"Those Bicyclists Blow Right Through Red Lights!"
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I have to guess. But, my first thought is that those smaller roads have problems. No one rides the interstate unless they really have to.
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A few years ago, a friend of mine rode the Fast Across America ride from Irvine, CA to Tybee Island, GA. He told me the route they took through California involved riding the shoulder on I-10. Obviously that is far from ideal. So, I looked at Google, and sure enough there are a couple other options. So, why do they choose to ride the Interstate instead of a nice deserted desert highway?
I have to guess. But, my first thought is that those smaller roads have problems. No one rides the interstate unless they really have to.
I have to guess. But, my first thought is that those smaller roads have problems. No one rides the interstate unless they really have to.
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One of the most surprising things I learned on a long bicycle tour was which highways were actually the most bicycle friendly. Interstate shoulders, when legally accessible to bicyclists, have become my first choice for intercity riding. The shoulders tend to be wide, clean (in comparison to other highways), and well maintained. Some of the most relaxed, stress free distance riding I've experienced has been on interstates and other restricted access highways.
I know the interstates around here sound like roaring waterfalls without the pleasantness of an actual waterfall.
But, I agree. It is probably the safest route through some nasty areas or for cutting across a desert.
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Yes, but I'm not bothered by the noise. I enjoy listening to music as I ride. For some, the traffic noise might be a deal breaker.
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The noise is only an issue if there are wall to wall cars and hundreds of 18-wheelers traveling on it. If it's only a few hundred cars a day, it probably beats being on a state highway with no shoulder.
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One of the most surprising things I learned on a long bicycle tour was which highways were actually the most bicycle friendly. Interstate shoulders, when legally accessible to bicyclists, have become my first choice for intercity riding. The shoulders tend to be wide, clean (in comparison to other highways), and well maintained. Some of the most relaxed, stress free distance riding I've experienced has been on interstates and other restricted access highways.
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I found a few of those on tour, too. I had six flats in 3200 miles, four of which were caused by those wires. Three of the six (and two of the four) occurred on the last day, along a ~30 mile stretch of shoulder that was in horrible disrepair, so it collected a lot of debris. (For whatever reason, the shoulder of a divided highway was not maintained in one county.) That was on four lane restricted access highway, but not interstate.
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I found a few of those on tour, too. I had six flats in 3200 miles, four of which were caused by those wires. Three of the six (and two of the four) occurred on the last day, along a ~30 mile stretch of shoulder that was in horrible disrepair, so it collected a lot of debris. (For whatever reason, the shoulder of a divided highway was not maintained in one county.) That was on four lane restricted access highway, but not interstate.
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As long as there is no drive through. Drive throughs are dangerous to cyclists because some corporate lawyer said so.
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Bicyclists would never just blow through a stop sign. Or would they?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TikyIcoop60
Cheers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TikyIcoop60
Cheers
Nobody has said cyclists don't blow stop signs. What has been said is that it is rare that they do it without looking. And again your video makes the point. I like the cars that passed the cyclists at the stop sign. That was good stuff. My favorite part was the one cyclist who came to a full stop and made mockery of coming to a full stop.
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Bicyclists would never just blow through a stop sign. Or would they?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TikyIcoop60
Cheers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TikyIcoop60
Cheers
It's a little odd to have a stop sign in what appears to be a roundabout. Normally you just yield to traffic in the circle which is what everyone was doing.
Last edited by gregf83; 05-22-16 at 02:18 PM.
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I'm not as diligent as I should be about inspecting my tires. That's the one drawback I've found to using fenders; they make such inspections more difficult. But the Marathon Supremes I was touring on allowed at least one through in very short amount of time. Of course, I also pulled a few out before they made it through to the tube. After my tour, I switched back to original Marathons.
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To be fair, I say that cyclists don't usually blow through stop signs. To me, blowing through a stop sign implies proceeding without stopping or verifying the way is clear. Largely semantics, but I've said it.
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I'm not as diligent as I should be about inspecting my tires. That's the one drawback I've found to using fenders; they make such inspections more difficult. But the Marathon Supremes I was touring on allowed at least one through in very short amount of time. Of course, I also pulled a few out before they made it through to the tube. After my tour, I switched back to original Marathons.
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I had six flats in 3200 miles on tour. In the previous 20,000 miles commuting, I had three punctures. Granted, I was commuting on original Marathons, and touring on Marathon Supremes, but that still seems like a big difference. You're probably right about the "where you ride" aspect. City streets tend to be cleaned more regularly (and flat auto tires don't disintegrate) compared to highway shoulders.
#316
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- Andy
#317
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Riding on the shoulder of an interstate sounds like a really bad idea. Around here cyclists, carriages & pedestrians are prohibited from entering both the turnpike and interstates. Some areas have a 40 mph minimum speed as well.
I have found that riding in the imaginary 3 inch strip inside the rightmost white lane marker in a predictable motion so motorists feel secure enough to pass me legally without riding over trash & debris works best. Maybe in CA it's different?
- Andy
I have found that riding in the imaginary 3 inch strip inside the rightmost white lane marker in a predictable motion so motorists feel secure enough to pass me legally without riding over trash & debris works best. Maybe in CA it's different?
- Andy
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These stops would be for the folks that need such a spot, not recreational riders. Like, no offense intended here, but i take issue with the rail to trail movement and folks that focus on fair weather "fun" riding in city planning etc. We need more year-round cycling support.
- Andy
- Andy
#319
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I take issue with the idea that year round cyclists are in need of a spot for ice cream when it is obvious that pizza and beer, preferably free, are what is needed for sustenance when cycling. Any cyclist who prefers an ice cream stop over pizza and beer is not a Real Cyclist™, doncha know.
#320
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Nobody has said cyclists don't blow stop signs. What has been said is that it is rare that they do it without looking. And again your video makes the point. I like the cars that passed the cyclists at the stop sign. That was good stuff. My favorite part was the one cyclist who came to a full stop and made mockery of coming to a full stop.
#321
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Its legal here in Washington outside of a few major metropolitan areas. Probably something one needs to actually experience to appreciate, with shoulders as wide as lanes, and the lower levels of traffic outside of urban areas, its not bad at all.
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In the Seattle area they actually work well for transportation cycling, sort of like bike/pedestrian highways.
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These stops would be for the folks that need such a spot, not recreational riders. Like, no offense intended here, but i take issue with the rail to trail movement and folks that focus on fair weather "fun" riding in city planning etc. We need more year-round cycling support.
- Andy
- Andy
#325
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My baby sister (college freshman age) and I were on a bike tour together passing through an area where massive flooding was occurring. I got permission from the Mississippi State Police to ride on I-55 in Northern Mississippi for about 10 miles, as it was the only road above water. Barely too. This is how I found out why cycling on certain Interstate highways is a BAD idea. There were several bridges and none of them had shoulders. This cured me of any love I had for Interstate riding for the most part. To make matters worse, some Hillbilly strafed us on purpose. He accelerated (I heard the engine rev up) to what seemed like 100mph and purposely passed us within inches on one of the bridges. I felt the heat from the motor. Both of the other two lanes were free of traffic. Flat-black Ford Mustang. Will never forget that.
^^This brings me to another point. Interstate highways have more knuckleheads/criminals per minute than any other routes.
Then there where the tractor-trailers who could not move over to the next lanes due to traffic. I was more worried about causing a massive pile-up than about getting killed myself. And then worried about my sister too. Not a great touring experience.
Last edited by JoeyBike; 05-23-16 at 11:19 AM.