HallowellNashOf Course You Can't Bike to Work
Inevitable Waffles [Ohio]I’m about five mikes from my work with OK bike infrastructure to get there. My problem is every dickhead rolling coal on a lifted F350 seems to think I’m worth 500 points. Until they either protect the biking infrastructure or hit these people with massive vehicles some real pentalities for driving like idiots, I’ll have to keep using my car for safety.
I sometimes bike to work (~15 miles each way), but fortunately to have a trail I can take a good chunk of the ride to work.
Unfortunately I get off after-dark and its closed (I wouldn't ride it at night even if it were technically open), so stuck riding a sometimes poorly lit stroad for a five-mile stretch home that's down to 1-lane much of the way because of never-ending construction with no shoulder or bike lane (plus stroads most of the other 10 miles home). I couldn't recommend the ride to anyone until the construction is gone. Would be great if they'd put some protected bike lanes there though, but given the trails available during the day, non-night riders and non-bike commuters would probably feel like its redundant.
I recommend getting some bright lights. I have a 350 lumens rear light that makes my bike more visible than most vehicles.
Switch to using an ebike this year, so it has its built in light, I have another rear light that blinks (not very bright and turned so its not directly facing drivers), and recently got a helmet with a front and rear light. Also wear bright clothes and have reflective stickers on my bike and stripes on pannier. I still don't trust some of the cars given passing in-lane is the only option for them to pass and the lane is too narrow for that.
in-lane is the only option for them to pass and the lane is too narrow for that.
In this case the correct thing to do legally is to take the whole lane, but I get that having cars honking at you is stressful.
Why is the trail closed?
We have a portion of a trail that closes for no reasonable purpose at like 5pm. We've been fighting to keep it open--lanes of car traffic don't just close unless it goes through private property. Why should bike trails?
Its an unlit winding trail along a steep drop off with pigs (and I do not mean cops - another part of the trail is directly on their station and I've never had any issue riding there at night- its lit, ironically by car dealerships, and not along a steep drop off; it also does have pigs out hunting at night though).
Huh. Is there a reason a fence doesn’t work there? If pigs were wandering into a road, both the owner and the city would want to eliminate that conflict
Its a nature trail meant for well-off office-workers to go for recreation during the day, so they're not going to build several miles of fencing for poorer people to commute at night. Pigs are primarily nocturnal, so they're not an issue during the day.
Also roads obstructing wildlife migration is already a problem. We shouldn't be trying to expand that.
i wonder if the self-driving cars will make bicycling safer or more dangerous? the recent shrug and pray approaches to the software aren’t reassuring enough
Given the fact they are still running over pedestrians, I wouldnt hold a lot of hope.
Physically separate bike paths (like not connected to roads. A.k.a multiuse paths) and bike first intersections are going to be the safest way forward.
Self-driving cars can be safer in some ways, but not always.
