Live and learn - less traffic isn't always better

OK, as I'm sure some of you have noticed, I've posted about a number of near misses over the past few months. My commute is only 1.5 miles each way (I do it 4 times/day as I ride home for lunch) and yet here I was having all these close calls. It made for a stressful ride and frankly, I was getting tired of it.

Today I woke up and discovered that we have no milk. I also only got about 3 hours of sleep last night, so I HAD to have some coffee (I need milk in my coffee). I debated between stopping at Panera or Starbucks, and opted for Starbucks because it was more 'on the way' to work.

To get to Starbucks, I needed to ride down a busy street that I normally avoid. It is parallel to the one I usually ride, so going that route does not increase my distance/travel time at all. There is a bike lane, and about 6 or 7 traffic lights in the 1 mile stretch (no kidding!). I rarely drive this route by car because it takes so long because of the traffic lights.

Today, I was amazed at how relaxing it was to bike down this street. Every intersection had a traffic light. The bike lanes were clearly marked. There was a lot of cars, but very few had to cross my path for any reason and if they did, it was where there were lighted intersections. Contrast this to my other route that while it had less cars, it had 3 substantial intersections with no lights - therefore more chances for bike/car confusion. All of my 'near miss' situations were in or because of one of these intersections.

I never would have guessed it, but biking on the busier road is actually more stress/worry free than biking on the 'quieter' road. Live and learn!

The moral of the story? Quiter roads are not always 'safer' roads. ;)

That's a great story. Thanks for sharing!

When we visited Provincetown MA last month, riding right in the congested streets with a 2 foot wide sidewalk, pedestrians, bikes, and cars all in the one lane road together....well frankly at first it really freaked me out! I'm used to riding highways and rural roads.
But you know, after a day or so of this slowly crawling along picking my way through the walkers and drivers (everyone has to go real slow) it turned out to be sort of FUN. :eek: :D Everyone seemed resigned to being patient and courteous because there was no way to get anywhere fast and so impatience was useless. :D

Bicycles: Resistance is Futile.

Our city has just painted new cycling lanes on a number of busy streets. They are a wonder to behold! :p Actually, as much as I love them, there are places where they are new that cars are still parking in them, in some places they just end with no clear idea of how we should share the road beyond, and in some cases they are along the gutter with lots of storm drains, gravel and other bicycle-unfriendly features.

Where the cycling lanes are smooth, and where the drivers are used to them, nothing quite beats them!

H&B
~T~