Thank you for the link - I would like to try and take a class. That sounds very helpful! I absolutely know (in my brain) that my fear is based on fear-mongering (evil media), but convincing my heart takes a little work.

I drove the route the other day and there is no bike lane at all. (nor are there any bike sharing signs) It's funny how you start to realize how un-bike friendly an area is once you start riding.

If he goes out of his way a bit, he can take a bike trail for a pretty good portion of the ride. Personally, I'd rather ride the trail.

He is a HS teacher, so he will be riding outside of high-traffic times. But this is almost what scares me most. I get concerned that riding in the early AM means drivers are still tired and some may even be still out from night partying. We had a horrific car accident in our area a few years ago about that time of morning and it was caused by some younger guys who were still feeling the effects of a night of drugs and drinking. They caused a horrible accident that killed many people, several on their way to work.

I just need to keep building my bike handling skills and focus on being more confident on my bike.