Urban vs Rural

[emily_in_nc]

I've lived mostly in a rural area for my adult cycling years. The drivers range from very respectful and polite to occasionally rude, but we had a lot more problems with loose dogs. Here in the rural south, there are a LOT of loose dogs. This led to my accident in '05 where I fractured my pelvis in three places and had to have surgery to pin myself back together again. Two loose dogs.

Now that we live in Chapel Hill and ride in the 'burbs and the smaller cities of Chapel Hill and Carrboro, we haven't seen so much as a single loose dog. There are a lot more cars, but this is a very bicycling friendly area, so we haven't had any run-ins or jerks or yelling incidents. Most motorists have been just fine.

I like both types of cycling. They're just very different.

[Melalvai]

I like both types of cycling. They're just very different.

Yes. They are different. Urban has more traffic and more harassment. But rural has higher speeds. I wonder if the zone where urban turns into rural is possibly the most dangerous. That is the zone my driveway is in, where my daughter's wreck happened!

[Owlie]

I have to wonder too, Melalvai, about those sorts of areas that are recent victims of suburban sprawl. You know, the ones where traffic control measures haven't been adjusted to the new heavier traffic load. Speed limits that are too high, intersections that should have a traffic light instead of a stop sign, that sort of thing. There's an area like that about three miles from my house. There's a road with multiple strip malls where the speed limit is 45+, but the traffic density is fairly high. In the older suburbs, those kind of areas have a speed limit that's 35 or less. I'd be terrified to ride there.

Parts of Mesa, AZ are like that too, but they had the sense to put bike lanes on some of the roads.

[rubywagon]

I get it everywhere, rural and urban, in SLC, Malkin. My sister-in-law, mother-in-law, and I were out at Saltair, stopped on the side of the road, making an adjustment on MILs bike. A driver went past with his middle finger saluting us for absolutely no reason at all. I think there are jerks everywhere.

[bikegurl]

I ride in urban areas, because that is where I live, and it takes about 30 min (in a car) to get to the country so I would have to take a day trip to ride there.
I think a lot of the difference is what Cataboo said. Where you have a higher density of people, you will get more harassment just because there are more of that type of people in a crowd.
I live in a rough part of Buffalo, NY, and some of the people are respectful, and some are rude. The responses also vary depending on where in the city I ride. The places where more bikes are ridden are more tolerant, and bike-friendly (generally where the young progressive people live) than the poorer, ghetto areas.(where there is no funding for anything so we have rotten sidewalks, and rough streets)
My brother has had a car try to run him off the road, but I have had cars wait for me to go at 4-way stop signs, so there are both extremes.
I am comfortable riding in the city....I don't like high speeds, or high density of cars, but I rarely ride on those kind of roads.

[Biciclista]

I ride in Seattle most of the time. I actually like city bicycling more than riding in the suburbs. Drivers here for the most part have gotten used to bikes being around. We sure have the occasional jerk, but you know, when traffic is stop and go, you are doing about the same speed they are. Now suburbia is a different thing. All the housewives with their huge SUV's (that they can't see around) and aggressive angry men... UGH, there are some towns i do not like to ride in.
Finally out in the country, it's nicer than suburbia at least.. The areas of countryside where I ride are scenic areas so again they are accustomed to seeing cyclists and I feel pretty comfortable there too.

[shootingstar]

Now suburbia is a different thing. All the housewives with their huge SUV's (that they can't see around) and aggressive angry men... UGH, there are some towns i do not like to ride in.
Finally out in the country, it's nicer than suburbia at least.. The areas of countryside where I ride are scenic areas so again they are accustomed to seeing cyclists and I feel pretty comfortable there too.

At least 80% of all the cycling I do regularily over the past 18 yrs. in Toronto, Vancouver and now, in Calgary is in the city. For longer trips and vacation I'm cycling out in countryside/ rural.

I prefer to cycle in the city which people need to realize that "city" does not always mean downtown cores, etc. and constant heavy, stop and go traffic. I go through a mix of traffic areas which includes routes with quiet residential streets. What I dislike are sprawling suburban areas where there is less traffic speed control and wider roads which gives drivers psychological license to speed beyond the limits. Since cyclists are less there, the drivers don't seem to be as accustomed to cyclists.

Calgary downtown here is quite different from vancouver and Toronto: I don't care for it because of more wide, 3-4 lane wide one-way streets with streaming fast traffic. I mean geez, take out a lane for a bike lane...for pete's sake. There is far less traffic calming circles in this town so far. Most cyclists stick to river shoreline routes in the downtown core because of the present situation.

I actually do not mind cycling in downtown congested traffic areas..the traffic is slower and hence, drivers generally, are required to be more alert.