I've cycled for fun a little bit, but I have cycled to get to work a lot, both in cities and rural areas. I don't really think of my bike in terms of going to visit trails, it is purely a means of getting around that I also can take on a train. This is in the UK, a lot of it in London, which is an exciting place to cycle and you do generally have to work on the assumption that everybody is trying to kill you, though per mile, walking is more dangerous.
Also, as far as cycling in London traffic goes, most of the time it is the cars holding me up, as a bike is quicker than the average speed of traffic. If I am holding up a line of cars, I will cut in behind a parked car and let them pass, is far more dangerous for me to have a load of stressed drivers queuing up.
One thing, roads are dangerous places. I know this and have had it drilled into me since I was a kid, but given this is the UK the advice is not to stay out of the road, but how to be in the road safely, whether you are a pedestrian, car or cyclist. Stuff like always walking on the side facing into traffic when on country roads and what to do around horses.
You might think this attitude is woefully dangerous, but I prefer it to a society where I could be get arrested for jaywalking.
I hear you on all fronts and agree (don't be surprised). In London, walking is frequently faster than driving. I've jumped off a bus more than once to just walk the rest of the way since it was faster.
I posted this elsewhere as an example of the kind of nonsense I'm frequently dealing with where I live.
This is not my area and I didn't take the picture, but it's near enough looking to quite a few roads near my area that it may as well be. Even if it was just one of these guys, I guarantee you he'd be in the middle of the road impeding traffic. I see it weekly and it's unbelievably irritating and dangerous.
And what is in that picture is a lot less dangerous than a slow agricultural vehicle, which you should also expect on the road from time to time, and is also obviously a cycling race team going somewhere with a follow vehicle.
You shouldn't drive faster than you can see in front on a road like that anyway.
Also, as far as cycling in London traffic goes, most of the time it is the cars holding me up, as a bike is quicker than the average speed of traffic. If I am holding up a line of cars, I will cut in behind a parked car and let them pass, is far more dangerous for me to have a load of stressed drivers queuing up.
One thing, roads are dangerous places. I know this and have had it drilled into me since I was a kid, but given this is the UK the advice is not to stay out of the road, but how to be in the road safely, whether you are a pedestrian, car or cyclist. Stuff like always walking on the side facing into traffic when on country roads and what to do around horses.
You might think this attitude is woefully dangerous, but I prefer it to a society where I could be get arrested for jaywalking.