All right, it's official: I'm making the call.

[rushes]

If you must commute on the bike, get up a little earlier and take side streets.

Vary your routes and try to make riding fun again.

 

[Bokerfork]

I've been commuting for close to 40 years. If it has gotten worse, it must have been gradual enough for me to adapt. Personally I haven't noticed any changes.

Of course, YMMV

 

[lnewlf]

speaking for myself-I'd feel really stupid, someday relatively soon, laying in bed, dying of nothing....

 

[NMRoadRunner]

I've often wondered if I would still ride if I lived in a larger metro area on the east or west coast, or in Texas for that matter. I don't think I would

. It's getting allot harder here to clear traffic and have a nice ride.

 

[beemerdons]

speaking for myself and Papa Chuy Viejo - I'd feel really stupid, someday relatively soon, laying in bed, dying of nothing….

+1, Gunny! JSNS!

 

[wheatonFJR]

Metro riding risk is not controllable these days to my acceptable level in many communities. In my new abode, I have commuted and find the risk level acceptable, whereas in suburban Chicago, it was not.

I find the level of risk in country two laner riding to be much less than in dense city riding, and though I may die on an isolated country road, I find your country road/city commuting comparison analysis amusing and faulty.

Good luck to you. You definitely have a different perspective than I. If I worried about all that can kill me...paralysis by analysis is what I say.

There is a remote possibility that I may die tomorrow reaching my hand towards the starter button on my bike. Doesn't mean I am going to stop doing it.

 

[RichDoyle]

I've been commuting for close to 40 years. If it has gotten worse, it must have been gradual enough for me to adapt. Personally I haven't noticed any changes.
Of course, YMMV

I agree. I believe it's the OP whose perceptions have changed. Around here, commuting during regular hours may be safer than ever, given how the traffic crawls.

As far as on rural roads? There are typically 2 MC fatalities a year on these very rural roads near me on Whidbey Island. Hitting (or being hit by ) deer, mostly.

 

[James Burleigh]

If you must commute on the bike, get up a little earlier and take side streets.Vary your routes and try to make riding fun again.

Rushes, you NAILED it! That's exactly what I do.

Well, I don't EVER get up any earlier than I have to, as many know who have asked me to join them for an early weekend ride.

But I follow Pat Hahn's advice in Ride Hard Ride Smart to just relax and smell the roses along the back roads. For months now I have been (A) taking the train to work and riding in only once or twice a week, and (B ) when I do ride in, I take all the back roads. It takes almost twice as long, but it's much nicer, more relaxing, and of course safer.

Sure, I occasionally still hit the freeways, with the attendant HUGE spike in adrenalin resulting in a racing heart beat when I park the bike at work (my cardiologist would not be pleased). Riding at speed in very-tight, fast-moving freeway traffic, your attention level redlining, utilizing all your mental and bike-handling skill and experience--it's exhilarating! But as with any drug that makes you feel amazing, all things in moderation.

(One thing I do more on freeways now than I used to is run with my brights on. I hate to do it, because I know it can be annoying to drivers. But that's my response to their texting and weaving over the white line.)

 

[painman]

My problem is if I get out in the country especially in a nice set of twisties, I never want to go back home. And if I increase ride time and distance the problem only increases. And all this only limited by time, money and arthritis. Go figure. It's always something trying to interfere with the fun factor.

 

[Aasland]

I'm with James on this one. Granted I don't live in or commute in an urban environment, but the forays I have taken have made it pretty clear there is no real practical advantage to taking the bike to offset the increase in danger, at least in most cases.

 

[SouthernCruizer]

quite simply, life boils down to risk vs reward. At the exact point of risk outweighing reward, it's time to take a new direction. Just my $.02US , worth.

 

[Top_Speed1]

I just came back on some of the Canadian 401 & 403 (QEW) during rush hour. It was hectic, dysfunctional and mayhem all combined into one. The darting /changing of lanes with hardly no room (and never a turn signal) sure make the heart skip a beat or two. Those Toronto-ians are nuts and if Kali is worse? No Thank you!

 

[RichDoyle]

Years ago (the '70's) I lived in Idaho Falls, ID and worked at INEL. While I was there another dude that lived in a small town to the West of the site stated in no uncertain terms that whenever he came to Idaho Falls he had his wife drive, because the "heavy traffic" scared him. This was not an old dude, either.

Around here, if you work in places even close to Tacoma, Seattle, Bellevue, etc. there's almost no way to get to work exclusively using "back roads". You might be able to stay off the interstates, but instead you get to travel even scarier US/State highways filled wall-to-wall with strip malls and no-tell motels.

 

[SwollenRaccoon]

I just have to disagree about rural twisty roads being more dangerous than freeway/commuting/city/urban riding. I dislike deer very much, and yes, there are farm vehicles, gravel in corners, and myriad assorted hazards. BUT, there is no creature more dangerous than an average American (usually between 16 and 45) and his or her cell phone in their car. The rural deer is at least reacting to his environment, whereas the ass clown driving while using his phone is totally unaware of what environment he's even IN. Like most of you, I've seen these boneheads do unthinkable things while (at least appearing to) drive an automobile. City, freeway, rural road, it doesn't matter. At least out in the country, there are less of them per mile.

The majority of close calls I've had (per mile of riding) have been in town. One time 30 years ago, a fat, elderly swamp sow opened her mid-70s Coupe De Ville door right into my path, from her parking spot along the street. I had no time to check my mirrors or brake, so I just swerved left into the adjacent lane to miss the door. I wasn't crowding the right side of the lane, but most of you old people will remember how long those doors were. That's just one small example, and that was before cell phones.

I just want to start up my bike, and get to the open spaces as fast as I can, to get away from the mental defective and anti-destination leagues that seem to be out there on our roads, with little concern for whom they will one day kill or injure.

Sorry for the rant, Hans. You obviously hit one of my few hot buttons. And by the way, keep on riding. You will miss it if you quit.

 

[gixxerjasen]

There's no country roads for me to feasibly take between where I live and where I work. And the side streets are way more dangerous than the freeway. People here treat side streets during commute time as if it were the highway, with speeds approaching highway speeds. Heck, those speeds during rush hour will often be higher than what's going on on the freeway, which is why they are down on the side streets to begin with.

When I commute by car I take the shortest route, which means highway for 2/3 of the trip, and side streets for 1/3. I actually go further on the bike because I take the highway for 95% of my ride, but 1/2 of that is HOV lane, so there's that.

I do work the 7-4 shift to help alleviate some of the traffic concerns as well.

 

[bluesdog]

'rational rider', 'jumbo shrimp', military intelligence', 'rap music', & etc

I coined the term "rational rider" to indicate a rider who thinks and cares about taking measures to lower the risk of injury, not like the ass-hat who passed me coming home tonight at about 95 MPH into a sea of brake lights. It's like philosophy's "man on the street" or the Law's "reasonable person"; that's all.

Yeah, I realize what you meant. I was just having a bit of fun...

I view our sport as inherently irrational, which is to say those who choose to ride a motorcycle are not making that choice based on reason or logic, but on emotion.

Of course those of us who are not invincible ‘squids’ ride in a relatively sane and sensible manner, thinking clearly and making sensible decisions as we motor along

But the initial choice to ride at all is because at some level we wish to face danger, and to some extent conquer our inherent fear of it.

This may be a human thing, but I think it isn’t rational

That’s why I juxtaposed ‘rational rider’ with the other oxymora!

 

[rogdeb]

Tsk tsk Hans. Are you just trolling for someone to speak to ?

...

 

[LKLD]

Everybody doesn't ride with their brights on? I didn't know that.

 

[rushes]

If you must commute on the bike, get up a little earlier and take side streets.Vary your routes and try to make riding fun again.

Rushes, you NAILED it! That's exactly what I do.

Well, I don't EVER get up any earlier than I have to, as many know who have asked me to join them for an early weekend ride.

But I follow Pat Hahn's advice in Ride Hard Ride Smart to just relax and smell the roses along the back roads. For months now I have been (A) taking the train to work and riding in only once or twice a week, and (B ) when I do ride in, I take all the back roads. It takes almost twice as long, but it's much nicer, more relaxing, and of course safer.

Sure, I occasionally still hit the freeways, with the attendant HUGE spike in adrenalin resulting in a racing heart beat when I park the bike at work (my cardiologist would not be pleased). Riding at speed in very-tight, fast-moving freeway traffic, your attention level redlining, utilizing all your mental and bike-handling skill and experience--it's exhilarating! But as with any drug that makes you feel amazing, all things in moderation.

(One thing I do more on freeways now than I used to is run with my brights on. I hate to do it, because I know it can be annoying to drivers. But that's my response to their texting and weaving over the white line.)

Well all right. It's official. You made the call Jim Burly.

I'm taking note, cause I didn't 2 years ago when you were whining about THE SAME ****!

Not really sure what call you made tho.

Goober!

lol

 

[RadioHowie]

Everybody doesn't ride with their brights on? I didn't know that.

No kidding! A few months ago, a young Lakeland cop got all pissy and hollered at me at an intersection for having my brights on. It was about 4:30 in the afternoon....about 3 hours from dusk....so it's not like I was blinding anyone.

I told him to "**** off". I was mentally daring him to do something about it, but he rolled up his window and turned right.