Tactics for urban cycling

[John90]

A question mainly for urban commuters.

When I acquired a Garmin GPS I used it to plot a route to work, which it does avoiding as many main roads as it reasonably can (in my case taking me around the back of Camberwell, the Old Kent Road and Elephant & Castle). This makes the commute longer but quieter and it is now my default option.

And it feels safer too, but that's my question. Are busy roads (more traffic, bigger vehicles) more dangerous than back streets (more parked cars & visibility issues, no safety in numbers)? Are there any statistics on this?

 

[Kies]

Using back roads is safer than the busy arterial routes around London. I see riders using the Euston Road , and wonder why they do, when quieter roads run parallel to it.
I doubt any meaningful statistics have been recorded on such uses, but generally speaking a road with low moving traffic will be safer than one with cars coming (and going) from all directions

 

[clarion]

I have a couple of back routes i resort to when I'm fed up of idiot motorists. But most RTCs happen at junctions, and I pass through more junctions (many with major roads) following the back roads. So I'm not convinced it's a lot safer...

 

[HLaB]

A question mainly for urban commuters.

When I acquired a Garmin GPS I used it to plot a route to work, which it does avoiding as many main roads as it reasonably can (in my case taking me around the back of Camberwell, the Old Kent Road and Elephant & Castle). This makes the commute longer but quieter and it is now my default option.

And it feels safer too, but that's my question. Are busy roads (more traffic, bigger vehicles) more dangerous than back streets (more parked cars & visibility issues, no safety in numbers)? Are there any statistics on this?

I dont know your streets but sometimes a jammed street can be safer as there is no room for muppets to suddenly swerve/ accelerate, there can be less conflicts with peds/junctions/parked car but its a lot more complicated than that I prefer to pick and choose routes relative to that and the traffic at the time.

 

[musa]

Ride it and see for yourself.
I'm with clarion here. Sometimes the back streets are messy. Like the nc? Route that cuts past vauxhall to the estate on Oval. Stock well to clapham is all good many junction to take and you still have idiot cyclists who will try overtake on narrow spaces

 

[GrasB]

As others have said, there are a lot of complicated interactions going on. Thing that hasn't been mentioned is riding style & your normal speed, strength & stamina. With the help of traffic I can typically keep with almost anything happening in Cambridge which means keeping to the main roads & in the main stream of traffic is my best bet for keeping safe & getting to where I want to go quickly. That sort of speed & stamina is beyond the typical commuter so my techniques of dealing with traffic & the routes I take (e.g. using the A10 to bypass Milton instead of turning right & using the bridge over the A14) simply doesn't make sense.

 

[Moodyman]

I too find busier routes safer (more alert) and quicker (pull of traffic). On quieter routes I often ride easier and day dream which makes the journey feel longer.

 

[GrasB]

[QUOTE 2379557, member: 1314"]map here:

cycling accidents in London btw August 2010 and July
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring...ondons-cycle-accident-black-spots-mapped.html[/quote]
One thing that was interesting is that random clicking on the map, going for the higher numbers, had all black spots had more incidents involving women than men.

 

[Davidsw8]

My only accident occurred when a car collided with me when he came out of a junction and didn't stop. We were 2 of only 3 moving vehicles on the street.

Saying that, I definitely prefer the quieter routes; less pollution for one thing, but also I think the seriousness of an accident in heavy traffic with larger vehicles is a lot lot higher than on quieter roads where you'd only tend to get cars and bikes - also, many side streets I go down have speed bumps on them anyway.