Am I being a sissy?

[JLMitchell]

I planned on commuting to work from my home. I live on a narrow two-lane country road with zero shoulder, though. The speed limit is 45, but people (including me) go 55 easily. I've got about two or three miles of this in order to get to the closest four-lane street. I've done the round trip twice, and both times they were the most stressful and chaotic ten to twelve minutes I've experienced in a while.

The drivers here just don't accept cyclists on the road, especially not on a road with a single right of way. They lay on the horn and/or pass within a foot of me and I pray they don't kill me. I'm pedaling my hardest just to get out of there, plus, my heart's in my throat from the jerk that just passed me. I see cyclists there all the time, but maybe they have something I don't. Until I see/grow/steal the balls they have, I've come up with the next best thing: driving out of that road of death and soiled shorts, parking, and biking the rest of the way. I did it once today, and I think it may work. There are small shopping centers on either side of a large intersection with a Walgreens, a Subway, a dry cleaners, etc. There's also a church a couple of blocks down. Have y'all ever heard of anyone getting ticketed for parking in such a place almost all day? Sure, no one knows if you're shopping or praying or what, but what if someone sees you pulling your bike out of the car and riding away?

I thought that parking in a different place, switching between shopping centers would attract less attention, but if y'all don't think it's a big deal, I'll go with a "regular" spot. Am I weird for going to such lengths to avoid my scenic-but-only-in-a-car death trap of a road? Can you tell I really don't want to ride it again? I feel like a cheater for driving what was supposed to be a gas-free commute.

[ilima]

Doesn't sound like you're a sissy to me. Regardless, I'd rather be a sissy than hit by a car.

I would ask the store manager(s) where you want to park about parking there and getting some sort of sign to put on your dashboard indicating you have permission to park there. Some towing companies would be oh so happy to take your car.

For example, last year in Honolulu a number of folks got towed from a CompUSA parking lot. They had gotten there before the store opened and went to have breakfast and return when the store was open. One of the cars was full of a college student's luggage, and as you can image her mother was hysterical over the tow because the next stop after CompUSA was supposed to be the airport (made the papers and they did get a refund, but it really, really screwed up their day).

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I suggest you ask the other cyclists who are riding that road how they handle the situation. Ask at least 6 of them, and you may get some valuable cycling technique tips. You may not realize something that you are not doing to make things safer for yourself.
Also, invest in a couple of screaming neon yellow cycling tops and wear them. Drivers often slow down to tell me they could see my neon yellow a mile away and how great it was to see a biker clearly. It can make that little bit of difference, safety wise.

[OakLeaf]

Only you know your own comfort level, so no, you are not being a "sissy" (sexist term anyhow!).

A few thoughts -

* I agree with Bleeck about getting tips from the other riders you see. If you know their schedule, maybe you can waylay some of them at the intersection where you're thinking about parking. Also +1 on the hi-viz jersey/jacket - it's pretty much all I wear any more. (two days ago a kid hollered at me "Hi Lance!" )

* No matter how visible you are, if the road conditions are such that drivers won't see you until they're less than 200 yards away (blind curves or hills), then the road is trouble. I live on a road like that, but it's lightly trafficked - so it makes me a little nervous to run on it, but I do, and cycling on it doesn't bother me. But, there are other roads in my area that are full of blind hills and curves, narrow, no shoulder and heavily trafficked, and those I just would not ride on. I know I have the same right to use those roads as the cars do, and I know there are people who will put their lives on the line in order to advocate for cyclists rights', but I just don't happen to be one of them. That's been a lot of why I've hesitated to commute to work. (I finally found a safe route after driving four or five different options - but it's got some KILLER hills in it - and the one day I was really planning to commute I ran out of time - so I still haven't made it )

If I lived on one of those roads I'm thinking about in my area, no, I just wouldn't ride from home. It's barely safe for the people who live there to pull their cars out of their driveways. How many cars per minute go down your road during the time frame you'd be commuting? To me, the traffic level is a big factor. One or two cars per minute, especially on a short stint like you're talking about, wouldn't be so bad. If it's four or more - to where you'd probably be holding up a line of traffic - then probably not.

* What happens if you go the opposite direction on the road you live on? Can you get to an intersection sooner?

* Do other people park their cars in those shopping centers? Are they informal used car lots like a lot of them around here, and if so, does the management tolerate that? If you're going to use the church, yes, do ask. But if it's a shopping center, remember it's the real estate developer, not the lessee stores, who owns the property and has the ultimate say-so on who parks there, and they're probably some huge corporation in another city or state. So if there are any smaller establishments that you patronize in the shopping center (restaurant, pharmacy, natural food store, card shop, whatever), those would be the ones I'd ask for permission - someplace where the employees already know you and can vouch for you to the management, and I'd park in the outskirts of the area that their customers usually use.

[7rider]

I agree with these fine folks.
Check with a store manager about the policy on all day parking in the lot. Some parking lots will have posted signs that say "Parking for conducting in-store business only" or something like that. Tell them you feel unsafe coming from where you are riding from and this feels like a safer alternative. Tell them, too, that it would make you more likely to frequent their store after work, since you'll be in their lot anyway! Also, offer to park out of the way - away from store fronts so you wouldn't be taking "prime" parking spots. Don't feel weird about doing it. It's called a "mixed commute" and folks do it all the time.
And...check with your LBS about how other cyclists handle your scary section of road. If other folks do it "all the time" what they may have that you don't is a stronger sense of confidence on the road. Hey, they often say that the secret to crashing a party is to act like you belong. Wave to the horn honkers (all 5 digits, please!) and hold a steady line with your bike. Maybe when you've done your mixed commute often enough, you'll get a better feeling for riding with cars and also for when the peak travel times are on the roads. You can then plan to do the full commute during the lighter times.
Best of luck. Happy pedalling!

[mimitabby]

I have a 1 mile stretch of a similar road, except i have 3 lanes to chose from. Heavy industrial vehicles going 50+ mph scare the bejebers out of me, so I usually jump onto the sidewalk there - there's no law against that!

However, parking and riding works too. You're still cutting miles off your gasoline consumption.

[Trek420]

+1 what everyone says. Can you ride with other cyclists? You're more visible as a group. Even in bike-friendly parts of the city I work in I've noticed this happening. Riders are casually agreeing to ride with each others, single file and in a line but more visible this way.

Is there a detour? Think side streets, parallel roads ... let the cars have that narrow road and find a way around it. This will be further to ride but may be safer still.

[TahoeDirtGirl]

I would say go with your gut. There is a road I live nearby that I will not ride after 8 a.m. If I want to ride that loop, I get up at 4:45 a.m. and am on my bike by 5 a.m. I see people ride it but to me, recovering from a head injury isn't worth it. And you aren't being a sissy about it. I have gone over the handlebars many times in the dirt, but I'm not really so willing to do that on a road with cars behind me. I was pretty sketchy about riding on the road, but I have to say drivers in this part of Mass anyway are not that bad. There are some bad ones, but the roads I ride on are not that heavily traveled. Maybe you can use googlemaps and find another route? Talk to your LBS too, they might have some insight as to where you could park or a safer route.

Everyone gets obstacles like these, don't give up. I sometimes drive and park at a shopping center. I park the furthest from the stores. There are no signs that say "customers only" or things I see at my other home in Tahoe. There I'm not sure I would try it because tourists tend to park at supermarkets and go skiing! Just don't take the space that is prime like someone else said. Maybe you know someone that lives on this route too and you could park at their house? I would say most of all, the church would be a good bet, but I would ask on that one.

[Mr. Bloom]

If you're feeling unsafe, that's not being sissy...but your instinct speaking.

But here's a radical idea...that will pay for itself in just about 50 gallons of gas saved:

Fund Your Own "Share The Road" campaign on your street

Go to the City/Council and offer to personally buy two "Share the Road" signs (one both ways) and ask them to install them for you.

First, the signs are not incredibly expensive.
Second, I think people will be more respectful of your presence when they see a legal sign that announces your right to be there.

By your description, I'm guessing you're in the hills of East Tennessee. We live in a non-cycling friendly area of Indiana...but the local government loved the idea of "Share The Road" signs that someone else paid for...as our State Law is written, they almost can't refuse for the price of installation. Excepts from Tennessee's Code:

(a) Every person riding a bicycle upon a roadway is granted all
of the rights and is subject to all of the duties applicable
to the driver of a vehicle by this chapter ....


(c) (1) This subsection (c) shall be known and may be cited as the
"Jeff Roth and Brian Brown Bicycle Protection Act of 2007.”

(2)The operator of a motor vehicle, when overtaking and
passing a bicycle proceeding in the same direction on the
roadway, shall leave a safe distance between the motor
vehicle and the bicycle of not less than three feet (3')
and shall maintain the clearance until safely past the
overtaken bicycle.

Let the law work for you! Good Luck!

If you're interested, PM Silver or me and we'll get you the name of the company that we've bought signs from.

[Geonz]

People thinl I'm extremely intrepid - I don't even have a car - but the fact is that if I rode a road and got enough hostility, I"d figure I was simply playing wiht the odds and I would stop. Martyrdom happens too often already in the cycling world - I don't need to go out of my way to add to the numbers, especially when an awful lot of people would say "and what was she doing riding that road anyway???"

[beccaB]

I identify with your situation. I went with my husband to plot out and time a path to my work, and we both almost got hit by a car at an intersection. The driver looked right at us and proceeded to pull out directly in front of us. I found a way to go that avoids that intersection, a small bit longer distance. But since then I have made every excuse for not doing it. Arrive at work sweaty, being teased by co-workers(they aren't the fit crowd-exact opposite), changing clothes, having to bike home tired, after work commitments, etc.
I need to grow some courage giving body parts too!

[NbyNW]

Don't know if this is an option, but is there any chance the road would feel safer if you left home 30-40 minutes earlier?

My commute is entirely on city streets, but I find that if I leave home even 20 minutes earlier, there are fewer cars on the road, and everything is quiet and calmer. It's easier for me to find gaps in traffic, like when I need to turn off of a side street onto a main street.

Same with on the way home. If I happen to work an hour late, I notice that there are fewer cars, pedestrians, and other cyclists to dodge.

Not that I want to make a habit out of spending more time at work, but I figure when I get there a bit earlier I don't have to rush through cleaning myself up, changing, getting a snack, etc.

We have a guy in our office who works 7am to 4pm. He drives, but I think with those hours he beats the worst traffic. It seems that there are a lot of people around here who work those hours, regardless of what type of transportation they use.

[Melalvai]

I vote for the church parking lot, and ask their permission for using it.
I really like the idea of buying Share the Road signs. I will remember that one.

[Tri Girl]

Heck no, you're not a sissy! I would be nervous on that stretch, too. You gotta feel safe, and if you can't then you find a away around it so you can still commute- even if it's a few miles less.
I stopped commuting to work because of a scary spot mid-way of my commute. It's a place where the homeless people sleep and there's really no way around it (without adding about 5 miles to my already long 26 mile commute) After being yelled at and scared, I decided it's not worth my nerves being shattered. I'm going to find a new way, but when I'm ready. You go with your gut, like Tahoedirtgirl said, and do what feels safe to you.

Keep at it, tho and keep enjoying those commutes!

[Atomic_cat4]

You're not being a sissy, its self preservation. I don't think you should give in by driving, because that sends the message that bikes don't belong. Rather, you need to speak to your local law enforcement and area elected representatives about the safety of this road.

Getting hit from behind is the most rare type of cycling accident. I'm not saying that it doesn't happen, but it happens only rarely. More what is likely is that drivers will not move over enough and give you enough room as they pass. I used to commute a narrow 2 lane section in NJ, also with no shoulders. WHat I found was the further right I was the closer the cars would pass, especially when there was oncoming traffic.

Move out into the road 2-3 feet. This accomplishes several things: (1) You have someplace to go besides dirt if someone tries something (2) As the car comes up behind you it will move further left and if you move slightly right as it passes, you will have more road. (3) Cars won't try to pass if there is no room- when there is oncoming traffic.

You could talk to your elected officials about adding a shoulder or bike lane or atleast a SHARE THE ROAD sign.