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In the age of the multi-tasking, cell phones, sprawling roadways, and impatient people it is very difficult finding a place to ride one's bike safely. So, which cities would you consider to be the best and worst for bike riders?
I bicycle commute every work day in Orange County, CA about 30 miles round trip, year round. Our county has a population of about 3.5 million (5th largest county population in the US), so there are plenty of cars around. Most major through streets in my area are fairly wide and have a good shoulder or a marked bike lane. I don't have many problems in dealing with cars, but I ride the same route every day and pick the route carefully to avoid hazardous intersections or streets. My route does not involve what I would consider real heavy car traffic. My route requires very few left turns, which are where cyclists are most vulnerable. I wear a bright reflective vest and use a rear view helmet mirror, and have bright lights that blast away when it's not very light outside. I don't take it for granted that cars at intersections will give me the right of way, even though I might have the right of way. I have been bike commuting for many years and have learned the survival rules of the road. Many of the cars on my route are the same ones that pass me by every day, and I have sort of "trained" them to notice me so that I can ride along in my space along the shoulder or bike lane.
OC is one of the best metro areas I've lived in for bike riding, although the San Francisco bay area has many good areas also. Sacramento is quite good too.
Tucson, Boise, Salt Lake and Albuquerque have good cycling in town and surrounding areas. Many cities in Ohio are pretty good too, Ohio is a big cycling state. Down the river, Louisville and Lexington, KY are pretty good in town and good surrounding countryside. Same goes for Tallahassee, FL.
I have friends in New Orleans that rarely drive cars, they pedal around the flat town on single speed bikes. Since half the people left NOLA, not as much traffic around.
Vegas, really? I thought this would be a bad city for cyclists.
Yeah, watching the bike tires melt into the pavement and then burst into flames on a 115 degree day isnt exactly what Id call ideal either.
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