Bicycle Commuting - benefits and risks

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plateaued
plateaued Posts: 199 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I have been riding the 6 miles to and from work for a long time. It saves $140 a month in parking and gives me cardio. It doesn't work on days when I have meetings, but that is not too oten.

Yesterday I took the third major spill in that time. I didn't aproach a drveway lip in an acute-enough angle and the bike tipped over sideways . . aches but no real damage.

My biggest fear is car doors. No one looks when they open the door and there i am getting whacked. Hhasn't happened yet but the risk is real. Once someone even opened the right hand door in traffic.

The mayor of L.A. got whacked by someone racing the to corner to make a right turn in fron of him after overtaking him. He got injured and, miraculously, lots of bike lane improvements appeaerd.

What has been your experience?

Are the risks worth the benefits?

Replies

  • fromnebraska
    fromnebraska Posts: 153 Member
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  • fitnessfreddie
    fitnessfreddie Posts: 74 Member
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    I'm in Chicago and I worry about the same thing. I haven't had any issues yet but I've had some real close calls.
  • plateaued
    plateaued Posts: 199 Member
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  • gmallan
    gmallan Posts: 2,099 Member
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    I'm kind of lucky because there is a bike path for most ofmy 10km ride to work. I have taken a spill once in the wet though going over a curb so now I take it a bit easier if it's raining. I love the ride in the morning. Wakes me right up. Last night I nearly hit a dog because some idiot was walking his two dogs on the bike path (they aren't allowed) and wasn't watching them (he was looking at his phone). Just as I was riding past one of them wandered into my lane.
  • plateaued
    plateaued Posts: 199 Member
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    gmalian, phones are a real nuisance. I try to make eye contact with anyone in my threat zone, but often drivers are oblivious on the phone (driving while phoning are illegal in California). Even pedestrians stepping off the curb often do not see me until the last minute if they are on the phone.
  • gmallan
    gmallan Posts: 2,099 Member
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    I would have felt awful if I hit his dog. I'm fairly new to the whole bike commuting thing. It's just starting to get cold and dark here so I need to invest in some gear if I'm going to keep it up
  • plateaued
    plateaued Posts: 199 Member
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    Cold and dark :). Here the days are finally getting longer and warmer . . . not that it's ever really cold.

    Antoher issue here is where to ride the bike if you find yourself in a traffic lane, instead of the edge between moving and parked cars. Last week I saw a sign in Mexico City that said "Bikes occupy the center of the lane". It was a curb lane solely for buses and bikes. That's a scary proposition. If you ride on the edge, then you encourage cars to squeeze past you, which could have a bad result. If you ride the middle, which I have found unsettling, you risk some guy running up your rear without seeing you or getting pissed and going around you.

    Are Aussie drivers polite to bikers?
  • dotknott
    dotknott Posts: 88 Member
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    Okay.. I have to chime in here because I have personal experience as a bike commuter. It's dangerous. I loved it, I was successful for 3 years as a bike commuter and I don't ride any more because of what happened.

    I was hit by a SUV that ran a stop sign. The driver was fleeing the scene before I even realized that what I had been spitting out were my teeth. I was wearing a helmet, but I still ended up with a severe concussion.

    A passenger on a bus saw me get hit and called an ambulance. I'm not sure what would have happened if they hadn't done so.

    I had so much road rash on my face I went out to a halloween party that year as two-face.



    I haven't ridden on a road since. I'm terrified.

    My boyfriend commutes via bike. He's been bumped into, though not enough to be knocked off his bike, and he's been doored. It scares the hell out of me, but he doesn't have a car..
  • GetSoda
    GetSoda Posts: 1,267 Member
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    Do: Ride WITH traffic.
    Do: Signal.
    Do: Get a horn that cars can hear (I suggest the Airzound. Works well on dogs too.)
    Do: Have a small video camera on your handlebars. Car drivers literally get away with murder when we're talking car-bike collisions. And yes, I mean literally. No hyperbole.
    Do: Ride as far to the right as safe, but know when to take the lane.

    Don't: Ride in the door zone
    Don't: run red lights
    Don't: ride on the sidewalk
  • dotknott
    dotknott Posts: 88 Member
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    Do: Ride WITH traffic.
    Do: Signal.
    Do: Get a horn that cars can hear (I suggest the Airzound. Works well on dogs too.)
    Do: Have a small video camera on your handlebars. Car drivers literally get away with murder when we're talking car-bike collisions. And yes, I mean literally. No hyperbole.
    Do: Ride as far to the right as safe, but know when to take the lane.

    Don't: Ride in the door zone
    Don't: run red lights
    Don't: ride on the sidewalk

    OMG YES to all of these.

    Please don't be a bike salmon (don't ride against traffic!)
  • RiesigJay
    RiesigJay Posts: 151 Member
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    I've never had a license, so I've always ridden a bike (since 2004). I've been affected by two things: car doors and criminals.

    Obviously someone opened a car door and before I had time to react - BOOM. Also had some criminals attack me, knock me unconscious and steal my wallet, phone and (oddly enough) my water bottle. They left the bike though.

    Other dangers include people who drive Priuses and BMW's. They're the only cars that have either tried to hit me or have almost hit me. Also city buses and large box trucks (delivery vans, garbage trucks) tend to pin you in the door zone, so you're better off letting these vehicles pass you by.

    Also folks who don't use their turn signal, and make a right hand turn right in front of you. I hate that.

    The positives are the cardio aspect. Also when you get to work, you feel wired and ready to go. If you've had a bad day at work, a nice hard (HIIT) bike ride home will take away most of the bad mood. You save money (not a lot, you spend some of it on extra food).

    Frankly I find it well worth the risks to get around via bicycle. Just wear a helmet and bright clothes. Wear a reflective vest if you're riding at night.
  • WanderingLass
    WanderingLass Posts: 86 Member
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    My boyfriend hasn't owned a car in nearly 25 years. He's biked EVERYWHERE. He does come home frustrated at the "must be in all the places" people and the idiots talking/texting but for the most part he enjoys it. He was only in one accident involving a pickup and that was a pretty serious one but his protective gear did its job and saved his life. One accident in 25 years -- not a bad track record. :smile:

    Just as in driving, you have to ride defensively. People are just...inattentive nowadays. :frown:

    (To clarify, he's lived in OR, CA and now OH.)
  • grandmastime
    grandmastime Posts: 57 Member
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    I ride my bike to and from work for the last 5 years (except when there is snow on the roads). I have never had an issue. However I live in a town of about 5000 people. Summer can be hectic because I live in a tourist town but most of the time people tend to be carefull probably because there are alot of people on foot here. I think the benifits out weight the risks. We as cyclist have to be more diligent of others and traffic around us.
  • plateaued
    plateaued Posts: 199 Member
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