Do you ride on the right side of the road?

[vincev]

I hate street riding.We have plenty of miles of bike paths that stretch from Indiana to chicago.I opt for the bike paths.Much more relaxing.

 

[Superman1984]

If the USA had those fancy paved & glow in the dark paths like the foreign countries do I would damn sure travel by bike a lot more than I would consider now. I might even "exercise" via bike hahaha

 

[detroitbike]

In Detroit EVERYBODY was told , incorrectly, to ride against traffic. The thinking was that you’d be able to jump out of the way if a car was heading at you. Now the police sporadically enforce the law which requires riders to ride with traffic.

 

[Rivnut]

Around here, almost every bike rider rides with traffi. But most streets, not in a neighborhood or the two lane divided roads have bike lanes. An extra 3 feet marked by a solid white line. The bigger problem is the joggers who seem to that it’s there for them to jog in as well. That puts them jogging with traffic (didn’t we all learn to walk against traffic; at least those of us who grew up in the country where there were no sidewalks) then the get pissed at the bike riders. City ordinance prohibits them from jogging in the street but that only applies to the other guy. One gal got on a local neighborhood social media board and complained about bikes not in bike lane. It was then pointed out to her that bikes have just as much right to the road and there was a reason for no parking signs on the same post as the bike lane signs. “Karen, the lanes are marked no parking so the bike riders don’t have to ride around parked cars and where you drive.“ The Karen’s around here are unbelievable in their attitudes of mutual respect. The major trails around here, at least the 17 mile one behind me, are wide enough that they have yellow hash marks dividing the path into two way traffic. Bike riders for the most part are curious to walkers and joggers using their bell and letting you know “passing on your left.”

 

[Freqman1]

Ride with traffic.

 

[SKPC]

Lost a few friends thru the years who rode "with" hurtling metal objects driven by cavalier and completely clueless "Operators".
If we cared whatsoever about the safety of cyclists, the "transportation" infrastructure would be set up like it was back in the teens, when physical separation was designed into almost all the "transportation" corridors.
Today, in our virtue signaling, car-based culture, bicycles are last on municipalities priority lists, even though the deaths and maimings continue. Because of this fact, minimize ANY time "with" the traffic that can kill you faster than a bullet.

 

[Ernbar]

We have lots and lots of bike lanes out here which is great but.... they are very narrow and run alongside the main drags with no separation or safety space from the traffic flow. By narrow I say being about 3 ft. wide or so. Wide vehicles and even small towed trailers will oftentimes cross over or get uncomfortably close to the bike lane edge. Not a good feeling to have a vehicle coming from behind passing you maybe a foot or so away .

 

[tacochris]

I prefer sidewalks and bike trails for my distance riding but if I have to ride on a street I ride against traffic as close to the curb as possible and only in short bursts because cars have the right of way. If a car is gonna hit me I wanna see it coming and be able to avoid it and coming from behind me it will always be a situation where I have no chance....plus if someone wants to hurt you they have the element of surprise from behind and growing up in the hood that is never smart.
Even in restaurants I never ever sit with my back to the entrance....I like to know whats going on.

Contrary to cyclist rhetoric, roads may have been made for bicycles but they are for vehicles now and we should be aware of them and not expect them to be aware of us.

 

[49autocycledeluxe]

the thing about not riding in the road and only on trails is unless you live 40 feet from the trail like I used to you have to get your bike in the car and go some where else. sometimes I just hop on and ride for half an hour.... many times I just do hot laps around the block for 10 minutes..... takes me 20 minutes just to get to my favorite bike trails

 

[tacochris]

the thing about not riding in the road and only on trails is unless you live 40 feet from the trail like I used to you have to get your bike in the car and go some where else. sometimes I just hop on and ride for half an hour.... many times I just do hot laps around the block for 10 minutes..... takes me 20 minutes just to get to my favorite bike trails

Yeah thats a bit different. I am 2 blocks from the "drop-in" point for our local greenbelt so i usually just throw the phantom in the truck and head over there. My neighborhood is small so riding around it can be quite boring...