Poll-commuters and road riders

Laws (over here in Colorado anyway) require that you go into traffic
when on the sidewalk, and with the traffic when you are in the bike
lane. This law is never inforced though, so I like going into the
traffic, that way I can see the cars. It makes me feel a little more
safe. Because of this I am usualy on the sidewalk, wich I think I am not
supposed to do, but that law is never inforced ether. How is this a
poll?

--
heavy metal unicycling - Loveland Unicycling Club

People who throw stones at you are quietly saying, "shoot me," they're
just not being verbally expressive enough.
-harper

The Big Picture-
The entire population of the world, with one minor exception, is
composed of others.
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Per the bike laws in WA state, I ride with traffic, unless it's one of
those funky "bike lane only on one side of the street" setups, in which
case I'll ride that regardless of whether it is with or against.

--
tomblackwood - Registered Nurtz

Tailgate at your own risk.....

"By George! The man's a genius!"
Murde Mental

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I always ride facing oncoming traffic on streets. On highways the
shoulder is usually wide enough, at least in my local area of NJ, to
allow for riding with traffic.

--
JJuggle - Last of the Dogmato-Revisionists

Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ

I will now proceed to entangle the entire area.
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When i ride to work (7.5 km. each way), i ride with traffic, but on the
sidewalk whenever possible. I'd be a little worried about riding
against traffic, because bicyclist always ride with traffic, and it
would be a bad situation to try to get around the bicyclist when a car
is coming at me at the same time.

--
hecklar - Street Rider (Level 4)
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I used to ride with traffic as much as possible, but after I got hit
(ever so slightly, tho the swerving bus that hit me then ran into a
car), I decided to stick to sidewalks as much as possible. They're
usually lightly trafficked themselves (with pedestrians), but
occasionally the sidewalks are quite busy. In those cases, I'm still
usually on my Coker. This is another reason I went to the 125s -- 110s
are too hard to maneuver with thru tight pedestrian situations.

David Stone

--
David_Stone
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I too like to ride against traffic.

I have a somewhat unrelated question to ask of the commuters: do you
ride in your work clothes or change when you get there? The reason I
ask is because I get so sweaty while riding that there's no way I could
wear my work clothes on the uni and still expect to be presentable. I
think I may sweat more than the average Joe, but still, the uni
definitely gets the sweat flowing no matter who you are. Where I work I
wouldn't be all that comfortable with changing once I got there
either...and would still probably be sweaty enough to soak the work
clothes too. It's a predicament.

--
HistoricalGoof - Cruisin' in B&W!
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You left out "into." I like to ride "into" traffic. My riding companions
frequently ask me to play in traffic.

--
harper - TANKED at GASWORKS

-Greg Harper

B L U E S H I F T

"Never ride backwards up a rocky mountain road because the things that
will trip you if you see them will also trip you if you don't. " -
munipsycho
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According to the Uniform Vehicle Code (in the U.S.), I'm pretty sure
that all cyclists, if using the roadway are required to ride in the same
direction of traffic. Pedestrians the opposite.

For a bicycle, even going slow, this is (should be) a no-brainer because
the relative speed differences between you and the cars are easy enough
to calculate.

But if you're riding a 20" or 24" wheel, and not trying to go fast, your
speed is generally under 10 mph, and not very significant.

When I ride to work, I'm on a Coker with 125mm crank arms. Most of the
roadways I have to ride along have a good bike lane/shoulder area for
me, but not the whole way. I always ride on the right side, except in a
couple of spots when I'm approaching left turns, where I may switch to
the other side early.

I use a mirror. Anyone who rides in traffic should use a mirror. Mine
attaches to a pair of sunglasses:
http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=367

As for clothing, my 16-mile round trip would really suck with
conventional pants. I wear bike shorts and a T-shirt for the ride, then
change into regular clothes when I get to work. I bring a bunch of
clothes in on days when I drive, so there's always some here. Without
changing I would be too sweaty after arriving. Tomorrow it's supposed to
be about 103 degrees f when I head home, which will be close to but not
equal to my personal ride-home record of 105 or 106. When I get home on
hot days, the sweat starts pouring off of me. So I jump in the pool!

--
johnfoss - More Moab Fun

John Foss, the Uni-Cyclone
"jfoss" at "unicycling.com" -- www.unicycling.com

"Read the rules!" -- 'IUF Rulebook'
(http://www.unicycling.org/iuf/rulebook/) -- 'USA Rulebook'
(http://www.unicycling.org/usa/competition/)
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On back roads that are not heavily travelled by cars, I prefer to ride
against traffic so I can see them coming. On back roads, the cars tend
to feel that can have the whole road and I feel more at risk.

On busier roads I travel with traffic. I also try to avoid these
roads.

I also like riding on the opposite side on the back roads to get a break
from the crown of the road. It's nice to have the surface of the road
leaning the other way.

Like Harper, I ride into traffic also, mostly for sprinting practice.
Nothing like an 18 wheeler pushing you from behind to work on your
spinning and sprinting. One or two exits and I'm wasted. 🙄

Bill

--
billham - LEVEL 4
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I usually (almost always) ride on the right side with traffic.
I don't use a mirror.

However, (as an odd twist to your question) I have ridden lots of miles
backwards (on the right side of course). If I see a cop, I dismount
before having to have a conversation about it.

I wonder if going backwards would be "outlawed" altogether, or if THAT
is the time you are supposed to ride on the left.

--
ChangingLINKS.com - member

Wishing you Happiness, Joy and Laughter,
Drew Brown
'Changing LINKS' (http://www.ChangingLINKS.com)
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I ride on the sidewalk whenever possible. But if it's not, then I ride
on the left side of the road against the traffic so I can see the
oncoming cars before they hit me.

--
James_Potter - betcha can't stick it!
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I'm taking driver's ed this week and according to NC laws bikes ride
with trafic but I don't know about unicycle, I'll ask tomorrow.

--
carsonpalooza - www.oddtodd.com

If at first you don't succeed , skydiving is not for you
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A compelling reason to ride with traffic on the right side (here in the
States) is because that slows down your speed relative to cars.

Let's say you're going 10 mph on a 36" and have a car about 20 feet
behind you, and you hit a ditch that blends in with the road and fall
forward. The car has a lot more time to avoid you and your now
uncontrolled unicycle than if you were heading towards each other.

Also, from the car's perspective, he is used to passing on the left.

Finally, if you are on the left riding with traffic, you are more easily
integrated into the driver's understanding of the scene.

If you are riding with traffic, like hecklar said, it is much much
easier to mingle with bicyclists. I'm always irritated by bicyclists on
the wrong side of the road, and I would be also by a unicyclist.

Like John said, a mirror enables you to monitor traffic behind you.

I too, have had trouble on back roads with cars flying by too closely.
I have noticed recently that with a hugely brighter flashing taillight,
I get a lot more room. Although the taillight is red and flashing, I
have had the State Police pass several times with no comment except a
wave. I think they'd rather not be scraping me off the road.

--
U-Turn - Cool water for the flame

Weep in the dojo... laugh on the battlefield.
'LiveWire Unicycles' (http://www.livewireunicycles.com)
'Strongest Coker Wheel in the World'
(http://www.unicyclist.com/gallery/albup39)
'29er Tire Study' (http://u-turn.unicyclist.com/29erTireStudy/)
'New York Unicycle Club' (http://www.newyorkunicycle.com)
-- Dave Stockton
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With the traffic. The biking against the traffic being safer myth is a
weird thing that only seems to exist in the USA, everywhere else I've
ridden they think you're a nutcase if you ride the wrong way.

I'm of the opinion that if you're riding on the road, you should act
like a vehicle, because that's what makes you most predictable to other
road users and makes it less likely that they'll do something stupid to
you. I don't use a mirror, but I do look behind me every time I'm going
to do anything that changes my road position, like overtake someone, or
turn and when I'm coming up to a junction.

Joe

--
joemarshall - dumb blonde

my pics http://gallery.unicyclist.com/album483
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joemarshall said:

*With the traffic. The biking against the traffic being safer myth is
a weird thing that only seems to exist in the USA, everywhere else
I've ridden they think you're a nutcase if you ride the wrong way.

I'm of the opinion that if you're riding on the road, you should act
like a vehicle, because that's what makes you most predictable to
other road users and makes it less likely that they'll do something
stupid to you. I don't use a mirror, but I do look behind me every
time I'm going to do anything that changes my road position, like
overtake someone, or turn and when I'm coming up to a junction.

Joe *

I couldn't have said it better, 'cause I tried!

--
U-Turn - Cool water for the flame

Weep in the dojo... laugh on the battlefield.
'LiveWire Unicycles' (http://www.livewireunicycles.com)
'Strongest Coker Wheel in the World'
(http://www.unicyclist.com/gallery/albup39)
'29er Tire Study' (http://u-turn.unicyclist.com/29erTireStudy/)
'New York Unicycle Club' (http://www.newyorkunicycle.com)
-- Dave Stockton
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U-Turn said:

*I have noticed recently that with a hugely brighter flashing
taillight, I get a lot more room. Although the taillight is red and
flashing, I have had the State Police pass several times with no
comment except a wave. *

But isn't a red flashing tail light normal for cyclists? Or does yours
look like an emergency vehicle? 🙂

For carsonpalooza:
Good luck with your driver's ed! I used to work for a driving school. If
your instructor claims to "know" what a unicyclist is supposed to do in
traffic he's probably making it up. If you're trying to get from A to B
and going faster than pedestrians; basically if you're *in* the road,
you are required to follow the laws for "vehicles" in your area. In
short, that means do what a bike is supposed to do.

Riding toward traffic does nothing to enhance your safety. Unlike many
other forms of law, traffic law usually has a ton of logic, and proven
experience behind it. I'm glad a couple of other people finally came
along in this thread to back that up!

--
johnfoss - More Moab Fun

John Foss, the Uni-Cyclone
"jfoss" at "unicycling.com" -- www.unicycling.com

"Read the rules!" -- 'IUF Rulebook'
(http://www.unicycling.org/iuf/rulebook/) -- 'USA Rulebook'
(http://www.unicycling.org/usa/competition/)
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