Are there roads we just shouldn't be on??

[67-59]

Originally Posted by rugbysecondrow

I will pick my roads based on time of day.

Roads with plenty of space and ability to share are fair game.

Same here. There are plenty of roads I frequent on weekends or weekday "off hours" that I wouldn't go near on weekday rush hours. I also take nearby constructon areas and school bus zones/times into account.

All of my riding is for pleasure and fitness, so I can't speak for those who commute.

[bcroslin]

the self-loathing continues.

not everyone is a lycra-wearing roadie dork. there's lots of folks out there that have no other transportation than riding a bike. they have just as much right to be on the road as you do. deal with it.

[gdw]

No self loathing here. How old are you and how long have you been riding?

[CunegoFan]

Originally Posted by azrider

ABSOLUTELY

The road in front of our subdivision is 3 lanes with speed of 45. No shoulder. There is no reason why someone should be on this road on a bike, ESPECIALLY sans helmet.

I consider myself cyclist and this dude pissed me off.

A helmet won't make a difference If he gets hit at 45 mph.

I view it as an exercise in risk management. Cycling in high traffic, especially when motorists are rushing to or from work, increases your risks. If there is a nearby route with less traffic or a better shoulder then I take that.

People who ride on bad roads, pissing off motorists and increasing their own risks, because "it is their right" remind me of idiots who insist on driving the speed limit in the passing lane and refuse to move over for traffic coming up faster from behind.

[Kzoo_cyclist]

Not all of us are blessed with perfect cycling roads for recreation and/or commuting - We take what we can get and make safe choices and decisions whenever possible.

Based on some of the responses here, I wonder if some posters are actually cyclists. Do you just collect bikes and hang them as trophies on your car, or do you actually ride them?

[rugbysecondrow]

Originally Posted by Kzoo_cyclist

Not all of us are blessed with perfect cycling roads for recreation and/or commuting - We take what we can get and make safe choices and decisions whenever possible.

Based on some of the responses here, I wonder if some posters are actually cyclists. Do thou just collect bikes and hang them as tropes on your car, or do you actually ride them?

My man, what is the point at which I can have an opinion about riding a bike? 5, 10, 15, 300, 800 miles a month? Why the need to discredit or label those with whom you have a disagreement?

[unterhausen]

there is always a justification for someone to say that someone shouldn't ride somewhere. Cletus thinks I should be riding in the ditch -- literally in some cases. I personally think that Cletus should stay home in Cletusville and leave us civilized folks alone. For one thing, the crime rate would be a lot lower here. But I know my desires are unreasonable, many people that drive don't have the same realization about their notions of what cyclists should or shouldn't do. I think we should just stick to the law. But I do think that our roads are designed for people to drive through town, and that should change. Not every road has to be a freeway, but that's where we are right now

My commute has one section where you can either risk your life on the sidewalk or ride down a 4 lane street for a block. I often ride down the street. It's a lot safer, and after years of doing it I have had no near-misses, unlike the sidewalk which there is a near-miss almost every time I ride on it. I'm sure a lot of people think that I shouldn't do that, but I have rude things to say to those people.

Pennsylvania treats bikes as a slow moving vehicle. In fact, your Ducati is a slow moving vehicle if you are going less than the normal speed. You are required to pull over if there are 5 vehicles behind you. I have never actually seen that many vehicles behind me.

[shovelhd]

Rugby makes some good points in his posts. It is more about courtesy and sharing than enforcing a right.

That said I live on a street off of a busy state road that has a shoulder that ranges from four feet to zero up against a guardrail. Is it dangerous at times? Yes, but I have no choice. There is no other route home. I do not take the lane on a 50mph road even when the shoulder runs out. I keep to the right of the white and stay alert.

I have no other time to train except during the afternoon rush hour. I hate that part of it. I just make sure to turn back to acknowledge approaching vehicles from the rear, which, coupled with the blinkie, calms the sane ones enough to get them to back off for a few seconds, wave trailing vehicles through when it's clear, wave appreciatively when they pass, and take the lane where it's necessary. Eye contact and communication goes a long way.

What gets me are the DUI Donalds riding the wrong way on a four lane 50mph road when there is a rail trail 50 meters away.

[thwart]

This discussion is really about infrastructure. Without appropriate bike lanes or bike/MTU paths available to us, we're all just competing for road space.

And the bigger and faster moving vehicles have the odds stacked in their favor. One way or the other.

From the tone of some of the posters here it seems they have never been bike commuters… where frequently there is not the luxury of picking your riding time and a less traveled route.

Vote for folks who place some value on alternative forms of transportation… or suffer the consequences… whether that be having cars passing close by you at 50 mph while you ride, or waiting in traffic on a narrow two lane because there's a bike commuter up ahead on the same road.

[malcolm]

Originally Posted by thwart

This discussion is really about infrastructure. Without appropriate bike lanes or bike/MTU paths available to us, we're all just competing for road space.

And the bigger and faster moving vehicles have the odds stacked in their favor. One way or the other.

From the tone of some of the posters here it seems they have never been bike commuters… where frequently there is not the luxury of picking your riding time and a less traveled route.

Vote for folks who place some value on alternative forms of transportation… or suffer the consequences… whether that be having cars passing close by you at 50 mph while you ride, or waiting in traffic on a narrow two lane because there's a bike commuter up ahead on the same road.

I hear you, but I don't need my bike for transportation as most of us here don't. If you have to have the bike to get around by all means do so as safely as possible. Death is not a consequence I would choose when all I'm trying to accomplish is have some fun and exercise.

If you are commuting to make some sort of statement philosophical or ecological then you have to decide if the risk of riding on some roads is worth it, as in the risk of death, injury and or inconvenience to your fellow man. If it's worth it to you then by all means go ahead.

[thwart]

Originally Posted by malcolm

I hear you, but I don't need my bike for transportation as most of us here don't. If you have to have the bike to get around by all means do so as safely as possible. Death is not a consequence I would choose when all I'm trying to accomplish is have some fun and exercise.

If you are commuting to make some sort of statement philosophical or ecological then you have to decide if the risk of riding on some roads is worth it, as in the risk of death, injury and or inconvenience to your fellow man. If it's worth it to you then by all means go ahead.

Most bike commuters I know are not 'making a statement', and all that seems to imply. They are simply going to their workplace in the most logical and cost-effective manner possible.

[firerescuefin]

Originally Posted by thwart

Most bike commuters I know are not 'making a statement', and all that seems to imply. They are simply going to their workplace in the most logical and cost-effective manner possible.

Logical and cost effective starts becoming less logical and cost effective when you can afford to drive in and your family can't afford to not have you alive. I know a handful of folks that make a healthy living that commute and wear it as a badge of pride. I'd love to, but I'd never ride the roads they do before dawn with a bright red flashing light as my shield. Risk doesn't equal reward to me....but it clearly does for them.

My answer is yes...there are roads we should not be on.

Ask me ten years ago (before kids) and my answer was different.

[93legendti]

There are plenty of roads around here that are legal to ride that i won't ride on. I see plenty of cyclists riding on them and I wish them luck. 50mph with high traffic and no shoulder? No thanks. Trail or sidewalk with lots of dogs on leashes? Nope.

My responsibility is to get back to my family. I choose my roads for riding accordingly.

[thwart]

Originally Posted by firerescuefin

Risk doesn't equal reward to me....but it clearly does for them.

Sounds an awful lot like what some friends of mine say when they hear about me riding the roads for enjoyment, rather than solely on a bike path.

The point really is that this country needs to move toward a transportation (and legal) system more alike some European countries, where riding your bike, whether for recreation or transportation, is much safer.

[Kirk007]

Originally Posted by 93legendti

There are plenty of roads around here that are legal to ride that i won't ride on. I see plenty of cyclists riding on them and I wish them luck. 50mph with high traffic and no shoulder? No thanks. Trail or sidewalk with lots of dogs on leashes? Nope.

My responsibility is to get back to my family. I choose my roads for riding accordingly.

Blue moon time - I agree with Adam!

I've commuted in Seattle, from various neighborhoods, for a long, long time. I commuted in Eugene for a decade. In both places, there are/were roads that I chose not to ride on as there are safer alternatives very near. If someone choses to ride in traffic on a major arterial rather than a block away on a parallel side street or bike path, well, they are free to make that choice. I see riders on Aurora Ave/99N (i.e the major north - south route prior to I-5. They don't need to be there, and I won't defend their right to there as a matter of principle. In my view, somethings are just plain stupid. Rational risk assessment has a role in every day life.