Everytime I ride my bike someone tries to kill me
I live in NYC and it seems like almost every time I go out for a bike ride someone almost hits me with their car. And then if you call them out on it they act like it's your fault. I can't even get out for a bike ride to clear my head anymore. I'm so sick of it.
won’t help for clearing your head, but try hooking up with Critical Mass (you’ll at least get one day when it’s safe-ish to be on the roads)
Thanks that's a great idea. I've heard of things like this but somehow never looked into the possibility that it already exists in my city.
See if your local cycling groups do a commuter "bike bus" as well. There's one in Chicago that's become very popular.
Probably not the answer you want, but if other road users are being dangerous around you then it would be ideal to try and look out for yourself more, if at all possible.
At intersections make sure drivers can see you, when in traffic try and stay visible in their mirrors, avoid blind spots whenever you can, and try to "read" what others are doing with their car - as some won't indicate to show their intentions. Speed is an important one too - if a driver was to righthook/cut you at an intersection, can you evade it or stop in time?
Try and adapt your riding style to a way that allows you to maintain visibility of yourself, and the environment around you on the road - drivers are protected in a metal box, but we aren't
Edit:
The real fix for these issues is separated bike infrastructure IMO, as well as better education for drivers about people on bikes
@lemann @toothpicks Most of my closest calls have been on well lit days, wearing bold visible clothes, at intersections with excellent visibility.
Drivers don't look where they are going.
@threelonmusketeers Not to Mastodon :(
(Although I can't find anything discussing that limitation)
Thanks. Maybe I'll try to get better at it. But usually it just makes me less likely to take the bike out at all. I usually end up just getting more stressed when I bike so idk if it's worth it right now
I've found that drivers are a lot more courteous when I'm riding my cargo bike and have my kids on the back.
The streets are a battlefield unfortunately, that much holds true in even some of the better parts of the world for cycling.
Gotta stay defensive out there, and push your local government hard for protected infrastructure. A large part of my commute is safe due to there being fully separated infrastructure.
According to Norwegian US news coverage, the bike has nothing to do with this, it’s how NY works
Find some bike trails in your area. Might have to drive a ways, but if you can transport your bike out of the city proper, you might find some bike-safe places to ride.