"Veloise" wrote in message
ups.com...
Earl wrote:
I think it would depend on the time of day and how much traffic you had
to
contend with.

So far, so good.

If the traffic is heavy, I would simply turn left onto the sidewalk ...
I would have likely already be on the sidewalk on that side of the street
before the first left turn and probably cut through the alleys or parking
lots if possible and not even bother getting onto the roads or sidewalks
in
that section.

Presumably OP is inquiring about vehicular cycling practices and
techniques, and if s/he wanted to avoid any contact with motorized
traffic, already knows how to ride like a kid.

If it is early, little traffic, then after the first left turn, stay in
the
left lane and make the second turn just as though you were in a car.

That would be my advice (typed the Effective Cycling instructor
certified in 1980).

Going all over the road like that makes you unpredicable and at higher
risk
of getting hit.

Uh, no, not if done correctly and the trajectory excludes sidewalks and
cut-throughs (why not pop a wheelie while you're at it?).

Taking the lane and staying in it would be the proper course
in my opinion.
You are only going a block or two there. Changing lanes like that means
you
have to look for traffic, change lanes when it is safe, several times
making
it more dangerous.

Much depends on the circs. Doing this every day as part of a commute?
Your fellow road users are likely to recognize you and your route by
the end of the first week. What are the traffic patterns like on the
pertinent streets? (Your diagram must be really nice, 'cuz there's too
much traffic there to let me see it!)

HTH

--Karen D.


I use everything to my advantage when it is rush hour with traffic jams and
such.
I consider sidewalks fair game at certain times of the day or night. Alleys,
empty fields, parks, parking lots, construction zones, industrial areas,
residential areas, apartment complexes, etc. I am not above using sidewalks
to advantage. But in some cities it is illegal to ride a biccycle on a
sidewalk, so that may not be a option in some areas.
There has to be some advantage to using a bicycle besides sitting in traffic
jams like all the motorists do. :-)
It used to be pretty good when you could ride in between the cars and trucks
in a traffic jam, but it seems like in the last few years, the drivers seem
to be getting a lot more sloppy and are blocking off the spacing between the
lanes. Sometimes it seems like everyone wants to try and see what is going
on up ahead, so they move over to the left more. Then you have those curb
huggers too. It is a lot harder to do it now. or at least in some of my
commuting areas. Of course now that everyone has big SUV's maybe it just
seems that way.