A quick Youtube search can yield hundreds of urban cycling videos, showing viewers at home what it’s like to ride through concrete jungles, to cruise by delivery trucks and honking taxis. Your typical weekend warrior might grind out Saturday morning miles on empty country roads, peaceful despite the faint smell of manure. But what about the missing middle ground, AKA the suburbs? This product of post WWII growth is a quintessential part of the American landscape, and now that they are here, they probably won’t be going away anytime soon. Until some zealot flush with cash comes in to tear down these highway-esque arterials and boarded up strip malls, the suburbs are here to stay.
Still, despite everything, humans can be incredibly resilient. We can sweat it out in summer and shiver to keep warm in the winter. One could argue that it is wholly unnatural to sit at a desk for eight hours a day, and yet millions of office workers do this throughout the prime of their adult life. We can adapt to all kinds of circumstances; why should suburban cycling be excluded? However, there are still some important things to keep in mind when riding the ‘burbs:
DO: Ride on sidewalks
Good intentions can have a variety of outcomes, and in the case of bike lanes they can be extremely hit or miss. A bike lane with an extra buffer or physical separation can allow even the most nervous people to feel safe pedaling; quiet neighborhood streets can often get away with sharrows. But a four foot wide shoulder demarcated by white paint, littered with road debris, and pasted next to a 40 mile per hour road is not a recipe for safety. This is especially true considering that most drivers are speeding, talking on the phone, or downing coffee at the same time; maybe even all three at once. Many roads do not have bike lanes at all, which just rubs salt in your road rash wounds.
Sometimes, the fastest route from point A to B on a bike involves a sidewalk. Sometimes, literally no one walks on the sidewalks in a certain area and so no one will mind a cyclist using this otherwise empty space. Sometimes you just do not want to become a road pancake and if that means riding on a sidewalk, it is what it is.
DON’T: Assume drivers will see you
It is part of human nature to see what one wants to see. This is perfectly normal behavior, but can lead to miscommunications with friends, flirting mishaps, and reckless driving. I’ve lost track of all the red light runners I see while bike commuting, and have heard countless stories of car-bike crashes. Of course, each party always has their own version of the story, leading to rising tensions, and only results in crumpled up cars, bikes, and loss of faith in society.
With distracted driving at an all time high, riding a bike as transportation requires extra precautions. Whether someone is turning right on red, California Rolling through an intersection, or Tokyo Drifting into the bike lane, it is incredibly important to keep your head on a swivel. Good questions to ask yourself while riding would be: What is that car going to do? Did I make eye contact with that driver? Why did three cars turn left after the light turned red? These are questions with many answers, and sometimes the best answer is a friendly wave, acknowledging the other human beings sharing the road.
DO: Use your resources
The humble car rack for bikes comes in several forms: hitch, trunk, roof. The most bare bones versions carry just one bike, while the more tricked out models can carry hundreds of pounds without breaking a sweat. A car rack is the perfect solution for parents who want to take their children on the greenway trail several miles from home; for city slickers seeking a respite from the concrete jungle; for hot blooded youths or the young at heart looking to tear up singletrack.
In a car centric place like the modern American suburb, it can be extremely impractical or downright intimidating to ride on the roads. It can be a stressful affair and sometimes you just want to ride without the added unknown variable of distracted drivers. In the end, any riding is better than no riding, and driving to a trailhead is always better than staying at home and turning on Netflix yet again.
Another handy resource is the bike map for your area, usually produced by the city government or a local bike advocacy organization. It could be found by Googling “[your city’s name] bike maps”, is updated regularly, and shows existing trails and bike friendly roads, along with future bike infrastructure. These maps are perfect for planning routes, as Google or Apple Maps might lead you on a more “exciting” journey. Finding bike friendly routes is a skill in and of itself, and when well honed, will serve you well for the rest of your suburban biking journey.
DON’T: Ride without lights
Riding during the day is a joy, when the sun is shining and the world is alive with other cyclists, runners, and walkers. Riding at night can be its own brand of fun, evoking the feeling that you are out past your bedtime. It could be said that nothing good happens after a certain time, but sometimes, that is exactly what one needs.
If you thought distracted drivers were bad during the day, you might be in for a disappointment here; they are no better at night. Without daylight around, drivers can claim any number of excuses for their behavior, including: poorly lit streets, glaring high beams, and you guessed it: the biker wasn’t lit up.
A white front light and a red rear light are simple accessories to add to your bike. Most of them come with mounting hardware, and can be battery or USB charged. Dynamo setups are possible too, powered by pedaling, which is what you were going to do anyways! All of these setups have pros and cons, but they all share one pro: being clearly seen by drivers.
DO: Go through the McDonald’s drive-thru
Sure, the naysayers might cry foul that it is a “drive-thru”, and not a “ride-thru”, but being technically right never really applies in the real world anyways. However, it is best to try this during non-peak hours, and highly recommended to only order as much as you can carry. Mounted front baskets lend themselves well to this. Or, with a little finagling, a backpack would work just as well.
Alternatively, the McDonald’s drive-thru could be substituted for that coffee shop or bakery you always pass, but have never patronized. Suburban areas can often look copied and pasted across an entire city, but in the midst of this sameness, there might be a hidden gem in a nondescript strip mall. Sure, it might be tucked away, and maybe you have never considered it otherwise, but it could be worth a try. If you bring some friends along, it could be a whole outing! Biking combined with a food or drink stop is a classic combination, especially with good company.
DON’T: Be a dick
The Golden Rule can be summed up in these four words, and yet people manage to be dicks anyways. Whether in a car or on a bike, it is very possible to ruin someone else’s day simply by existing. It might be funny if it weren’t so sad, and if it didn’t lead to so many travel related injuries, fatalities, and insurance headaches.
Suburban environments lend themselves well to car dependency, and it isn’t always easy to remember the other human beings around you, especially when they are in their own multi-ton steel cage, speeding past the scenery. A cyclist could feel out of place here, and this feeling of isolation might lead to aggressive behavior. Raising one’s voice or flipping the bird is definitely a way to get one’s point across, but I wonder, how effective is it? Especially outside the heat of the moment, once emotions aren’t running as high. This issue might be bigger than bikes, but I really do hope that bikes can be the first step towards having fewer dicks in the world.
DO: Have fun!
Why so serious?? You’re on a bike! Sure, your life might be in shambles otherwise, but there is always a reason to get back in the saddle and go for a ride. So you don’t live in Amsterdam or Copenhagen and don’t have hundreds of comrades riding beside you. So you work full time and have responsibilities. So you live in an area with poorly planned roads and equally lacking bike infrastructure. There is little good in focusing on what you can’t change. Sometimes all you can do is strap on your helmet, hop back on your bike, and take on the world in your own way.
So what are you waiting for? Why are you still reading this? Get out there and go ride!
Eunice Wang 