Waiting at intersection good distance from edge of road for traffic. I have done my part as an active participant for bike advocacy. When I owned a bike shop in Carlsbad, NM I worked with the League of American Bicyclists to campaign the mayor at the time. Now, when you travel through Carlsbad and see bike lanes it's because I was there.
Now I live in League City, TX where bicycle commuting is not real common place, there are few if any designated bike lanes and to tell you the truth it doesn't bother me. Miles and miles of rural country roads are very nice for road and touring bikes outside of town and along the coast. It's beautiful. Jack Brooks Park offers some excellent mountain bike trails for all skill levels and is very well maintained. In town I decided to build a bike to suit my needs of getting around without waiting for politically correct rhetoric to tell me it's safe to ride a bike here.
After all, commuting is simply the means of getting from point A to point B on a bicycle. I don't have the need to feel qualified in the eyes of some ambiguous transportation authority to validate my non motorized vehicle. I choose my routes on less busy side streets whenever possible, ride on sidewalks when appropriate, ride through vacant lots, etc. This style of commuting makes me a better rider, more aware, attentive and knowing my routes' routine traffic or road surface hazards, when it rains heavy which roads flood first, etc.
It's easy to be a law abiding citizen and ride where I please on my bike So far the only strict bicycle related traffic law I have encountered is the necessity of using a front light to be visible to traffic. Other than that the local law enforcement is fairly lenient towards cyclists. My reason for saying this is on main street here where people are repeatedly stopped for j walking, I have not and will not be pulled over for crossing the same street on a bike. It's a good idea to know the rules of the road for your state and are very to find online. Here's a link for Texas rules of the road made available from Bike Houston.
So far as drivers are concerned, if the area is simply not accustomed to seeing routine bicycle commuters than why would I get angry and blame them for utter lack of experience and naivete. I have yet to have any sort of grievance toward a driver while on my bike in this area and as much as that might be because I have become so thick skinned to driver bullying that I simply block it out, it still feels as though the area is easy to navigate. As mentioned riding experience definitely plays a role here. I recently realized how much of my riding expertise I have taken for granted when I was on a ride with newbie to commuting. Commuting is so much different than recreational trail riding. Navigating traffic is very different than navigating inanimate terrain. If you're new to bicycle commuting and want a course on traffic skills check out the League of American Bicyclists. Very skilled and experienced instructors offer workshops all over the country, here's a link to the Houston, TX area workshop.
Once a cyclist develops bicycle commuting skills it really can make a person a better rider, which is just one of the many benefits of getting involved with bicycle commuting. Speaking of commuter benefits visit nuride to see if your area is participating in their rewards program. It's free to sign up and log commuter and errand miles thereby earning rewards points. Reward points for bicycle commuting are then redeemed at a large selection of participating businesses either local or online.
Now I live in League City, TX where bicycle commuting is not real common place, there are few if any designated bike lanes and to tell you the truth it doesn't bother me. Miles and miles of rural country roads are very nice for road and touring bikes outside of town and along the coast. It's beautiful. Jack Brooks Park offers some excellent mountain bike trails for all skill levels and is very well maintained. In town I decided to build a bike to suit my needs of getting around without waiting for politically correct rhetoric to tell me it's safe to ride a bike here.
After all, commuting is simply the means of getting from point A to point B on a bicycle. I don't have the need to feel qualified in the eyes of some ambiguous transportation authority to validate my non motorized vehicle. I choose my routes on less busy side streets whenever possible, ride on sidewalks when appropriate, ride through vacant lots, etc. This style of commuting makes me a better rider, more aware, attentive and knowing my routes' routine traffic or road surface hazards, when it rains heavy which roads flood first, etc.
It's easy to be a law abiding citizen and ride where I please on my bike So far the only strict bicycle related traffic law I have encountered is the necessity of using a front light to be visible to traffic. Other than that the local law enforcement is fairly lenient towards cyclists. My reason for saying this is on main street here where people are repeatedly stopped for j walking, I have not and will not be pulled over for crossing the same street on a bike. It's a good idea to know the rules of the road for your state and are very to find online. Here's a link for Texas rules of the road made available from Bike Houston.
So far as drivers are concerned, if the area is simply not accustomed to seeing routine bicycle commuters than why would I get angry and blame them for utter lack of experience and naivete. I have yet to have any sort of grievance toward a driver while on my bike in this area and as much as that might be because I have become so thick skinned to driver bullying that I simply block it out, it still feels as though the area is easy to navigate. As mentioned riding experience definitely plays a role here. I recently realized how much of my riding expertise I have taken for granted when I was on a ride with newbie to commuting. Commuting is so much different than recreational trail riding. Navigating traffic is very different than navigating inanimate terrain. If you're new to bicycle commuting and want a course on traffic skills check out the League of American Bicyclists. Very skilled and experienced instructors offer workshops all over the country, here's a link to the Houston, TX area workshop.
Once a cyclist develops bicycle commuting skills it really can make a person a better rider, which is just one of the many benefits of getting involved with bicycle commuting. Speaking of commuter benefits visit nuride to see if your area is participating in their rewards program. It's free to sign up and log commuter and errand miles thereby earning rewards points. Reward points for bicycle commuting are then redeemed at a large selection of participating businesses either local or online.
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