[yooniecorn]

Is this feasible? Safe? Does anyone do this? Do locals frown upon others for it? What's the deal?

[freeXSvegas]

Las Vegans come from all over the United States and many foreign countries. Drivers are far less predictable here than elsewhere. I loved biking in Europe where people are more considerate of bicycles, etc. That is not the case here. Except in more isolated areas, IMO, bicycling is just too dangerous here as a mode of transportation.

There may be lower density, upscale areas on the outskirts of the valley where bicycling is a reasonable option for shorter distances, but most of the Las Vegas valley is bicycle-unfriendly.

[dynimagelv]

every morning and evening on my drive in to work I see someone riding to work....and we usually get there at the same time.....true....I am not as sweaty as they are....but its doable.....if most of your travel is north to south its all flat....if you travel east to wet there are some sweat inducing hills....west to east you can FLY.......

[tortoise]

In general, bicycling in the Las Vegas metro area has an extremely high risk factor . . just too many distracted, impaired, and reckless drivers crashing into bus stop shelters and homes. May be slightly less risky if limited to residential "side streets".

[yooniecorn]

If it helps at all, I bicycled about Long Island/NY/NJ roads, so I am no backwoods transport. Most of our little roads had no bicycle lanes or anything, and it was considered by all to be extremely dangerous. I'm not sure how it matches up, though...

I was actually rather surprised at how calm the drivers in Vegas seemed, compared to New Yorkers. No yelling? No perpetual honking? I could actually cross the street, without taking my life in my hands. It was neat.

[yooniecorn]

Originally Posted by dynimagelv

every morning and evening on my drive in to work I see someone riding to work....and we usually get there at the same time.....true....I am not as sweaty as they are....but its doable.....if most of your travel is north to south its all flat....if you travel east to wet there are some sweat inducing hills....west to east you can FLY.......

Thank you, this is a big help.

I'm impressed that you made similar time to the cyclist!

I'd most likely be bicycling from west to east, or southwest to east. I guess I should give it a try one day and see how it works out.

[tijlover]

I work a graveyard shift and even on my days off I'm up all night, not wanting to disturb my sleep cycle. On my days off, You'll find me riding my bike all over the city. It's 4AM and I just got back from riding from DI/pecos to the Strip and back, and touring residential areas en route. To me, it's the safest time of the day to ride your bike, although I know this is not for everyone, like people who work during the daytime. At 1,2,3,4AM, I hardly have to look both ways as I cross any of the major thoroughfares, and in the residential areas, I feel like I've got it all to myself, so so peaceful and quiet and rarely any traffic. I only wish McDonald's would accept me as a late night customer as I drive through the drive-thru, but someone told me (as to why they wouldn't serve me) that they can ONLY serve customers in cars. What a crock! This is purely discrimination. So, at that late hour I must ride to the STrip where there's McDonald's open all night, and I just park my bike outside and have something to eat there. And with Wal-Mart open all night, I take turns going to the various Wal-marts within 4-5 miles of my house, as I have a nice big basket in front to carry my goods back home. And another advantage at night is I can ride the sidewalks without trying to dodge people
all the time. And I'm always happy to see so many other late-night bikers around Las Vegas. So if you have a bad case of insomnia some night, hop on that bike and enjoy a whole different aspect to Las Vegas.

[Chest Rockwell]

I used a bicycle as my only mode of transportation for about two years. I lived at Trop/Pecos and studied at UNLV and worked at Sunset Station. My daily commute was about 16 miles.

The key is to know which streets have space for bicycle riders so you aren't sharing the right hand lane with cars and buses. Usually, there are smaller streets running in between major streets that have 25 mph limits and more space. Examples of these are Hacienda, Harmon, Alta, Oakey going E/W and Torrey Pines, Arville, McCloud going N/S. Flamingo is the only major street with enough space for bike riders IMO. The CAT bus has a rack to put your bike on which is especially handy for steep hills such as the one on Sunset, or for windy days.

And DON'T ride against traffic or on the sidewalk. I can't tell you how many morons risk their lives thinking they are safer this way. How could a car possibly see you coming when you are travelling in the opposite direction as traffic?

I think bike riding is a great idea for those with the motivation to do it. It's great for your body and great for the environment!

[radraja]

Here's the deal - because things are so spread out, biking as a primary mode of transportation can be a hassle.

However, the residential areas of Vegas have lots of paths and special bike lanes on the roads. There are lots of cycling teams out here, and many people bike for recreation.