Which type of road is safer?

I am getting split opinions from my cycling club so I'll open the
question here. In my area (north-central Florida) we mainly ride two
types of roads. The first are back rural roads with little traffic
but no bike lanes or even shoulders of any kind. The second is
usually a newer road, often a US or major Florida road with much more
traffic. The quality of the pavement is excellent and there are
terrific bike lanes. Obviously the bike lanes and better road quality
is desirable but is that benefit more than offset by a traffic level
many, many times greater than the back roads? In your opinion which
road would you prefer from the aspect of bike safety. One of the
reasons this came up was that last week a participant in Bike Florida
lost his life in a vehicular accident.

Thanks in advance... Bob

On Apr 5, 9:12*pm, Bob wrote:
I am getting split opinions from my cycling club so I'll open the
question here. *In my area (north-central Florida) we mainly ride two
types of roads. *The first are back rural roads with little traffic
but no bike lanes or even shoulders of any kind. *The second is
usually a newer road, often a US or major Florida road with much more
traffic. *The quality of the pavement is excellent and there are
terrific bike lanes. *Obviously the bike lanes and better road quality
is desirable but is that benefit more than offset by a traffic level
many, many times greater than the back roads? *In your opinion which
road would you prefer from the aspect of bike safety. *One of the
reasons this came up was that last week a participant in Bike Florida
lost his life in a vehicular accident.

Thanks in advance... Bob

I don't think there will be enough difference in safety to sway
rational judgment. I'd pick the road based on a combination of
getting where I want to go, and aesthetics.

There's some data on Florida cycling in this article. Nothing
specific to your question, but interesting nonetheless:
http://www.floridabicycle.org/freedomfromfear.html

- Frank Krygowski

On 4/5/2011 9:12 PM, Bob wrote:
I am getting split opinions from my cycling club so I'll open the
question here. In my area (north-central Florida) we mainly ride two
types of roads. The first are back rural roads with little traffic
but no bike lanes or even shoulders of any kind. The second is
usually a newer road, often a US or major Florida road with much more
traffic. The quality of the pavement is excellent and there are
terrific bike lanes. Obviously the bike lanes and better road quality
is desirable but is that benefit more than offset by a traffic level
many, many times greater than the back roads? In your opinion which
road would you prefer from the aspect of bike safety. One of the
reasons this came up was that last week a participant in Bike Florida
lost his life in a vehicular accident.


Both sound usable to me. I would guess that if motorists in your area
stay out of bike lanes, that one would be safer but I would also guess
that the rural one would be more pleasant to ride.

What were the conditions of the fatality?

On Apr 6, 8:43*am, Duane Hebert wrote:
On 4/5/2011 9:12 PM, Bob wrote:

I am getting split opinions from my cycling club so I'll open the
question here. *In my area (north-central Florida) we mainly ride two
types of roads. *The first are back rural roads with little traffic
but no bike lanes or even shoulders of any kind. *The second is
usually a newer road, often a US or major Florida road with much more
traffic. *The quality of the pavement is excellent and there are
terrific bike lanes. *Obviously the bike lanes and better road quality
is desirable but is that benefit more than offset by a traffic level
many, many times greater than the back roads? *In your opinion which
road would you prefer from the aspect of bike safety. *One of the
reasons this came up was that last week a participant in Bike Florida
lost his life in a vehicular accident.

Both sound usable to me. *I would guess that if motorists in your area
stay out of bike lanes, that one would be safer but I would also guess
that the rural one would be more pleasant to ride.

What were the conditions of the fatality?

Would you believe it was a cell phone fatality although not in the way
you would think. The driver dropped his cell phone and bent over to
try & pick it up and the car swerved into the bike lane.

Bob

On Apr 6, 3:28*pm, Bob wrote:
On Apr 6, 8:43*am, Duane Hebert wrote:



On 4/5/2011 9:12 PM, Bob wrote:

I am getting split opinions from my cycling club so I'll open the
question here. *In my area (north-central Florida) we mainly ride two
types of roads. *The first are back rural roads with little traffic
but no bike lanes or even shoulders of any kind. *The second is
usually a newer road, often a US or major Florida road with much more
traffic. *The quality of the pavement is excellent and there are
terrific bike lanes. *Obviously the bike lanes and better road quality
is desirable but is that benefit more than offset by a traffic level
many, many times greater than the back roads? *In your opinion which
road would you prefer from the aspect of bike safety. *One of the
reasons this came up was that last week a participant in Bike Florida
lost his life in a vehicular accident.

Both sound usable to me. *I would guess that if motorists in your area
stay out of bike lanes, that one would be safer but I would also guess
that the rural one would be more pleasant to ride.

What were the conditions of the fatality?

Would you believe it was a cell phone fatality although not in the way
you would think. *The driver dropped his cell phone and bent over to
try & pick it up and the car swerved into the bike lane.

Bob

Hi there.

That is ironic. It almost seems that if the bicyclist had been on the
road out of the bike lane the drifting car would have missed him. Was
this yet another struck from behind incident?

Cheers from Peter

On 4/6/2011 3:28 PM, Bob wrote:
On Apr 6, 8:43 am, Duane wrote:
On 4/5/2011 9:12 PM, Bob wrote:

I am getting split opinions from my cycling club so I'll open the
question here. In my area (north-central Florida) we mainly ride two
types of roads. The first are back rural roads with little traffic
but no bike lanes or even shoulders of any kind. The second is
usually a newer road, often a US or major Florida road with much more
traffic. The quality of the pavement is excellent and there are
terrific bike lanes. Obviously the bike lanes and better road quality
is desirable but is that benefit more than offset by a traffic level
many, many times greater than the back roads? In your opinion which
road would you prefer from the aspect of bike safety. One of the
reasons this came up was that last week a participant in Bike Florida
lost his life in a vehicular accident.

Both sound usable to me. I would guess that if motorists in your area
stay out of bike lanes, that one would be safer but I would also guess
that the rural one would be more pleasant to ride.

What were the conditions of the fatality?

Would you believe it was a cell phone fatality although not in the way
you would think. The driver dropped his cell phone and bent over to
try& pick it up and the car swerved into the bike lane.

Jeez. This will probably start a flame war here but I think that when
you ride around cars (or drive around them, or walk around them) you
have a risk of some idiot doing something incredibly stupid with a large
piece of steel moving at a dangerous speed.

FWIW, my club tends to ride along roads that would be more like the
rural one that you described. The less exposure to cars the better the
ride IMO.

On Apr 5, 9:12*pm, Bob wrote:
I am getting split opinions from my cycling club so I'll open the
question here. *In my area (north-central Florida) we mainly ride two
types of roads. *The first are back rural roads with little traffic
but no bike lanes or even shoulders of any kind. *The second is
usually a newer road, often a US or major Florida road with much more
traffic. *The quality of the pavement is excellent and there are
terrific bike lanes. *Obviously the bike lanes and better road quality
is desirable but is that benefit more than offset by a traffic level
many, many times greater than the back roads? *In your opinion which
road would you prefer from the aspect of bike safety. *One of the
reasons this came up was that last week a participant in Bike Florida
lost his life in a vehicular accident.

Thanks in advance... Bob

Hi there Bob.

I would say that it depends on the road and also on the design of any
of the bike lanes. Where I live we have some really poorly designed or
located bike lanes. Many of them end abruptly after a long downhill.
One goes over a 400 series highway on the right and actually carries
into the right exit to that highway a ways before it crosses the on-
ramp to continue. I feel that bike particular bike lane is an accident
waiting to happen and I never ride in it. Other bike lanes have
concrete jut outs/islands every block or so. If you go to the right of
them following traffic thinks you are going to turn right. If you go
to the left of them you have to merge into traffic. Then there are the
bike lanes that are on the right side of the road at intersections
which puts the bicyclist right into the right-hook by automobiles
scene. Here to I take up a position in the right hand traffic lane.

Some bicycle lanes are so poorly designed or located that they are a
very serious hazard to anyone using them more-so if the bicyclist is
traveling fast.

On the other hand most of the country roads I ride around here are
quite safe and extremely enjoyable to ride.

One other thing regarding roads in town. The more bicyclists that use
them, the more likely a driver is to be aware of bicyclists in
general. In my opinion that awareness further increases the safety of
riding on an in-town road.

Cheers from Peter

Per Duane Hebert:
Jeez. This will probably start a flame war here but I think that when
you ride around cars (or drive around them, or walk around them) you
have a risk of some idiot doing something incredibly stupid with a large
piece of steel moving at a dangerous speed.

Been there once already.

The guy was staring down at *something* although I'll never know
what.

Road curved, he didn't..... I zigged, but he didn't zag... drove
right through the spot where I would have been.

If I hadn't seen it coming, I'd be dead meat: 100% certainty.
--
PeteCresswell

Bob wrote:

In your opinion which road would you prefer from the aspect of bike
safety.

I want to be high vis on the road with few cars, as the more attention
the driver's paying to *me*, the further ahead they see me, and the slower
they're moving, the safer I am.

If people cut blind corners on your back road because they think it's
empty, that's a real risk, but so is the sheer volume of drunks and sleepers
on any major road.

Sure, if you're on a busy road, use the bike lanes, but why are you
playing with traffic if you don't have to?

--
tussock

On 4/6/2011 6:00 PM, (PeteCresswell) wrote:
Per Duane Hebert:
Jeez. This will probably start a flame war here but I think that when
you ride around cars (or drive around them, or walk around them) you
have a risk of some idiot doing something incredibly stupid with a large
piece of steel moving at a dangerous speed.
Been there once already.

The guy was staring down at *something* although I'll never know
what.

Road curved, he didn't..... I zigged, but he didn't zag... drove
right through the spot where I would have been.

If I hadn't seen it coming, I'd be dead meat: 100% certainty.

I had an idiot today pull out of a parking lot right into me. I was in
the center of three lanes. I had to swerve to the far lane to avoid
him. I was in my car. He came straight into the center lane and turned
onto the road. It looked like he was pulling into traffic while
adjusting his radio. This was on my way home from work and a couple of
weeks from now, I would have been on a bike. If they can't see cars...