Moved a couple months ago. Haven't figured out a great route. I ride in a suburban area where cycling for transportation is real unusual. Find myself on some fairly faster paced narrow roads with drivers who seem unprepared how to safely negotiate sharing the road with a cyclist. My old commutes were more predictable and I was still careful but I generally felt pretty safe. Now I can't help but wonder If I'm going to eat it on a regular basis. Not complaining, I'm sure other commuters contend with worse.
I'm developing new strategies and I'll probably tinker with my route some more. One thing I've figured out is if you want to discourage people from passing too close or when it's unsafe -without putting yourself in the line of fire, is to give the bike some movement without straying from your line. Like get out of the saddle and pump and rock the handle bars or act a little wobbly and unsure of yourself. In my experience people don't want to squish you, but they will risk squishing you if they feel more than 80% confident in their chances. So what say ye, how often do you find yourself wondering if today is the day?
I'm developing new strategies and I'll probably tinker with my route some more. One thing I've figured out is if you want to discourage people from passing too close or when it's unsafe -without putting yourself in the line of fire, is to give the bike some movement without straying from your line. Like get out of the saddle and pump and rock the handle bars or act a little wobbly and unsure of yourself. In my experience people don't want to squish you, but they will risk squishing you if they feel more than 80% confident in their chances. So what say ye, how often do you find yourself wondering if today is the day?