How do you feel about riding with traffic?

so how do you feel riding with traffic, new/experienced cyclists?

 

Honestly as a new rider it makes me nervous. Unfortunately my town isn't very bike friendly and we have to share the road with motorists or stay home. For that reason I plan my routes on the outskirts of town on quiet roads and ride early in the morning or late in the evening when there is less traffic. I also have to take into consideration that I'm a female usually riding alone when I'm planning routes so there's that added stress as well.

 

If your a new rider then obviously riding with or in traffic is going to be daunting. as you get more and more experienced though, you do get used to it and sometimes it can even be enjoyable depending on hat type of cycling your doing.

If you're commuting to or from work and need to get somewhere it can be infuriating, but if you're not in a rush then cycling through a city centre for example can actually be the best way to see your city, and you'll find that you'll notice things you've never noticed before.

 

I've never been a huge fan of riding in traffic. There are a lot of dangers, especially when trying to weave through a busy road. And therefore have to be on my guard, and be super cautious which takes some of the joy out of cycling. I definitely prefer to ride on quiet roads.

 

I don't like it, but I don't retreat to sidewalks when I encounter it either. Cyclists don't belong on the side walk. I just slow down and pay attention to what's going on around me. A little awareness goes a long way towards preventing accidents.

 

No one would believe that I am a newbie when it comes to traffic but I have to admit that I don't remember riding in the main road by myself. I only ride in the main road when there is a group that I can join. My usual riding area is the village park and the village roads where I have no care when riding because I feel safe except for some issues about holdups and mugging lately.

My problem with the main roads here is the heavy traffic that 2-wheels, be it bicycle or motorcycle, would be wending the way between vehicles. That is a risky stunt for me because what would happen if I would hit a car?

 

I am relatively inexperienced so busy roads make me very nervous. To be honest I try to avoid riding on roads period if I can. Even slow country roads make me concerned that I will accidentally lose balance and swerve into a car. It's just sticking to trails for me.

 

A lot of people aren't at ease with cycling with traffic but it's something that you have to get used to if you're going to be riding in or around any built up areas as you will come in to contact with traffic. The longer you put it off, the worse your fear is going to get.

Cycling in traffic can be dangerous, but if your careful then accidents can be avoided, and it's like everything in life, thinking about it is always a lot worse than actually doing it and once you do, you'll often wonder what you was worrying about in the first place.

 

I'm an experience rider, I actually love riding with traffic, although I know I'm in the way, I don't actually ride in front of other cars.

I would ride on the wrong side of the road these days because I like knowing that I can see the cars coming towards me, rather than behind. I'm sure they'd appreciate that as well.

It feels weird having a car zoom past me from behind me, and I don't like the feeling of constantly worrying about being bumped from behind, this will not be a basic accident for any biker going faster than 20 miles an hour.

 

Being a long time rider, and former racer I don't have any issues with riding in traffic. I go out and pick routes every now and then that take me into high traffic areas. I also take my single speed into Boston just to play in traffic.

Never would I ride against traffic, great way to get yourself hurt even more if you ever got hit.

Stay predicable and I can only control me, myself, and I. I never worry about the cars passing, most problems come form cars cutting in front of me because they don't realize how fast I'm traveling. Always try to see where the driver is looking when I come toward an intersection or side road.

It's been more on a challenge with everyone with their cell phones and texting, but hey that's what makes it fun.

 

Nothing really special about it. Only that you have to be more wary even riding across the bicycle lane. You can't go sprinting around without looking first.

 

Our roads are always busy with traffic everywhere and drivers wanting to get to their destination first than the others. Cars are racing everyday that is why I'm really afraid of cycling along traffics. I prefer cycling during off-peak hours or in places where there are not much vehicles around.

 

As a lot of us have already said, riding with traffic does become easier and easier the more we do it. That isn't to say that it becomes less dangerous though of course, we just get used to the dangers that can happen and become more aware.

In other things in life, the more we do something, the more complacent we'll get, but when it comes to cycling with traffic around, I feel the more we get used to it, the more careful we become as we know exactly what can happen if things go wrong.

 

After over 40 years of riding I still don't like it but it is something you have to get used to like or not. The more cyclists there are on the road the more polite the drivers are as a rule. The more likely the driver is to be a rider himself of have children or friends that are.

But a fairly consistent 10% of the drivers on the road think that they own the road and if your local police don't want to discourage those attitudes you have people making close passes at you a lot. You simply have to get used to it.

But I do try to ride as politely as possible. I DO NOT endanger myself in any way in order to give more room to a car. I will take the entire lane if it is dangerous to do otherwise and this is allowed by law in every state.

But I also do things like while taking up an entire lane in the country I will get around a blind turn first and I will make sure it is clear and then signal a driver to pass. I will then given them as much room as possible remembering that someone could be coming in the other directly WELL over a safe speed.

So if you want to know if I'm nervous a lot on the road? Yes. But that isn't going to stop me from riding. I would get a double semi through my driver's door as well but all I do is obey the rules of the road and ignore the danger.

 

I always feel uneasy when riding with heavy traffic or at night... even with reflectors. I have friend who was seriously injured while riding and doing everything right.

 

I always feel uneasy when riding with heavy traffic or at night... even with reflectors. I have friend who was seriously injured while riding and doing everything right.

 

Forgive me for slapping your hand but please NEVER EVER ride at night without bright lights front and rear. The rear red light and the white front should be visible for 90 degrees on either side. I especially like the blinking rear red lights. Most people don't know what it means and give a wide berth for a change.

 

That seems to be the biggest issue with cycling in busy towns and cities, and it's not that the cyclist as done anything wrong to cause the accident, it's more often the other road users. as it goes I'd say that cyclists are the safest people on the road usually, but when others make a mistake it's us cyclists that get the brunt of the damage.

All we can do is ride as safely as we can, but also hope for the best that others are being as careful as we are, but more often not they aren't and that's when we come off the worst.

 

I avoid riding in heavy traffic at all cost, but if its not preventable, I don't shy away from it either. I just obey the road rules and try to get on less traffic heavy side roads as soon as possible.

 

I've ridden in some of the worst heavy urban traffic there is across the country in cities like Chicago and so on. I don't think any experienced rider actually LIKES riding in traffic, but I do think it's a skill set every rider should learn, at least some of the basics. Even if you travel light traffic roads, you still need to know how to deal with cars and deal with intersections and so on. Then, too, you may unexpectedly find yourself in a heavy traffic situation.