About to give up the majority of cycle-commuting

rich00 · 2010-07-20 18:56:39

I've been a road cyclist for 11 years, since I was 14. Last month I started getting chest pains while riding in the Oak Hill area (the next day I was sick with mono). But the point is, cycling on most roads is getting too stressful for me. I think large group rides will be fine, and cycling on quiet neighborhood streets. But I need to remove the stress of selfish, dangerous drivers on the road with me.

This past week I've been in CT visiting family, had the chance to be a passenger with a lot of people since I have no car here. It's astounding how dangerous these people (who know I'm a cyclist) drive. I've come to the conclusion that it's a miracle I haven't been hit by a car over 65,000 miles of road cycling. My own mother almost got me killed last night as she was driving with me in the car and pulled out in front of another car who had the right of way. I yelled WAIT!, yet she stepped on the gas. After that she continued to cross the yellow line on sharp curves, and drive on the shoulder. She's just an example of what many other drivers are like.

The roads are a very dangerous place, even though they don't have to be. I've tried to help make them safer in Austin, but it's very stressful in doing so. I get worked up a lot inside, trying to defend my rights. I've seen the opposition to safe cycling roads, while on the Nueces Steering committee - it's very sad. Car drivers won't give up a few second of their time to allow other road users a safe commute.

Our country has such lax enforcement of traffic laws, poor infrastructure and allows waay too many people to attain a drivers license who have no place operating such a deadly weapon.

It's mostly a game to so many people. It's not real until they or a loved one is in a serious wreck. Even the ones who do get in wrecks, many don't drive safer after.

I would love to not use my car, reduce oil consumption and not support that massive problem. But it can't be worth my life. I am scraping all my ideas to travel by bike(cross country) or commute by bike. I may still use the ebike for grocery runs since the roads there are slow and wide. But that's about it. I will still road bike on a few select very quiet roads, and possible large group rides. But as the lone cyclist getting brushed by speeding cars on my commute out to YBP, downtown or my gf's place in Oak Hill especially..... I don't feel it's worth it anymore.

Last edited by rich00 (2010-07-20 18:59:32)

john the blasphemer · 2010-07-21 09:52:39

It sure can be awfully discouraging. Even when you ride safely and correctly, you're only as safe as the idiot drivers allow you to be. Two days ago my girlfriend had yet another incident in which an idiot driver yelled at her for 'being in the way' while she was waiting to go straight at a red light. This moron tried to make a right turn by going around her on the left and cutting in front of her while she was stopped at the intersection. When he signaled his intentions she just shook her head to say no and then just looked away. He backed off. When I got home yesterday her bike was not in the rack. I figured she had gone to the HEB which involves crossing the 8 lanes of the Parmer Lane Autobahn. I was a little stressed so I chased after her so she wouldn't have to ride it home alone.

I've been hit once and had many unpleasant encounters, but I'm going to hang in there and do without a car. A day may come when the stress gets to be too much, so I would never be judgmental about someone giving up on commuting by bike. Do what you have to do for your sanity! Cycling while stressed out probably isn't safe anyway.

cycling74 · 2010-07-21 09:57:35

Commuting by bike is a matter of life and death. Do what's needed to stay alive, whatever the rules are they do not apply here. And to anyone who thinks it's cars vs bikes end of story, put your bike down for a minute and try your luck as a pedestrian for a day. If you survive, come back and share your thoughts.

MichaelBluejay · 2010-07-21 10:40:19

rich00, I can't blame you. When I took over as the host of "The Bicycle Lane" program on KOOP radio some years ago, I typically reported on all the major car-cycle collisions each week. Shortly after I started, a friend told me, "Bluejay, you're preaching that we should all start riding bikes, while in the same breath saying how dangerous it would be to do so." Of course he was right. I was basically saying, "Please engage in this activity which may very well kill you." So I realized at the time that a good chunk of my bicycle advocacy should be focused on safety, and so I sat down and wrote "How to Not Get Hit By Cars", which I hope has helped some people. Of course, publishing that article didn't magically make the streets safe to ride on. It's still dangerous.

How dangerous? A few years ago I crunched the numbers, and found that cyclists are 3 to 11 times more likely to die on the roads than motorists. Some bike advocates massage the data or do sloppy analysis in order to come to the conclusion that biking is no more dangerous than driving. (i.e., They compare biking vs. driving per *hour*, rather than per *mile*.) One of these people was Ken Kifer, who was ironically later killed while biking by a drunk driver.

It's funny, whenever a local government proposes a bicycle helmet law, cycling advocates complain that a helmet law would make it look like cycling is dangerous. These are often the same advocates who are working for safer riding conditions for bikers. This seems to be a pretty big contradiction. If biking is so safe, then why are we trying to make it safer? And if it's *not* really safe, then why are we complaining that helmets remind us of the actual danger?

(Not that I think helmet laws are a good idea. To be sure, helmet laws are the wrong way to promote cycling safety.)

Of course driving isn't safe either, because we all know that drivers and passengers die in car crashes, too. But comparing driving to cycling, cycling is certainly more dangerous. No question.

That's one reason I rarely ride for pleasure. I mostly ride only to get from Point A to Point B. The less time I spend on the road, the lower my chances of dying there.

So anyway, rich00, I sympathize.

damicoaustin · 2010-07-21 10:58:03

Yes bicycling is dangerous if you're riding along with earbuds flying off sidewalks or timidly hugging curbs in hopes that speeding cars won't nail you. But if you're educated, assertive and lit up like a Christmas tree at night, I think it's pretty safe (although I won't go into road surface conditions right now!). And I don't think it's a contradiction to note that helmet laws make cycling look dangerous while also saying we need to make it safer for cyclists...maybe just a nip of irony.

Rich, have you tried something other than a road bike? I'm a big believer that for urban cycling it helps to be upright and have quick access to your brakes for those times when the stupidity and recklessness of drivers eradicate any street smarts and educated riding you have. I don't know if there's any research on this, but the only time I've wrecked has been with drop bars.

john the blasphemer · 2010-07-21 12:45:26

cycling74 wrote:

And to anyone who thinks it's cars vs bikes end of story, put your bike down for a minute and try your luck as a pedestrian for a day. If you survive, come back and share your thoughts.

I alternate between getting to work by cycling and getting to work by running. My own particular run commute is pretty safe except for a short but nasty bit along Burnet (1325) as it goes past the Domain and up to the hospital. There is no shoulder or sidewalk and a very uneven grassy strip along part of the way on one side. If most of the route was like that, I probably wouldn't run it at all. I have had more near death experiences along this stretch running it than riding it. The only alternative to get across Walnut Creek is to go an extra 2 or 3 miles out of the way (which I do in the am to get in extra miles).

I agree that pedestrians get a raw deal, but if anyone needs a break form commuting by bike you might see if you can map out a decent run. (I realize that to many people 'run' and 'decent' don't go in the same sentence.) Anyway, my run is generally less stressful and I use it to break up my cycle commuting. And, if you are into marathons or ultras it makes for a great way to get in weekly miles fairly easily.

Even cycling as safely as I can I don't always feel very safe. But then, I always feel that way about driving. The less I drive, the less I like it when I do. The human body just isn't adapted to coming to a sudden stop from 60mph.

rich00 · 2010-07-21 13:26:54

I've been very comfortable riding with cars, up until the past year where it's started to get to me. It's things I have no control over - like such as cars overtaking me. It doesn't matter how good of a bike handler I am (I've avoided many accidents because I am great at manuevering), I can't do anything about passing cars, other than ride a sidewalk which is either not an option, way too slow, or more dangerous in most cases.

I've bumped handlebars with other racing cyclists at 45mph in races, fearlessly carved 55mph descents and so on, yet the anxiety of cars passing me from behind is getting to me. I see how normal people drive and it scares me.

My road bike is far safer IMO, since I can really step on it and go fast if I need to. But even when I'm going 30mph, I get brushed by a$$holes - such as that one time I was going south on Lamar across the river at 30mph, and a car gave me about 1 foot. He gained about 100 ft then had to stop for the red light. It's just really sad we have to live in a society where people routinely threaten your life because they are impatient and believe they have the right to go full speed ahead, and break the law. And then there are the well meaning ones who are just distracted (because that's the norm - to text, talk, eat, not look where you are going, etc while driving).

I'm just at the point where I feel in the big picture - maybe I should do more of my riding off-road, with large groups, or on very quiet neighborhood streets. Biking down Lamar or Guadalupe and even Shoal Creek Boulevard seems like it's just a matter of time before I'm literally forced off the road with injuries or worse.

Last edited by rich00 (2010-07-21 13:34:07)

john the blasphemer · 2010-07-21 13:54:54

I never liked the clip-on-the-helmet rear view mirrors, but I did put a bigger mirror on the handlebars of my commuter/touring bike. It doesn't add anything to the looks, but it does take away a whole lot of stress for me. I can watch the cars approaching from behind and, of course, 99% of the time they move over to pass me just fine. It really helps to actually see it and not just hear it, though. It helps give me some warning when the occasional idiot passes too close.

The other day I had to ride my triathlon bike to run an errand and really missed the mirror. I felt MUCH more vulnerable, even though I probably wasn't actually in any more danger than usual.

On my commuter, I have those weird bars that curl around all over the place. I had to do some cutting away of the rear view mirror attachment to get it to fit. Then I just wrapped the bars over the plastic attachment which I had duct taped to the bars.

dougmc · 2010-07-21 17:43:51

john the blasphemer wrote:

I never liked the clip-on-the-helmet rear view mirrors

I didn't at first, but once I got used to it I loved it. To be more precise, I really like the one I have that clips onto my glasses.

I totally concur about the stress level being reduced with a mirror -- people should try it.

I'm not a big fan of having a mirror on the bike. It's nice (providing all the benefits of a mirror as long as you can set it up in a way that doesn't vibrate), but the mirror has to really stick out there to see around you, and if the bike ever falls over, it tends to be the first thing that breaks. I used to do it, but I got tired of replacing broken mirrors.

Last edited by dougmc (2010-07-21 20:02:51)

Bicycle Austin forum

#1 2010-07-20 18:56:39

About to give up the majority of cycle-commuting

#2 2010-07-21 09:52:39

Re: About to give up the majority of cycle-commuting

#3 2010-07-21 09:57:35

Re: About to give up the majority of cycle-commuting

#4 2010-07-21 10:40:19

Re: About to give up the majority of cycle-commuting

#5 2010-07-21 10:58:03

Re: About to give up the majority of cycle-commuting

#6 2010-07-21 12:45:26

Re: About to give up the majority of cycle-commuting

#7 2010-07-21 13:26:54

Re: About to give up the majority of cycle-commuting

#8 2010-07-21 13:54:54

Re: About to give up the majority of cycle-commuting

#9 2010-07-21 17:43:51

Re: About to give up the majority of cycle-commuting

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