Originally Posted by
Pratt
Here in Vermont, the speed limit on two lane roads, outside of towns is usually 50 MPH. Traffic is often much faster, and includes private cars and commercial trucks up to and including semis, plus the odd tractor. It doesn't feel very risky, and there are very few reports in the papers of cyclists being hit. I don't review the papers religiously, but I think I would notice such stories.
As I mentioned earlier... YMMV... on the farm two lane roads east of San Diego, 50MPH is quite common, but then so are wide shoulders, and scant traffic.
In town, 50MPH boulevards 3 and 4 lanes wide, each way exist, and the traffic is quite heavy, BL help, but it is a chaotic mess, with cars merging all over the place... and drivers just don't seem to "see" cyclists...
There is a vast difference between a two lane road, and a wide multi-lane road. The biggest difference is that one slower motorist can "hold back" following traffic on the two lane road... not so on the multi-lane road where motorists treat it as a "Le Mans raceway."