Originally Posted by Danhedonia

Not a frequent poster, and saw the horrible post about Peter Cotsis/PCAD's death. It hit home hugely, because after 40+ years of off/on road cycling, I've become frightened lately. I'd like to hear from others.

I bike a small number of "milk horse" routes in the greater Albuquerque area. By far my favorite route is the (lovely, scenic) MUP. I like it because there is no traffic. ABQ is fairly bike-friendly, and there are bike lanes and a reasonable 'general understanding' among the local drivers. There are, of course, always exceptions, and New Mexico has some grim stats on bike fatalities.

Recently I've had a couple of incidents on established routes that made me frightened. Both cases were cars passing too close. Not the purposeful, "Ah'm gon' show this cyclist" crap, but just oblivious to the need to provide 3-5 feet clearance (state law AND clearly posted on multiple signs on the roads in question).

Somehow, I feel like the category of "oblivious" drivers (not just those texting on their phones) has increased. Or perhaps I'm just getting old and nervous, I've no idea.

Would anyone else like to share their thoughts?