Road vs Park riding

[Catrin]

I've pretty much decided, for now, to not ride on the road. There have been so many serious bike accidents in the area in which I normally ride lately. I know a couple of the cyclists and they don't ride like idiots (the last one was hit by a state trooper who didn't look when he came off the interstate)! This decision makes me a bit sad as riding in the park feels confining after a couple of laps - but I don't pretend that I am bulletproof on the road - or is that "hit-proof".

On the other hand, this park is the same place I go to trail run, so perhaps I can make some connection between the two so it won't feel so much like riding in a beautiful treadmill. There is a steep hill, though not all that long, pretty scenery, and yes, traffic to dodge. However the speed limit is much lower :) It seems a shame to limit my lovely custom bike to park riding, but of course there are other parks I can ride in and a couple of MUTs that I can hit - as long as I plan my ride during low-traffic times. The Monon in particular gets VERY congested - I would rather be on the road during those times. To be clear this isn't mountain biking, sadly, but pavement riding.

There will likely come a time when I feel safe enough to ride outside of the park, but for now this feels like a relief. Have others here made the same type of decision? I won't stop riding, and if this is what I've got to to do to feel safe then so be it.

[Crankin]

I will never make this decision, even after what happened last Saturday. If my DH had not stopped to use the porta potty, we may have well been in the group that was hit. My little crash caused more damage to my bike than me, and while I'm sore, I made it a priority to get right back on my bike. I did a fast, short ride with DH Wed. afternoon and this morning we took a very early, short ride at about 5:15 AM, getting back at 6:00.
If I made the decision not to ride on the road, I would have nowhere to ride. There are 2 bike paths within 10 miles of my house. One is the most crowded trail in the country; it's mostly a commuting trail, but even midday, on a Wednesday, it's busy. That's an 8 mile road ride to the start. The other is about 5-6 miles away and while not crowded, at least some of the time, there are 2 weird road crossings in a busy area that I hate. I feel safer on the road, as I've had close calls and verbal altercations on both of these trails. Plus, I find riding the same route over and over is extremely boring. I have a few short routes I do, like this morning or when I am squeezing in a ride during the week and I have to vary them. I have a friend who has a second home on the Cape and she rides the Cape Cod Rail Trail (early in the AM) like 3-4X a week. I couldn't do that.
I am not giving in to fear or crazies. The more people out there, the more aware others will become.

[thekarens]

There's no right or wrong answer, but I look at it this way. There are a zillion accidents on the roads I drive every day. Living in Houston there's a boatload every day. I "could" in theory be in any one of them. It's not going to stop me from driving. I just can't live my life playing "what if," though I don't blame others who do. I understand why they are afraid.

[Crankin]

I do understand it, but most of my social life is built around riding. I do other sports, too, and I am not as obsessed as in the past, but, as someone who comes from a long line of anxiety ridden, fearful people (especially the women), I decided a long time ago that I would break the chain.

[Skippyak]

IMO road bikers with drops and spandex just don't belong on rec bike trails for any distance, here they are just busy with kids and skateboarders and runners and horses and the most dangerous are the massive amounts of mums with strollers and little kids. IMO roadies are a risk to others on the multi use, especially clipped in. I am really lucky with roads though, I am in the edge of suburbia and BFE. However, even on my main exti road, a ride was killed when a truck lost a wheel and plowed into her group. It was random, possibly negligent car maintenance, but I could bet that at the time it happened there would have been minimal cars on the stretch of road and the chances of this happening was just not even imaginable.

[deanywalker21]

It is my practice to avoid peak traffic times and / or ride low traffic roads. We have a trail 1.5 miles from our house, however the road is just plain more fun. Sometimes I will add a protion of the trail into a 15-20 mile ride, which means taking a mtb. I get a harder workout that way and it is a bit different. I have had a few close calls trying to cross busy roads, due to speeding cars and difficult to see trail crossings. Now that the sun is setting sooner I have taken my evening exercise into a sub-division, which does get boring but has some hills and very little traffic. I am very aware of the sun-glare problem with our early evening sunsets and a bit more cautious about being seen.

[jobob]

IMO road bikers with drops and spandex just don't belong on rec bike trails for any distance, [...]

Is it the drops or the spandex that perturb you the most?

[kajero]

I am very aware of the sun-glare problem with our early evening sunsets and a bit more cautious about being seen.

I don't go riding too much if it is close to sunset because I don't like to ride in the dark. Thanks for making me aware of the sun-glare issues. I guess I never thought about it.

[Eden]

I use my bicycle not only for recreation and exercise, but also for transportation, so being chased off of the roads would mean being chased into a car for me, which I consider to be unacceptable....

[Catrin]

Well, I am not talking about riding on a MUT, but on the roads in a very large park. Given my physical riding restrictions from my neck/shoulder issues it makes it hard to get out in traffic anyway for longer rides. I ride for recreation and exercise these days, not for transportation or errands so that does simplify things. I am not saying that I will never ride outside of the park again, just for now I do not feel safe doing so. I know me, and I WILL get tried of that beautiful park "treadmill", so we will see how long this lasts. As I type this I realize that part of this might also be fear of yet another bike-related neck injury...I am not saying it is a rational fear, but I think that is part of this.

[Crankin]

I only mentioned the MUT places, because there really aren't any places like you describe around here. I *have* ridden in state parks on group rides. One is in NE MA, and the roads were horrible. Frost heaves, pot holes, etc. The other was in Plymouth, where the roads were marginally better. I suppose I might ride in the second one if I lived near there, as there were no cars. Good hills, though. But, both are known more for the mountain bike trails.
I live in "country" suburbia and I only have to ride about 8 miles to get into rural areas. I think I am spoiled. In fact, I know I am, because whenever I travel and ride other places, I am not that impressed.

[Thorn]

I use my bicycle not only for recreation and exercise, but also for transportation, so being chased off of the roads would mean being chased into a car for me, which I consider to be unacceptable....

+1

Our local bike fed likes to quote that mile for mile travelled, the bike is safer than the car. My bike is my transport. I'm on the road for the long haul.

[buffybike]

I understand the concerns of the OP. Having two young kids and already having been hit by a car once, I can certainly empathize with having to decide whether or not road-riding is worth the risk. But, for me, the pros (health, happiness, quality of life) outweigh the cons (risk of injury or worse). Nowadays, when I buy a jersey, it's in a "neon" color and I try to stick to roads with little traffic and lots of other cyclists. Just like driving, though...you do your best to be careful/visible/vigilant, but there's always a risk as you have no control over other drivers. The next-best thing we can do is to attend local planning meetings and advocate for safer cycling. I used to live in a city with a really organized bike advocacy group--they attended all the local planning meetings, lobbied local and state officials and had a huge impact on getting more bike lanes, an awesome mountain bike park and other bike-safety features incorporated into our city. Use your voting power to demand safer conditions for cyclists--it works!