Originally Posted by
WhyFi
What's the population of the metro area? Where are other serious cyclists in the area riding? Does the terrain compound issues with funneling traffic and whatnot? And do you not have shoulders in the quasi-north?
There's been a lot of development in the Twin Cities, but it really hasn't impacted riding that much - plenty of roads with ample shoulders so that the 40+ mph roads without shoulders can be avoided. It does take a while to get out to some open roads, but you can still string together some decent rides within the metro. Then there's the extensive network of MUPs (which I tend to avoid) and the gravel roads (which are fun, but I don't like to drive for a ride).
I became a "serious" cyclist in 2005. The area around where I live had mostly been built up for years. The people in the new developments, who come this direction, largely get funneled onto the interstate, not on the city roads I ride. So there's not a 1:1 relationship between metro population growth and the traffic I face
in Knoxville.
Like I said, where you really notice it is when riding away from town (west). When I started riding there was some subdivision growth, but then the Great Recession hit and that really tamped down on sprawl for almost a decade. Now it's back. So, the point at which you can "relax" on the rides is now a few miles further out. It's annoying.