we all ride highways. Let's not kid ourselves about the risks we are taking. If you ride on a high speed highway with a narrow shoulder and moderate to heavy traffic, and do that everyday, you are getting away with it.

IMO a small light should be attached for such occasions as when we are all caught out a bit later than we'd planned. get a blinkie or two