Bicycle commuting: the traffic and you (me) | Thread profile

So, despite frequently mocking the bicyclists of Washington State, after moving out onto town with a mere 3 mile commute to the shipyard, I have bitten the bullet and purchased a shiny new "entry-level" road bike. My intention is to use said bicycle to commute to and from work. I haven't started yet, and this is what brings me to H&A. The only realistic way to get from East Bremerton, ...

I don't think you should stay as far to the right as possible. This puts you in even more danger. As long as you have all your safety gear proper, your blinker working, and have noticeable reflectors on you, you should STAY in the right lane, prolly in the middle of it and just ride your bike as if you were driving a car.

Stay as far to the right as possible. The cars will find a way to get around you, don't worry about that. I'd be more worried about the bridge deck, to be honest.

Doc wrote: Stay as far to the right as possible. The cars will find a way to get around you, don't worry about that. I'd be more worried about the bridge deck, to be honest. I've been looking and the condition of the pavement on the bridge seems pretty good overall, little to no trash, debris and so forth, and no potholes, huge cracks, ...

I'm not worried about debris or FOD. Cars speed like hell over bridges and look for cyclists even less than they usually do.

Get a good quality blinker. I forget the particular model I have, but it has solid mode, blinking mode, and seizure mode. It's extremely noticeable, and I'm sure made more than a few inattentive drivers aware of me. Also, don't misinterpret Doc's statement of "far to the right as possible" as curb hugging. If you feel threatened by cars passing you too close, debris on the side of the road,...

Doc wrote: I'm not worried about debris or FOD. Cars speed like hell over bridges and look for cyclists even less than they usually do. Oh, I see what you're saying. Yeah, it's a concern. I'll be wearing an obnoxious orange reflective vest and I have a flashy thingy on the back of my bike, but ultimately, if I get nailed, it's the good ...

First off, you have the same right to the road as the cars. Most states have a rule for bicycles that goes more, or less, like this: The operator of the bicycle shall remain as far right as practible. That means you need to stay as far right as is safe. That does not mean against the curb or in the shoulder. Most roads have a wide enough lane for a car to stay in the lane and still ...

Don't forget your helmet... Even more important, wearing something eye catching if you're going to be in a potentially dangerous situation.... I know personally I'm probably going to be doing my own bike commuting soon, prpobably do a couple practice runs this weekend on a 5 mile trek, took me 30 minutes of hard work, but I think I didn't bolt the tires back on properly, and am hopign...

I'm fully covered as far as safety gear goes, all the recommended safety gear are actual requirements just to ride a bicycle onto a military base. As far as the Manette bridge, I don't know. I'll have to scout that out in my car and see what that ride would be like.