Guess that last crash took it's emotional toll eh?Excellent helmet-cam pictures by the way.

+1

It used to be a hand gesture but I started to wonder if drivers might take it as a 'you will yield' motion. These days I usually make eye contact and give a tip of the hat motion.

I read about a guy who tested this. He measured how close cars would pass him depending on what he was wearing. Regular clothes and no helmet and a pony tail so he looked like a woman from behind was the safest because cars have him the widest berth. Helmet and full road cycling gear and cars passed him super close and he even got clipped a few times IIRC.

As another rider from Jersey, I have to agree with Terex as most of my experiences have also been very positive.

I will say that it is not just the soccer moms, but anyone on a cell phone.

I've also had many postiive experiences with drivers, a ton!

I've had great luck riding around Dayton, OH, including commuting in traffic daily. Incidents have been benign and rare, and the percentage of people who will slow down and then go completely across the yellow line to pass is astounding.

I fairly regularly commute (3x a week when I can,) same route every time. I had to take a week off (work-related travel.) Next time I was riding into work, car pulled up alongside and the driver rolled down the window. I'm thinking "Ohh boy, here it comes..."

I was shocked to hear "Hey, I didn't see you all last week! Everything OK?" I managed to say "Yeah, fine. I was out of town."

"Okay, cool! Have a nice day!"

I surely did....

It's not really safety, it's the type and density (number) of roads available for cycling. I've ridden all over Ohio and the roads just aren't as interesting and varied as those in the areas of NJ, PA and NY starting in the Del Water Gap area. Plus, fewer intentionally aggressive drivers and virtually no dogs as compared to Ohio.

Jersey ranks pretty high in the "favorable for biking" rankings. There is some great riding there.

https://www.bikeleague.org/programs/b...s_brochure.pdf

New Jersey: 8; Ohio 32.

People in NJ don't limit themselves to the "northwest quarter". There's great riding in other quarters too. (I don't quite understand why Terex only mentioned about that area).

Of course, you're right. But NE NJ is REALLY built up and crowded, and NJ south of Rt. 1 is flat and you don't get the the density of small, interesting, country roads that you find in the north. When I ride south of Rt. 1 it's mostly pace line stuff. It's a beautiful area - Monmouth County horse country, pine barrens, etc., but kinda boring.

And come on, the other areas of the state don't have Shades of Death Rd.

I was riding by myself the other weekend and had to take a little break toward the end of my ride. I set my bike down on the grass by the side of the road and sat down for a minute to have a protein bar. As soon as I sat down a young guy pulled over and asked "mam (I'm in my 20s), are you feeling alright? Do you need any water?"

Perhaps thanks to all the hostile, combative lane-takers, I get several positive experiences per ride. In addition to the garish colors and blinking red light on my seatpost, I also have one on the back of my helmet, and I always ride as far to the right as possible when I hear a car approaching from behind.
Despite this, I still hear the rumble-rumble of car tires passing over the bots-dots in the center of the lane, which tells me the drivers are giving me an especially wide berth. That rumble is a reassuring sound, and I always flash a peace-sign to these considerate motorists after they've passed .

(There was no one approaching in the above photo, it was taken by a roadside photographer, and I was doing at very least 35mph.)

I understood why you preferred the NW corner!

Northern Bergen County isn't so bad (not bad at all). Regarding the south, some people don't like hills!

NJ does have a general issue with traffic (in places). But I can work here and still be able to have good riding out my front door!

I've been riding for 5 years (approx 6k-7k miles per year) and have had only 2 negative experiences compared to 4-5 positive experiences with drivers when training alone. I've thought about why this might be for awhile and here is how I break it down:

70% - I live/ride in an small suburban city with wide roads, bike lanes, and little traffic.
15% - Ride with confidence & speed. Look like an athlete (if possible. This is NOT something you can fake with a pro-kit).
10% - Respect the law & ride like you are a car. Wave thanks at drivers who give you the right of way. (I will run lights/stops when it's early and there is no traffic).
5% - Team sponsor. Our team is sponsored by 2 companies well known/respected in the area & both are construction related. I think the name recognition helps us get respect.

Me too. But I live in the foothills of the mighty Sourlands.

No no, let's get this straight pal, when YOU get in trouble is when there's no doubt you're not joking.

Sometimes yes, sometimes no.

Where I live, I tend to go out fairly early and try to work out my finish time so that I am not traveling with all of the commuter on their way to work - only buses as public transport and no trains so it gets quite congested. I have found that the bus drivers are some of the most friendly drivers on the road and give me quite a wide berth to the point of going into another lane to pass. There is a dedicated bus lane for most of my ride, and I am never hassled by the bus drivers for riding in it. There is even 1 driver that 'races' me from one stop to another and always gives me a wave when we go our different way if we are close by. I haven't had too many motorists hassle me as there are quite a few cyclists in my area and we do seem to get some respect.

Probably my worst experience was with a Post Office van driver. I was turning left with the right of way, and the van was supposed to stop at a stop sign. The driver looked straight at me, bared his teeth and proceeded to come straight through the stop sign. There definitely was intent as he veered at me as he drove through. Luckily, I was able to hit the anchors and go behind him, just missing his rear bumper. Talk about a heart in my mouth experience.

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CHUCKLE

We are cycling in South West Wisconsin Uplands this week and the drivers here are very courteous. The test will come tomorrow during the Dairyland Dare with 1500 cyclists on the road.

South East Wisconsin is just as nice. People usually give me the whole lane and slow down a very large amount. Haven't every had any negative experiences, except getting hit. In fact just the other day i was training and going through an intersection where i had the right of way, a van pulled up to a stop sign and waited for a good 15 seconds for me to go through. It was a two way stop only. Kinda awkward actually.

About once a week someone paces me and then tells me in a surprised tone how fast I'm going (even though I know that already).