Quote Originally Posted by Anelia View Post
You will get used to it, I'm sure. At first I rode really slowly in town but now I move with the speed of cars where possible, e.g. 18-20 miles per hour.
Whoa, that's speedy! I've been riding for 7 years and I can't go that fast on my commuter unless I have a good hill on my side. I carry a lot of stuff with me, and my commuter is designed for safety & cargo, not speed. Or maybe I'm just slow!

The most important thing is to learn about bicycling with traffic. Check the League of American Bicyclists for a Traffic Skills 101 course in your area. (Looks like no classes currently scheduled but there are 4 League Certified Instructors in your area whom you could contact.) While you're waiting for an opportunity to take the class, you can read about bicycling with traffic, there are articles & books. I strongly recommend Smart Cycling, or anything that is produced by the League over other sources.

Other than that, I think you'll have a great time bicycling and you'll love saving all that money. Whenever the price of gas goes up and everyone around you is groaning, you'll be celebrating because it just means you are saving even more money!

As far as the big hill and the busy intersection, my first suggestion is to reconsider your route. Is it possible there is an alternative route? In my experience the best route in terms of traffic can often mean the worst hill. But I'll take a hill over traffic. After a few months that hill won't seem so bad. If you have to walk it at first to get up the hill, no big deal. The hill is easier if you learn to use your gears and to love your granny gear. In fact my commuter has an extra small granny gear. People laugh at me because I look so silly pedaling fast and going nowhere, but guess what, I can get up any hill without breaking a sweat.

Crossing the busy street might be best done at one intersection, maybe one with a light, over another. Intersections are the trickiest and most dangerous. If you use a crosswalk, walk your bike. Don't ride through the crosswalk. I know some people will disagree with me, but it is the safest way to use a crosswalk. I prefer to use the street. That is actually much safer than using the crosswalk--counter intuitive I know, but look at the statistics.

Four miles is a nice distance for a commute. It's long enough to be a decent workout without being too arduous for a daily commute. I know some people bike 15 or 20 miles daily but obviously very few. My commute used to be 3 miles, and now it is 1.5 miles--not really far enough that I feel like I get a workout. On the other hand I bike every single day, no matter how I feel, because it's just easier. So it's at least a little bit of exercise that I wouldn't have gotten otherwise.

Good luck! There is lots of advice already here on Team Estrogen, and feel free to consult us about your specific challenges.