Desert Coyote

While my commute is too long to bike, I did pick up a bike rack for Stitch initially so that I could ride around campus when I'm in school. Now that I'm back to class (as BlackHHR06 can attest), my Graber rack is back on, along with my Giant Sedona bike.

Works out perfectly for me ... park at one of the more remote student lots, then just ride the bike around campus. No worries about whether I'll be late, because I never am.

Frozenspokes

That's a great way to commute. I know of lots of people that do just that. Thanks for bringing it up

SandyBeach

Yes, most colleges have limited parking on campus but there's a bike rack at the door of most buildings. My son couldn't live with his bike.

I fully support that new law in Florida. It's just kind of a pain when a bicycle rider is trying to share the road during rush hour. That's why I'd love to have bike paths.

After 15 years of living here with the elderly, tourists, and no-fault insurance, I've learned to be a very defensive driver and bicyclist. You have to if you want to survive!

Frozenspokes

That is true anywhere, but in FL and Houston TX it does seem to be even more true. They can be very bike un-freindly areas. It seems like about half of the "rider down" threads I see on the road bike forums come from those two areas. But in the end, it is truly about managing risk. Try to avoid the main arteries. Try to avoid roads without shoulders and higher traffic volume. When approaching intersections, act like a car, take your lane and hold your position. If you are in the flow of traffic it is much more likely that you will be seen

Bike paths are great when done right The problem I have with them they are rarely done right. It seems that most bike paths are designed by people who don't ride bikes with the sole purpose of getting bikes off of the road. Because they separate us from the regular flow of traffic with a 3 foot swath of grass and put stop signs on the path at EVERY side street, they are more dangerous to ride than just staying on the road. Drivers don't look for you at all, and if you do get hit, it's your fault It almost seems to me that the persons that designed them was anti-bike and wanted to pound into our heads that we are second class road users.

I guess that is why I like the greenway concept so well. If you really want to separate bikes from the regular traffic flow, really do it. Greenways are usually built along a natural or man made terrain barrier. They can follow rivers or old railroad beds. Because traffic has to cross these barriers withour disruption, there are lots of bridges and such. It truly separates the cyclists from the motorists and gives the cyclist a quick way to get from one side of town to the next with only a few intersections with roads. Makes for a ride where your only concerns are the muggers and homo's

Wow, I need to get off of this soap box.

Sandy, thanks for the input and enjoy the ride as best you can. That's all any of us can do really

jx3

You get a swath of grass?? Here in Miami the few bike lanes that do exist are seperated for the road by a mere 2 feet (at best) of painted asphalt. And are most of the time used by autos during rush hour as a right turn lane!!