in honor of a series of biking firsts today (1st commuter seen, 1st time being honked at, 1st close-call because of an over-eager driver), I thought I'd list a few observations made so far on my commuting adventures:
- the roads of Houston are horrendous. Anyone who's driven on them knows this, but on a bike, that horrendousness goes to a whole new level. In particular there is a stretch between Taft and Montrose that I would politely define as the anti-cat's pajamas.
- drivers here are much better behaved than I thought. I do avoid many interactions and thus potential for conflict by being out there before 6:30am, but even when coming home from work when the streets are busier I haven't had too many problems so far.
- in the morning hours, many River Oaks runners prefer to jog in the opposite direction to traffic, on the street. That would be dangerous enough, more so when you consider that many of them do not wear lights or distinctive clothing. I have yet managed to establish the "thinking" behind this behavior, but I might just ask the next few individual who I see doing this for pointers.
- while cycling, one should try to adhere to the same rules governing motor vehicles. That is something you stick to the first two days of biking, before the ninja in you tries to take over. So far I've gathered from my short experience that it is better to completely stop at a red traffic light when cars are involved, and stay in a regular lane as opposed to the cycling shoulder (when there is one). Another good tip is to get going when the light turns from orange to red, as long as the cars from intersecting streets are stopped or in the process of completely stopping.
- the negative aspects of cycling are few, especially if you're lucky enough to have a fairly danger-free route, but the rewards are ever-so bountiful, and tend to reveal themselves more with passing time. Getting to work awake, feeling energized and ready to tackle the day is a feeling I had not often experienced in my working life. Now, it's pretty much a daily occurence.
But as new-agey as I might sound about the journey of bike commuting so far, I have to admit to one very negative event that almost counters everything listed above: that older guy with his fuddy-duddy bike (and panniers!) who overtook me this morning downtown. I'm gonna get some extra sleep tonight buddy, just you try to do the same thing tomorrow should we meet again...
- the roads of Houston are horrendous. Anyone who's driven on them knows this, but on a bike, that horrendousness goes to a whole new level. In particular there is a stretch between Taft and Montrose that I would politely define as the anti-cat's pajamas.
- drivers here are much better behaved than I thought. I do avoid many interactions and thus potential for conflict by being out there before 6:30am, but even when coming home from work when the streets are busier I haven't had too many problems so far.
- in the morning hours, many River Oaks runners prefer to jog in the opposite direction to traffic, on the street. That would be dangerous enough, more so when you consider that many of them do not wear lights or distinctive clothing. I have yet managed to establish the "thinking" behind this behavior, but I might just ask the next few individual who I see doing this for pointers.
- while cycling, one should try to adhere to the same rules governing motor vehicles. That is something you stick to the first two days of biking, before the ninja in you tries to take over. So far I've gathered from my short experience that it is better to completely stop at a red traffic light when cars are involved, and stay in a regular lane as opposed to the cycling shoulder (when there is one). Another good tip is to get going when the light turns from orange to red, as long as the cars from intersecting streets are stopped or in the process of completely stopping.
- the negative aspects of cycling are few, especially if you're lucky enough to have a fairly danger-free route, but the rewards are ever-so bountiful, and tend to reveal themselves more with passing time. Getting to work awake, feeling energized and ready to tackle the day is a feeling I had not often experienced in my working life. Now, it's pretty much a daily occurence.
But as new-agey as I might sound about the journey of bike commuting so far, I have to admit to one very negative event that almost counters everything listed above: that older guy with his fuddy-duddy bike (and panniers!) who overtook me this morning downtown. I'm gonna get some extra sleep tonight buddy, just you try to do the same thing tomorrow should we meet again...
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