Urban vs Rural

[malkin]

Salt Lake is a funny little city in a mainly rural state. We live basically downtown, but if we ride 10 miles north and a little west we are out in the country.

The 'country' section of one of our regular rides takes us up a stretch of 2 lane road past homes with horses and farm-y land, goats, cattle, and stuff like that. The road is good, but not great, and the shoulders are narrow. When cars or more likely pickup trucks pass us, they move way over, and give us the whole lane.

In SLC proper, the roads may be 3 lanes each direction, with a bike lane and an ambiguous strip in the center. Drivers crowd us, and honk and shout at us.

Okay, it isn't a perfectly fair comparison because not all the city drivers are like that, because there are so many more cars closer in. But Brewer & I were wondering if the drivers on that road are accustomed to going around kids on horses and tractors and meandering cattle and whatever else that passing the odd tandem is really not seen as such an inconvenience.

I've heard nasty stories about bad stuff that happens on country highways, so I know it isn't universal...
Anyone else notice any trends like this?

[Cataboo]

Around the DC area - I get harassed a lot more by drivers when I'm closer in towards the city than when I'm out in the country.

Probably every ride that I'm out in a more populated area, someone honks or yells get on the sidewalk or something like that. It's probably every 10 or 20 rides that it happens to me when I'm biking in the countryside.

Now, if you actually tally up how many people pass me - it's probably about the same percentage of cars in either environment that hassles me - say 1% of drivers, and I just happen to pass 100 cars when I'm riding in towards the city, and I might pass 10 cars on a ride in the country.

[sarahspins]

Personally, urban cycling is scarier than rural. I live rural.. I mostly ride on "one lane" county roads - not even a center line, and very little in the way of a shoulder (in fact, most of the time the side of the road drops off sharply 4+ feet down to a ditch from the edge of the pavement)... that is my "normal". I don't like traffic, I especially don't like sidewalks and driveways and anything else that presents itself as "gaps" in the pavement - clearly most of my issues are not necessarily related to other drivers, but to typical urban obstacles - I'm just not used to those any more.

I've certainly encountered a few asshat drivers where I usually ride, but I would say on average, much fewer than someone who rides in the city because I simply don't pass as many cars. I've had many 10+ mile rides where I can count on one hand the number of moving vehicles I encounter.

Because almost ALL of the "local" cycling clubs routinely hold group rides where I live, most of the drivers around me are fairly cyclist friendly.. and they give you plenty of space. I wish I could speak as well of other cyclists here as I can about drivers

[Catrin]

I do not ride in urban areas. Period. Too many lights, too narrow lanes, too many drivers paying far too much attention to their phones/whatever. That, mixed with the fact I only have about 1,600 miles under my belt is not a combination for me.

I love my rural roads. I have yet to have a real problem with a driver, they typically give me plenty of room. Sometimes a car full of young males have chosen to shout something at me but since I can't really hear what they are saying I choose to believe it complimentary

I have ridden in one of the smaller towns outside of Indianapolis, and it was fine, but I just prefer to avoid urban areas as much as I can. That may change someday...but not yet.

[OakLeaf]

Around here, drivers are much more polite in Amish country, because as you say, they're used to going around kids and horses and buggies. Outside of areas with a large Amish (or horse-and-buggy Mennonite) population, forget about it.

I haven't ridden in the city in a long time, so my experience is small towns and rural areas. Between those two there's no discernible difference other than volume. You have rude, and you have clueless, and you have outright vicious. Precious few actually know how to ride around bicycles and exercise that knowledge.

[PamNY]

Interesting discussion. I haven't ridden at all in rural areas, but the thought of doing so makes me completely terrified.

Seems there would be more road rage, more people who hate cyclists because they are different, and no one to help you if you had an accident. Plus in some parts of the country they are likely to have guns.

Maybe it's not as bad as I think.