I'd like to commute but...

[ksheuk]

My commute would be 42 miles one way but I only have to make 2 trips per week. Not bad.

The drawback is a five mile stretch of highway, 55mph, no shoulder, early morning (dark), and foggy in the winter. It doesn't get that cold here. The poor visibility in the early morning and then the fog make me apprehensive.

When the fog is really bad, I can see the distance between two telephone poles, sometimes a little further.

My question is will the other driver see me in these conditions, provided I have adequate lighting. As most readers here already know when the weather gets bad and visibility drops, most people drive faster and many aren't even paying attention.

I'd love to hear suggestions, thoughts, or comments.

Much appreciated,

KS

 

[Brunswick_kate]

My commute would be 42 miles one way but I only have to make 2 trips per week. Not bad.

The drawback is a five mile stretch of highway, 55mph, no shoulder, early morning (dark), and foggy in the winter. It doesn't get that cold here. The poor visibility in the early morning and then the fog make me apprehensive.

When the fog is really bad, I can see the distance between two telephone poles, sometimes a little further.

My question is will the other driver see me in these conditions, provided I have adequate lighting. As most ders here already know when the weather gets bad and visibility drops, most people drive faster and many aren't even paying attention.

I'd love to hear suggestions, thoughts, or comments.

Much appreciated,

KS

If they can't see you, they can't avoid you. And if they aren't looking for you, they're never going to see you. And fog has to be the worst climatic condition to drive in for visibility. I've got fog "stories" that would scare the living bejesus out of you.

So basically, it's dark, foggy, no one can see you despite the fact you've got enough lights on you to fire the Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Centre because fog absorbs the light, and no one is looking for you because who in their right mind would be on a bike at that hour.... Oh yeah, and you can't properly see road hazards either.

I think I'd seriously consider waiting a change in the weather. As keen as I am about commuting, I stop when I'm competing for road space with snowplows at 5:30 am when no one is expecting to find a dumb-ass cyclist out on the roads.

 

[Tabruno3]

Safety first - if you even think that the conditions are such that you may be at peril, you probably should avoid the commute route.

I love my ride - I have large shoulders to ride on, roads that have traffic but not traffic I would consider "intense", and some fairly well lit roads - that plus my headlight that make it "almost daylight"

You might want to consider alternatives to your proposed 42 mile ride. Can you find a way to work that is not as treacherous that might also be closer? If so, you could dress for a bike ride, throw you trusty steed into the car, drive to a "bike off" point and ride say 20 miles on friendlier roads. Then at night you'd reverse the process, riding to your car and finishing up the ride home via auto.

I used to do this before I got the courage to ride 22 miles one way to work ... now I get depressed if I don't bike 45 miles a day a minimum of three days a week!

 

[greentyres]

Tell us your fog stories! Im intrigued.

If they can't see you, they can't avoid you. And if they aren't looking for you, they're never going to see you. And fog has to be the worst climatic condition to drive in for visibility. I've got fog "stories" that would scare the living bejesus out of you.

So basically, it's dark, foggy, no one can see you despite the fact you've got enough lights on you to fire the Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Centre because fog absorbs the light, and no one is looking for you because who in their right mind would be on a bike at that hour.... Oh yeah, and you can't properly see road hazards either.

I think I'd seriously consider waiting a change in the weather. As keen as I am about commuting, I stop when I'm competing for road space with snowplows at 5:30 am when no one is expecting to find a dumb-ass cyclist out on the roads.