Commuting through unsavory areas?

[bikesNgsd]

Hi all!

I'm new to bikes, and thus new to commuting (as in...no commute as of yet!). I like in upstate NY and we are closing in on WINTER (ICK!) fast. I am bound and determined to try and get a few commutes to work before I throw in the towel for the year.

Unfortunately, my city is not at all bike friendly and it's an overall challenge finding acceptable routes. Even more unfortunately for me: while my husband and I live in a nice suburb, my commute would be directly through the ghetto....with no way around (at least not one that involves a 40 mile detour). Biking would actually shave 3 miles off my commute...currently it's 8 miles in the car, but quite quick and I hop on the interstate bypass and am work in no time. Going through the city makes it just about 5 miles, which isn't bad at all. Oh, but those neighborhoods!!

I would be going in the early morning (leaving probably around 5:30). I don't imagine too many unsavory characters are up at this time....but then again it's also almost pitch black (which I guess brings up the topics of biking in the dark on your commute). I'd be coming home around 4.

I guess I'd like to hear through other people that might have rough commutes...what do you do? A coworker said he's never take his road bike on a commute to our workplace. When he lived closer, he'd always ride his cheap hybrid (at least cheap compared to his Madone). I guess I could do that too, but then again, I kind of feel like the defeats the purpose of me buying a decent bike in the first place!

I feel like there are so many logistics! It's almost overwhelming....

[Thorn]

My underlying theme on my commute is: there are good people in bad neighborhoods and bad people in good neighborhoods. No place is 100% bad or good.

I commute through a neighborhood that is questionable. Perhaps not the toughest area of town, but it comes a close second. I ride through at 5:30AM and again on the way home.

To be honest, I've had *way* fewer issues in the bad neighborhood during my commute than the "good" area. In the "bad" area, at the time I go through, people are going to/coming from work. When they see a bike, they give me room. In the "good" area, cars come too close and turn in front of me. Many days I prefer the "bad" neighborhood.

Don't get me wrong, I have had issues in the rouger end of town. A couple of late teen/twenty somethings thought it would be fun to try to scare the biker; there was the morning with the guy in the middle of the road; etc. But, overall, I rarely feel uncomfortable. And, you know, in the "bad" neighborhood, there are actually people out on bus corners, so you are never really alone.

Now, if I were going through at 10PM, I'd probably feel differently, but during commute time....you're just another commuter. And, there are other neighborhoods I wouldn't go through at noon. Each is different. You need to consider your city and evaluate.

[IBrakeforPastry]

Since we determined on your other thread that we live in the same area, you can PM me and maybe we can discuss this. I don't live in fear, but there are definitely some neighborhoods that I don't even like driving through in the daytime. It's so sad and disappointing. But, similar to what Thorn said, there seem to be fewer cars in the area, whereas in nicer areas the danger lies in big SUV's and drivers on phones. Different poisons.

I may not be able to answer tonight (I really should get off this computer), but maybe tomorrow. Stay warm and dry!

[shootingstar]

IBrake...I have earned a middle-class income....and have lived in neighbourhoods with some drug dealing, etc.

I think the greater concern is whether or not at that time of the early morning cars expect a cyclist at all. It might surprise them...so make sure equip yourself well with lights on your bike, high visitiblity jacket, etc.

Ride confidently and don't ride a flashy /expensive bike...and you will be fine. Choose routes that aren't too isolated, with street lighting, and where people wouldn't hang out at corners..instead of waiting for a traffic light to change. What I would not do, is stop if a stranger calls out to me for something....and they don't look in distress at all. Cold, but my own personal safety needs to come first.

I have lived in nice neighbourhoods where there is drug dealing (well, professionals have money....and some of them indulge) and in a building where we lived, a nice one, there was a marajuana grow-op!

I've lived in cities over 1 million over the past 30 years. And I am living in one now.

I actually feel alot safer on a bike in any neighbourhood when it's quiet or dark..compared to walking in such areas. I always have.

[Melalvai]

Biking the dark is fun. More lights is better. Redundant lighting is good because if a battery runs out on one light you have others as backup. I love my reelights because a) no batteries and b) I don't have to remember to turn them off.

[tzvia]

It is kinda like walking through such a neighborhood, with the obvious difference being that you are on the street (please nobody ride on the sidewalk-it's much more dangerous for cyclists than the street) and moving faster. What I mean is, that the same basic things apply; ride (or walk) with purpose, know where you are going and go in a straight line at a good clip. Keep your head UP and keep aware of the surroundings, both to track traffic and any characters that look out-of-place or unduly interested in you. You see something that doesn't look or feel right, guess what, it probably isn't right so make sure you know the area and how to get out of that spot (don't turn on to another street to THEN discover it is a dead end or turns in the wrong direction.) Keep the expensive road bike at home and take a hybrid or commuter. Wear sweatpants and a tee shirt, and no visible expensive jewelery/watch. You might want to keep a pepper spray on the handlebar, if allowed in your state or city. Maybe take the car through this neighborhood at the time you intend to ride it, look around and see if it looks quiet, or if there are gangs hanging out or a lot of traffic.

Keep your visibility UP, I know nothing bugs me more when I am in the car, than a cyclist with a death wish, wearing dark clothing and with no lights or reflectors, cutting across the street in front of me at 6am like a drunken sailor. Bright lights, front and back, that have some side spillage, reflectors on the bike and you, and a light on the helmet if possible. I bought reflective tape by 'NATHAN' that is just awesome and put it all over my helmet. I then got some red and yellow reflective tape and put it on the chainstays and fork, and 'lightweights' reflective tape and put it on all the spokes. A Nightrider 600 lumen front light, Magicshine and Dinotte taillights, NATHAN reflective vest and reflective leg bands, red blinker on the downtube and L&M Stella 150 on the helmet turn me into Disneyland on wheels. If someone misses seeing me they are blind. No, the stuff was not cheap; I could have bought a bike for what I spent on lights and reflectors, but when I leave home now it is DARK. There are no street lights for the first mile of my ride, and while the rest is well lit, that just means my lights have to be brighter and the reflectors of better quality, to compete with the storefronts and streetlights. Frankly, it looks kinda funny but that's ok. Cars give me room. Pedestrians at the lights have mentioned I was very visible from blocks away. I would venture a guess that more cyclists are injured by cars that did not see them, than by unsavory characters.

[Crankin]

I agree with Tzvia. Although I don't commute through "unsavory" areas, I do ride at 5-6:30 AM, mostly in places with no streetlights. And I drive in a lot of bad areas for my job, and I have thought about how I would ride there. Sometimes I think it's overkill, but generally, I have my very bright front light and 2 blinkies in the back, as well as a blinking ankle band. I also wear a Nathan reflective vest when the ride is in total darkness, like at this time of the year. Sometimes I put another blinkie on my back, clipped to my vest or jacket. Last week I rode to the gym and I have to cross a highway at about 5 AM; my bike does not trigger the signal and there are rarely any other cars going my way. There is a walk signal at both the curb and again the median; when it was light or even semi light, I could ride across the highway to the median, as there's rarely any traffic going that way, and then I press the button to get across the second half. Well, it was pitch dark and I realized I needed to really press the signal for the first half, as I felt uncomfortable. But, the pole/signal was on the sidewalk and I already had my bike sort of parallel to the highway, by the cross walk. Because I was so lit up, a car, far away, actually stopped to let me get across, although he didn't have to. I *know* he saw me.
I won't put reflective tape on my road bikes, for the obvious reasons, but I have worn my hiking headlight (not a huge one) on my helmet. It really doesn't help me see, but I think it lets others see me. There isn't a lot of traffic or hardly any cars when I first go out, but by the time I return, there is a steady stream of people heading to work. And delivery trucks unloading at the stores/restaurants in the town center. Once in awhile I feel like I'd like some side visibility, but I haven't found a solution that's not permanent or a lot of money. At one point I had a blinkie on the side and now I'm wondering why I took it off.