What have you learned from commuting?

[KnottedYet]

I've learned that people are surprisingly friendly if you say "Good Morning!" as you ride by while they're out walking.

At 4 way stops, sometimes oncoming cars think my left turn signal is me giving them the ok to make a right turn ahead of me. Now I look right at 'em (if they have a right blinky going and it really should be MY turn to go) point at my chest, then point to the left.

Then I wave and mouth "Thank you" as I go through. (even though it really was my turn anyway)

Cars pay MUCH more attention if there is a motorcycle cop riding along side you!!! (two-wheeled solidarity!)

[run it, ride it]

I learned that cars along the highway are nothing to fear--but transport trucks will suck you off-balance in the best of times. Always keep an eye out for those monsters.

How do you girls deal with transports at highway speeds? Sometimes they can't move over and I lose control of my handlebars no matter how tight I'm holding on. It's not a matter of if but when I'm going to crash, and I sure hope it's not into one of those eighteen wheels.

I'll take the weather of commuting; bring on the rain, sleet, snow. I'll take on the traffic, the horns, the gestures, the cat-calls. But those trucks scare me.

[makbike]

I've learned that leaving the house 15 minutes earlier makes a world of difference in the traffic patterns (fewer parents rushing to drop their kids off, fewer buses, etc).

Laury - I'm a teacher in my community and I'm simply amazed by the number of parents who drop their kids off in the morning and the number of parents who pick their kids up at the end of the day. I would think with gas prices parents would take advantage of free transportation supplied by the district.

[Kimmyt]

I've learned that a motorcyclists can be a bike commuter's best friend. They actually SEE you.

p.s. thanks to the guy who let me turn left across a busy road in front of him, you rock motorcycle dude!

K.

[Geonz]

I have one half-mile stretch where I deal with 18=wheelers coming off the interstate, but they aren't going fast. The simple physics of that combination ... I'd find a way to avoid it if I could, and ... how heavy is your bike? My old cruiser feels much more secure in turbulent conditions, as does the Xtracycle.

[tulip]

Being assertive is not only a confidence booster, but a survival tactic at times. Y'all have covered all the bases for me. I'm glad that I have good bike handling skills from mountain biking, and they've gotten better from riding in traffic.

I haven't commuted on my bike since Tuesday due to after work commitments, but this afternoon, I'm riding my Coda home! Tomorrow I think I'll drive the Luna to work for a change.

[mimitabby]

transport trucks will suck you off-balance in the best of times. Always keep an eye out for those monsters.

How do you girls deal with transports at highway speeds? Sometimes they can't move over and I lose control of my handlebars no matter how tight I'm holding on. It's not a matter of if but when I'm going to crash, and I sure hope it's not into one of those eighteen wheels.

I'll take the weather of commuting; bring on the rain, sleet, snow. I'll take on the traffic, the horns, the gestures, the cat-calls. But those trucks scare me.

Uh, Run it; slow down when you hear them coming. That does sound terrifying.
I can't imagine being THAT close to large speeding vehicles. It's bad enough at low speed.

[run it, ride it]

Actually, today I tried speeding up when they came past, and it made a world of difference. The more momentum I have, the less they shake me. On the way home I had a nasty headwind and heard one SCREAMING up behind me--I bailed onto the gravel out of instinct and nearly wiped out.

I used to take my old metal clunker to work and had no trouble with the big trucks--but couldn't make it up the big hills. New bike is super light, and I'm not that heavy either. Good for hills, bad for trucks.

Unfortunately there is no alternate route to work and the highway I take is a major travel route for transports traveling between 80-110km/h (50-70mph) with barely 6" of pavement past the white line in some places (we don't have paved shoulders in Ontario. It's just gravel).

Sounds pretty dangerous when it's all in writing. But I still feel WAY safer out on the highway than I do riding in a city.

[Geonz]

So, obviously you need a few jars of coins to get a middle weight :-)

THe known, one-at-a-time hazards are a lot less stressful than the constant barrage in the city. College towns are so nice!