Tolerence for high traffic volumes

[Catrin]

As much as I ride, it is all on country roads. Traffic doesn't scare me there but it isn't particularly heavy and there are few stop signs and next to no stoplights.

In downtown Indianapolis, plans are in place to open a "bike port" literally across the street from where I work! Plans are to have 200 bike lockers, showers, miniature workout place and even a small mechanic/retail option. Sweet! It won't be open until early summer and I am already considering taking advantage of this opportunity.

This may seem a silly question, but what is the best way to increase my tolerance for high traffic volumes? I have to admit that I find the idea of a stop-light every block and the higher traffic quite intimidating. I do not have a riding partner, my speeds are slow enough that I would hate to ask someone to ride with me as I would slow anyone down.

I am thinking that the best way to start is to figure out an optimum route and ride it on a Saturday morning when traffic is low to see if it really is a good route.

[indysteel]

That's what I would suggest, Catrin. Out of curiosity, how many miles is it from downtown to your office, and at what times of day do you think you might be commuting to and from work? I was always under the impression that you work pretty early hours. How does that factor into your comfort level?

[Catrin]

It is only about 13-14 miles, and I would likely leave home around 6am. It is the return trip home that has me nervous However, I do remember when the thought of cycling outside of Eagle Creek Park was terrifying, and I got over THAT

[indysteel]

If you really do want to bike commute, then I would suggest just generally adding some urban riding into your routine. I got used to riding in traffic by following the route used for the Broad Ripple/Butler weekly training ride route "hosted" by CIBA. It is marked so you could follow it on your own.

Some of CIBA's dinner and weekend routes would be good for that purpose, too. I would start there before doing a weekday commute into downtown.

[Jolt]

Keep in mind too that with such frequent stop lights, the general traffic speed will be pretty slow so you might be able to keep up with traffic at times. It's also less intimidating when you don't constantly have cars flying by...it might not be as bad as you think.

[Catrin]

Good ideas everyone, and I will follow up on them. I think it is the idea of having to stop/start so often that has me a little intimidated for some reason. The "bike port" won't be opening until early summer assuming that nothing happens to slow it down, so I have at least that long to see what I can do about changing my comfort level and deciding. I just think it would be a good addition to my routine if I can build it into my regular schedule.

Then again - my average ride right now is close to the same distance as a full commute both directions, and by early summer it will be longer - without more than 1-2 stoplights. I would get more miles in by just riding in the evenings when I get home - but I would like to try it just to see what it is like. We shall see.

Thanks! Indy, the Thursday night rides out of BGI would likely be a good start, good idea....

[indysteel]

Just an FYI that the downtown Y will be jointly running the bike port with BGI in cooperation with the city. I've already heard conflicting things about the date it will go live. I'm not sure of cost at this point, either.

I glanced at a map of your area (keeping in mind that I only generally know where you live). I think there's any number of ways that you could get downtown. In fact, I don't think it would be that hard to tie into the Butler training ride route, which goes as south as the southern end of Riverside Park. Now, that's not the safest of areas, so that has me a little nervous. I'm not sure, however, whether you can totally avoid going through some sketchy areas to get downtown....

In any event, I think you would benefit, regardless of whether you decide to commute, to get more used to driving in traffic, as you will find yourself in such situations any way the more your ride and the more out-of-town and group/event rides you do anyway. Just ease yourself into it. I'll be honest that I used to get totally freaked out when I first started riding because I couldn't necessarily avoid urban riding. You can get used to it.

Certainly, I would encourage you to take advantage of all that CIBA, the Indiana Bicycle Coalition and the League of American Bicyclists offer. Connie Schumaker and Warren Smock of the latter would likely be more than happy to help you.

[redrhodie]

You'll do great! Read "The Art of Urban Cycling" by Robert Hurst. It really helped me deal with summer beach/tourist traffic, which is maybe not as bad a city traffic, but it has its moments (I call people leaving the beach "sun drunk")!

[malkin]

Make gradual changes and you'll gradually become more confident.

If you work out a regular route, you may identify bits that are awful, and then you'll figure out ways to avoid riding on the awful bits.

There's one stretch of my short work commute where there are 3 lanes, eastbound (blinded by the sunrise in the morning), 40mph limit (which means everyone drives 50), no shoulder, and one of those wacky, tire grabbing cliffs where the re-re-repavement meets the gutter.

I rode that exactly one time, felt lucky to have survived, and now have a clever way to avoid it.

[Melalvai]

Have you taken Traffic Skills 101? I checked on that site for Indianapolis and there aren't currently any classes scheduled but I see there are 4 certified instructors so you might contact them and ask if they have plans to teach a class.

If there are no classes in your area, the bike league website has some very good resources about best cycling practices. The new "Smart Cycling" book comes with the "Enjoy Your Ride" DVD.

This class boosted my confidence. After taking the class, I felt like I could bike on the interstate if that was legal. (Disclaimer: it actually is legal in Missouri because no alternate routes exist. Nonetheless, I only say I feel like I could do it, I admit I have not attempted it.) More importantly, it gave me the confidence that I DO have a right to the road, so I could cope with the harassment much better. (The way I cope is: I report it. Every time. No matter how small the incident. The difference is I don't get emotional about it.)

In addition to the confidence, it teaches you safer bicycling practices.

[Catrin]

I took the Traffic Skills class last June, and it was quite helpful. I think that I just need to find some way of working more urban riding into my rides - and I have done some of this but not in downtown Indianapolis. Well, not in Indianapolis at all but in a couple of surrounding towns. Not the same thing

Thank you, everyone, for your advice, it helps!

[Trek-chick]

I have roughly 8 miles of my 16 mile commute in heavy traffic. I still breath a sigh of relief once I hit the MUP. But when I ride in traffic, I always wear my bright yellow vest and try to make eye contact with drivers. I also, learned the hard way NOT to let drivers " be good Samaritans and stop, to let me pass".

Car drivers just do not watch traffic from a cyclists point of view. I always give them the right of way. I feel better when the cars are out of my way so to speak.

I always just make sure to constantly be aware of my surroundings and actually found that drivers are far nicer to me as a cyclist than I thought they would be.

Also, it helps to do practice runs of your planned route on a non- work day. I found I needed to change one section that was too crazy for my liking, and you can time yourself too

[Crankin]

When I was commuting, I had to make a major change when I moved; my commute went from 6.7 miles on back roads in rural suburbs to 13.8 miles on more heavily traveled suburban roads, complicated by a traffic circle that didn't allow me to get to work in the most efficient way (you can't ride there or you'll get killed). The first day I commuted, I went a longer way that ended up to be 17.5 miles, including a 3 part hill on the way there. While I sometimes ended up doing the longer ride on the way home, I did not appreciate those hills at 6:00 AM. So, I went out in the car and scouted a new route, that seemed counter intuitive and longer, but it wasn't. There was also a T intersection that scared me; a light on a slight uphill. So, after spending a few weeks driving to a point and parking and riding in about 8 miles, I braved the intersection at 6:15 AM. I found that there were rarely cars in front of me at that time, so I could handle it. A couple of times I had to scoot with my foot across the intersection, but the cars waited. I had to turn left across a fairly busy road, but the heavy traffic was going in the other direction, so there were rarely cars behind me. That's when I got really good at getting out in the lane!
So get out there and explore all of your options. While I absolutely would not ride in Boston (heck, I don't drive there, either), I know I could if I had to.

[PscyclePath]

It's mostly a matter of practice and experience. The Traffic Skills 101 course is a good way to ease yourself out there with a bit of coaching, There's also a Traffic Skills 201 course which looks at more complex situations and a little higher density traffic. Hurst's book is good, as is the new League "Smart Cycling" handbook. The Smart Cycling book also comes with all the training videos used in the TS101 course.

For now, ride where you are comfortable. A little anxiousness is okay, but if you're downright scared, that's a clear sign that you're out of your comfort zone. Practice the basics, and work yourself up to more complex situations when you start to feel more confident about approaching them. Check with one of your local LCIs... I'm sure they'd ride with you a bit to help build up the confidence...

[Biciclista]

btw, I think it's easier to do traffic by yourself, so not having a riding partner is a good thing. the best thing about heavy traffic is: THEY are all slower! YAAAY! sometimes you can actually keep up with traffic. You will find that if you are careful, congestion on a bike can be very pleasant (as opposed to being trapped in a car)