Biking for Transportation (Shreveport, Lafayette, Bossier City: home, college, calculated)

[hank0604]

Okay, so here goes. I've had my fun in Chicago, learned and experienced what I wanted to learn and experience, and am moving home to Bossier City. There's just one catch...

I don't have a car. I don't even have a driver's license. Haven't for 3 years. The thought of driving a car again makes my stomach turn.

For over a year now, a bicycle has been my primary form of transportation, and I'm unsure about whether or not I'll be able to continue that in Shreveport. To be clear, I'm not worried about distances; my commutes and errands right now require about 150 miles a week of riding, and I've calculated the distances that I would have to bike in SBC and it wouldn't even be that much. I'm also not worried about bad weather; I biked all winter long in Chicago, including many days where the high was below zero.

Here are my two points of concern: 1) crossing the river. I'll likely be living in South/Central Bossier, but will have to do a lot of business in Shreveport. If my memory serves, Jimmie Davis would not be a possible crossing on a bike, limiting me to crossing at Texas St. or Shreveport-Barksdale. Number 2), and this is the real concern, is what the driver attitude is going to be. In Chicago, bikes are common enough that drivers accept us on the road, and understand that it is actually illegal and more dangerous to ride a bike on sidewalks. So my question is:

How would you, as a driver, react to sharing the road with a cyclist? Also, are there others out there that bike regularly, or would I be pretty much on my own?

[kinpatsu]

I would be courteous to you because you have a right to bike. However, bikes aren't too common here as they are in other urban/metro areas and other parts of the country, such as the Northeast or Midwest. Most national health/physical activity polls have Southern states listed dead last. I'm pretty sure that when coming across a bicyclist, some drivers here would be clueless or view you as a road obstacle. I think that more urban areas here should be more bike-friendly and the only way to do that is to show that yes, people actually do ride bikes. Years ago when I was going to college in Lafayette, I saw a man knocked over on his bike because a driver wasn't paying attention while they were making a turn. Another man had a driver screech to a stop behind him and laid on the horn because he wasn't riding on the sidewalk.

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

You can add more clothes in the cold but there is only so much you can take off in the heat & humidity.

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[annie_himself]

I wouldn't want to ride a bike in Shreveport, especially with the heat of that area. I'm used to them here in Houston, but there aren't many in Shreveport, and the drivers aren't used to sharing the road with bicyclists.
I could never ride a bike on the road, don't have the guts for it.

[hdwell]

shreveport and esp. bosier are too redneck to share the road with cyclists. Massive size pick ups and suvs will run over you. Little squatty cars will too. There is too much meaness around here. There are cycling clubs around here so its not unheard of but most of them stick with the parkways and the outer reaches of town.

It would benenfit the locals if they would take advantage of the nice weather we have had lately and ride. The south in generral and Lousiana in particular are a lazy bunch. Must be the heat although they can't say that this week as we have had picture perfect weather other than the very dry conditions.

[Wampuscat]

You can cross the shreveport barksdale bridge easily and there are north south bike paths on both sides of the river. This area has no bike lanes in the cities. I would ride something with fat tires also because the roads are rough and you can hit the curbs or side walks in a pinch. You can do it, you will just have to adapt a little.