Is it safe to cycle where you live?

Yeah,its very safe to ride cycle in my area.. My place not being a metropolitan city there is not much traffic. Also drivers in our area are very considerate about the pedestrians and cyclers.

Where I live , Northern Virginia, we have a bike trail and it isnt part of the main road but it is in a wooded area. So it isn't the car traffic that is dangerous, it is the weirdos that are the danger. No one should bike alone these days. it is so sad. where I lived when I was a kid, we could bike in the parking lot of our apartment building. There were a path in the open we could ride our bikes too.Bt back then drivers looked out for kids playing , They drove slower. these days I bet there are many kids that don't know how to ride a bike.

I notice in the beginning of the summer months when I am driving home (and I live in the rural part of my area) that once in awhile I will come across cyclists....which is fine, but I do get a bit worried when I am rounding a corner- at normal speed I tell you- and I come across one of those low riding ones, you know the ones where they sit down like a big wheel kind....you almost cannot see them. And it scares me, but I always pay attention to them just like motor cyclists.

I live in Vancouver, BC, Canada, and this city is just awesome to bike around. We don't just have bike lanes, we have bike roads! They have things like speed humps (bigger then bumps) and areas where the road breaks off for cars, so only pedestrians and bikers can get through, easily. Keeps the areas fairly quiet, and safe to bike through, and theres loads of them. Only 3 blocks from my place, there are these roads going north/south, and east/west, and you can find them every 10-20 city blocks, including a bath that goes under our skytrain through the city. I can even pull up a website that shows all the bike paths in Vancouver, and you can have it plan a trip for you, depending on what conditions you want; traffic, elevation, steepness of hills, even if you want it more city or more natural. I tell ya, this city is great to bike in. I'm so glad I have one, and I use it all the time.

In my area, I have sidewalks, but then again I live near one of the busiest intersections outside of downtown. In your case, if there is no sidewalk or bike lane, I don't know what to tell you beside take the chance or don't, or get a motorized scooter.

I think it is pretty safe to cycle here. I live in an apartment complex where there are less cars in the area. Even the complex is pretty huge but it is still quieter during the day, maybe because most are in their workplace. Besides, we have a pretty huge park nearby, where i can go and cycle throughout without fearing lots of fast cars in the surroundings

It's not really that safe where I live because the bike lanes don't go continuously. But for a long time I couldn't afford a car. I'll tell you it makes you ride pretty darn fast when you have to go through a bad area on your bicycle. But now I'm in a better part of town and the cars are the only danger. I just wear bright colors and stay away from the really crazy streets.

not really. our streets were made for horses,not cars,and when you add people parked and active on the street,it doesn't leave very much room. i can't count the times people have just swung their car door open without looking. it's compounded by the fact most around here treat cyclists of any kind(and pedestrians for that matter) like street pigeons,they just don't care. then there's big potholes and cobblestones on some of them,so.. sadly,it's really safer to walk than ride.

Hello katsalot1! There are areas here in our city where cycling is very safe. There is not much traffic in these areas. It's even fun because there are a lot of beautiful sights. There really are no cycle lanes but it's not that dangerous compared to other places.

Yes at my place it is safe to cycle.We have our own colony surrounded by a compound wall.There are no big vehicles running.Also the car and bikes come at a slow speed.There are times people should no balance or else may end up in accidents.There was a small girl on a cycle who fell right in front of the car.My dad was alert and put the brakes.

Unfortunately, I wouldn't say my town is the safest place to ride a bike around either. Where I live there are no bike lanes whatsoever. I live mostly out in the country (not far from living in town though) but even then it's not really safe, I guess. I mean, my roade and the one behind me are safe to ride on since cars don't go too fast down them but the other one by my house probably isn't as safe. There are people who tend to go pretty fast down it and even then the road isn't in that great of a condition and is narrow enough with just cars on it. I do wish it was safer to cycle where I live. I would love to completely replace my car with my bike for when I have to travel locally.

Yes where I live they have 3 bike and jogging walking skating trails. It takes you very far also. All the way to downtown the one dose the other to southside area. I think they are very nice. I am in Pittsburgh.

I think it is pretty safe to cycle in the area where I live. As it is a small town where only 10% of the population have four wheelers we don't have to bother much about cars and heavy vehicles but one thing we need to care of is motor bikes. These days youngsters do rash driving and one can hardly predict where they are going to overtake as there is no separate lanes for cycles and motor bikes.

Hello Katsalot1, I live in Queen Creek AZ which by comparison to Phoenix, it is a smaller more rural area. With that said, my neighborhood is insane and it is hard to ride in the area. The sidewalk switches sides 1/2 way through and although that is for walkers, I sometimes take my children and I would have a heart attack if they were in the road so I have them ride on the sidewalk. We have a 30 mph speed limit and even then, please go over 40 and there are turns on both sides of the road! Luckily we are next to a cotton field and until recently the road in the middle was dirt and they have put some covering on it so that is a bit safer. I think that people need to pay more attention to bike riders. And parents need to teach their kids better biking etiquette! They drive all over the road, going against traffic rather than with and not using hand signals. This is extremely dangerous! All in all, I think there needs to be more widespread education on how to ride a bike and how to watch for riders. It is a great form of exercise and better for the environment so if more people felt like they might not die from doing it, maybe we would have more participation!

Yeah I guess that is a much more favorable thing to do for our mother nature to cope up with the pollution produced by cars. But doing that also takes many risk along the way. You are right in your concerns about the safety of biking in streets that have many cars passing by. I think what you should do is find a group of cyclist and ask them how they manage to do it inspite of the traffic situation. I guess its a matter of getting used to doing it in your place.

If the cyclist cycles on the left and in an orderly manner, it should be safe to cycle anywhere. Here in my country, most cyclist cycle on the left of the road as the right is reserved for overtaking. Other than cycling on the road, cyclists too cycle on the pavement for pedestrians. In my opinion, this ends up safe for the cyclist but unsafe for the pedestrians.

I think it is safe around my neighborhood but I don't think I would feel comfortable on the main roads. There is way too much traffic around here and alot of elderly and teenage drivers. Unfortunately, around here, those are a majority of the accident causers. It would be nice to save a little money riding my bike but it is not worth it.

I feel the same as you do. I have a bike that I don't ride and the main reason is that the only place I feel comfortable is on the footpath which I have been told is illegal. I can't imagine taking my bike on the road and riding amongst other vehicles, way too dangerous for me! Where we live there are a few cycle lanes and they stop and start as well, one minute you're on the lane and the next you are on the road, way scary!

We live right off of a main travel road. I call it a travel road because it's not a highway, but it's a route often taken by people who are traveling through the area. We see people on bicycles on the road every now and then, but I can't say that I would be brave enough to do that myself!! Like you, I'm afraid of all the traffic! People often don't show respect on the roads. I don't know why, but I wish people were safer. I guess some people don't realize how big of a responsibility driving actually is!!

No it's not safe, even the less busy roads. There are too many interstates. I have to go ride in my nieghborhood if I want to ride my nike or a biking trail. I am really bad at not staying a straight line so I try to stay away even in the roads that have traffic lights and other people bike on. I had two bad biking accidents as a child and lost three permanent teeth and some of my hearing.