Hi all, new biker here.

I used to mountain bike on trails years ago, but recently started to bike again. This time around I decided to go Hybrid since I am older and going to be riding with my wife most of the time.

We usually load up the bikes and go to the local park where there is a paved loop trail and also lots of grass area.

But I am trying to find the confidence of hitting the real roads. I went out today to try some roads with minimal traffic. Here in my town, there is no such things as bike lanes
But some roads don't have much traffic and some major highways have a very wide shoulder beyond the white line (Another reason I like my hybrid cause it can handle the sometimes rough shoulder)

But some roads have high traffic, and almost no shoulder...these are the ones that scare me. I feel like I would be hindering traffic or something (I know I shouldn't feel this way as a biker)

So any advice on how to get over the fear of high-traffic areas?

i can't get over the fear. all it takes is one idiot driver. on a bike there's no protection. i ride the rail trails / canal trails. pittsburgh has a 300 mile trail, near philly i've got the schuylkill which will be 130 miles when complete but for now i've got a 40 mile stretch. i ride purely for leisure - not utility - and being around cars takes away the leisure.

FWIW, all my accidents have been on multiuse paths. On a nice sunny day, the pedestrians, kids on bikes, and dog walkers are far more dangerous IMHO. Getting used to it helps, wearing clown outfits helps (being highly visible) and I tend to ride well to the left so that if I need the lane I can take it (crud in the shoulder). Act like you belong there and I find they typically treat you as such. If memory serves right, the typical accidents are driveways (pulling out into you), left turns (esp. through gaps in traffic) and right turns and dragging you along (TAKE THAT LANE). Very rarely are they from behind moving in the same direction as you are. In a recent talk show that focuses on statistics they found cycling to be more dangerous than driving in the UK, but only as much as driving in France was more dangerous than driving in the UK.

"So any advice on how to get over the fear of high-traffic areas"

To some extent, this is a matter determined by one's personality etc; you might just be one of those who is, and will always be, uncomfortable mixing it with motor vehicle traffic. OTOH, you might not! The only way to find out is, unfortunately, to get out there and ride.

FWIW, a few suggestions:

1. Assume that you have (you do) a right to the use of public roadways, unless clearly/specifically prohibited by law (e.g. many/most freeways, that kind of thing).
2. Assume -- always -- that every driver, other cyclist, pedestrian etc. cannot see you, and act accordingly.
3. Assume -- always -- that every driver of every motorized vehicle is trying to kill you, and ride accordingly.
4. Assume -- always -- that if a driver has two or more options, one safe/correct the other(s) unsafe/stupid/aggressive/negligent/incorrect, she/he will choose the latter.
5. Assume #4 re. cyclists as well.
6. Never respond to aggression/stupidity etc. like-for-like; take the highroad (difficult, I know, but it does pay off). Avoid an incident, and ride quietly away.
7. Where possible, and safe for you, don't impede motorized traffic. If you can safely yield/let people pass etc, do so. You'd be surprised how much goodwill this attracts.
8. Ride as quickly/smoothly as you can, signal your moves clearly, and hold your line; don't 'salmon' unpredictably all over the place.
9. Don't, I repeat don't, jump lights/shoot the gap etc. in traffic; nothing infuriates drivers more; if they don't aim their anger at you, they will at some other cyclist.
10. Ride lots!

There's more, but these basics have worked very well for me over the past ten years or so of 3-season fast commuting every weekday in heavy traffic.

You could try what I've unknowingly done to try and get used to the roads (still not all the way there). Start out in a 25 mph area like a development, then ride a 30 mph park road (those are great, drivers are more used to the bikes), then the 35 mph zones... Problem is once you hit the 35 mph roads, people are actually doing 40-45 so a nice shoulder is a must. Pay attention to your roads while you're driving for those big bike-friendly shoulders, make a note of the best ones and come back someday soon with the bikes. They're out there, just few and far between!

Off topic:

Pittsburgh has a 300 mile trail?! My parents live in Pittsburgh and they've been getting into riding lately, they'd love to hear about that! Can you tell me where it's at?

+1

i too am fearful of traffic - especially since i live in manhattan - specifically, times square. traffic here is nuts. i live on the west side and ride my bike on some quieter streets/sidewalks while i head over to the bike trails. once im there, it's 13 miles of uninterrupted bike path - no cars at all.

i dont know if i'll ever get over it. and while true, the suggestions above are great, i still will not ride in traffic like so many people do. i saw a commuter get his rear tire run over by a minivan - thank god he was okay.

and not to mention the several "ghost bikes" that i see around the city that represent people that have died on their bike.... i dont want to become a statistic.

Yeah I agree with this. Although legally permitted, I generally avoid roads that are 35mph+ with high traffic and no bike lane. It's just unpleasant to constantly have cars come up quickly behind you and narrowly change lanes. And many of them have no idea what the law is so they honk and get all agitated by it. Sure, it's their problem and not yours but it still makes it more hectic and less fun.

Sometimes you can't avoid these roads on a particular route but I try to minimize them. If you find yourself on a busy road though, take the lane or you will find that cars will nearly (or actually) clip you.

it's called the great alleghany passage...it'll take you from pittsburgh to dc...right in time for 4th of july!

https://www.atatrail.org/tmi/maps.cfm

Our area (Niagara) has a great cycling map available at all the local bike shops that shows suitable roads for bikes, bike lanes, paths, as well as hills etc. and regular map features. Ask at your bike shop or check online if cycling maps available for your area. Downtown type streets with lots of stoplights and quiet sideroads tend to be the best, busy main suburban routes (the 4 or 6 lane main traffic roads) tend to be the worst. I really find busy suburbs worse than either city or country as they were designed for high speed car traffic. I really avoid high speed, no shoulder situations if at all possible. Quality of pavement also matters - a rough road is much more dangerous if busy as more difficult to keep to a straight and certain line.

Another big fact is time of day/day of week - traffic on many routes is hugely different on a Sunday at 7 am than a Tuesday at 5 pm.