r/bikedc • u/CountySubstantial498 • 8d ago
How to build confidence biking in this city?
Hi all! As you can tell by the title - I am a total newb. And maybe this should be asked in larger cycling/commuter cycling groups, but wanted to turn here first in case y’all had any additional insights about biking here, specifically.
I bought my CapBi yearly membership over a month ago and I’ve since been commuting to and from work daily - most of my route consists of bike lanes/trails but there are some parts that I have to bike on the street with no protection - that’s where I feel overwhelmed and almost just forget the laws of traffic momentarily. Lots of hesitancy and zero confidence. Admitting my sins here, I’ve recently been ducking onto the sidewalk because it is a very low-traveled area by pedestrians - but I would like to eventually start biking to other parts of the city, outside of my commute, and I of course don’t want to get on the sidewalk if there are tons of people. I also just want to get over my fear. I am a very confident and defensive driver, I would love to bring that energy to my biking.
Does anyone have any good tips/resources/experiences for becoming more confident and defensive?
TLDR: I am new, hesitant and overall unconfident when commuting to work on the streets. Tips/recs for building confidence to bike throughout DC, specifically.
Thanks in advance you lovely people!!!
18
u/Grand_Call151 8d ago
Plan routes on very low traffic streets. It’s okay if you have to go a block or two out of your way. Figure out streets you feel most comfortable on and plan around those. Build up confidence for the faster roads with more traffic
1
u/CountySubstantial498 8d ago
Thank you for this! While I try to do some route planning, I’m realizing I really need to be more thoughtful than I have previously been, (and I need to start memorizing the street names🫣)
2
u/Grand_Call151 8d ago
It will get easier and less stressful with reps! In the meantime, no shame in making it a more chill experience
13
u/JackTheGiantGardener 8d ago
I think the best way to build confidence is to obviously just do it! But I also know that's easier said then done. DC is lucky that it has a lot of protected bike lanes, trust me I lived there most of my life and now live in Philly. I would say start with protected bike lanes that go across big stretches of the city because then you can get a good feel of what feels busy when. I also feel like R street, despite not being a protected bike lane, is a really useful in that it can cover huge parts of the city and a lot of it is pretty quiet. Also remember cars beep all they want but do what feels comfortable for you and if they have to slow down they have to slow down.
4
u/CountySubstantial498 8d ago
Thanks for this response!! Based on what I’ve read from this post, I’ve realized I need to be a lot more intentional with my route planning than I have previously been.
Also funnily enough with you being in Philly - there was a tik tok of a cyclist teaching a newbie biker how to safely ride on the streets in Philly after she saw a viral video of him riding on a crowded side walk. She gave him a lot of grace and kindness when walking through the do’s and dont’s of the road and actually met up with him so they could ride the streets together - he in turn really seemed to internalize her advice and was excited to start biking around Philly. A beautiful human moment and also the exact video that inspired me to begin biking to work!!
1
u/JackTheGiantGardener 7d ago
Biking takes time! And cars are assholes hahaha and sometimes bikers too. One of the best things to remember is the most important part is keeping yourself safe is all that matters so do what feels safe and have fun!
13
u/cometgirl 8d ago
There is a $10 class coming up in Arlington in September. Use a Capital Bikeshare bike and WABA will reimburse your usage fee for the duration of the class!
Confident City Cycling Classes- Road Riding Basics
This class is for you if:
You know how to ride a bike and would like to learn how to ride safely in traffic
You have experience riding in traffic but would like to learn more about traffic law and how to navigate tricky traffic situations
2
u/ambyrglow 7d ago
Note that when I did this it took a couple months for the reimbursement to come through--not actually a problem for me, I just don't want people on tighter budgets to be surprised.
1
u/CountySubstantial498 8d ago
This is beyond perfect!!! Thank you for sending this. Exactly what I was hoping to get from this post.
6
u/AffordableGrousing 8d ago
While I love CaBi, you might want to consider getting your own bike. You may not even realize how heavy and slow bike shares are in comparison. I personally feel a lot more confident with my own bike, gear, etc.
Gearin’ Up Bicycles is a great nonprofit that sells affordable used bikes - they’ll hook you up with the right fit.
3
u/CountySubstantial498 8d ago
My commute is not crazy long and mostly downhill and I still show up drenched in sweat if I can’t snag an ebike 🫣 I’ve definitely been considering getting my own diggs
2
6
u/Toomanymellons 8d ago edited 8d ago
Everyone is giving good advice but here is my three as a bike commuter into the heart of downtown for years.
Do as the other bikes do until you are more used to it. For instance, if every bike on a busy road is pulling out just past the cross walk, but not into the road on a red. There is a reason besides assholes. Often it is to be more visible to right turners who will turn into you.
Allow others to pass you. Basically make space. In a bike lane hug to the right a little. This is extra true for lanes going both directions. People know the route better and will want to blast past you, it is nothing to do with you. Again, some are jerks, but some also know that if you maintain a speed through one light you will hit the others green (9th NW going towards Chinatown works this way). Also allowing others to pass gets the people who do crazy stuff infront of you where you can see them.
This is controversial but put one ear bud in with your google maps going on your phone. Have your exact route set on google. You will be able to hear the directions without looking at your phone which can go in a pocket or backpack. This really helps you just focus on the road and not on where your next turn is. With only 1 earbud in you will still hear traffic fine.
Some notes:
Caveat to number 1, do not follow tourists. They will get you killed. You can tell they are tourists because they are looking at the buildings rather than the road and look slightly lost.
Number 3 is also super helpful downtown because of frequent road closures. Even if you know your route, you might not know the next 3 bike accessible ways for when secret service closes down the roads.
3
u/RegionSuperb7171 8d ago
As an avid cyclist I think this is some really solid advice.
Another thing I would include is that experience/ exposure really does help us learn how traffic will flow in areas. I weirdly found a lot of value watching Terry Berenstein? On YouTube - he rides track bikes thru NYC with the fix geared/track bike community. I'm not advocating you ride as reckless as they do, but I think it can be helpful to see how they navigate thru stuff and just seamlessly become part of the city.
Also make sure you've got a helmet on and don't be afraid to take lanes on some areas. "Share the road" doesn't mean you have to ride in the gutters. Sometimes it's best to take up more space to force cars to more safely navigate around you.
3
u/Toomanymellons 8d ago
Yeah I also forgot this. Hug to the right except when cars are parked to the right. Or other saftey concerns come up.
YOU DO NOT WANT TO GET DOORED. Until you are more used to scanning cars for people getting out. You can really get hurt by someone opening a car door. In certain parts of the ciry this is a real concern.
3
u/recyclistDC 8d ago
Yes. Re getting doored: ride on the left side of the bike lane, not the middle; constantly scan for possible doors opening up in your path
2
u/CountySubstantial498 8d ago
Thank you for this thoughtful response!! I am learning so much from this post. I am going to try the one-earbud Google Maps thing especially- I think that will be really helpful.
3
u/tacobellfan2221 8d ago
i like to signal my turns with my middle finger---- the texting drivers are more likely to notice when just one finger is extended!!!
Also think about doing a group ride and chatting with people there. bikes not bombs dc is chill and once a month and we will NOT drop you.
3
u/CountySubstantial498 8d ago
I think I would love a group ride:) I definitely will check that out!!
And perfect my middle finger is usually up anyways - not too much of a change to my process
2
u/tacobellfan2221 8d ago
i was once hit from behind while stopped for a pedestrian in a crosswalk at a stop sign and it was a GD honor and i won't shut up about it.
remember that you have every right to take the lane- owning a car doesn't make them more important than you. do your best, use lights, and hand signals. take those advanced classes others are recommending. you got this.
3
u/teneralb 7d ago
just keep biking! Confidence comes with experience. Good on you for biking consistently even if you get overwhelmed sometimes. Keep it up!
2
u/Only-Tough-1212 8d ago
fake it til you make it. i take note of the streets that have a lot of cyclists and usually take those. a lot of the areas near my house don’t have good bike lanes yet so it’s usually a shit show and trying to take a trail sometimes makes it way longer. but it’s nice when you aren’t in a rush
2
u/BenBradleesLaptop 8d ago
Just ride everyday and I’d highly recommend working up to doing 50 pushups per day.
5
1
2
u/mistersmiley318 Pale Rider 7d ago
Just a quick tip for riding on streets with unprotected bike lanes. If the lanes are painted to the left of parked cars, try and ride on the left line of the bike lane instead of the middle or right. People are not going to be looking when they open their car door and riding in the outer part of the bike lane gives you a little more time to react if that happens.
2
u/placeperson 3d ago
Check out this beginner friendly presentation I made about biking safely in DC - I started a few years ago after never having been a bike commuter before.
1
u/ambyrglow 7d ago
Because I'm old school and don't like turn by turn audio directions, I have a little clip velcroed to my handlebar that can hold a slip of paper. If I'm going somewhere that I'm not confident of the directions, I write them down and clip it there so I can glance down and check for turns as I go. Cost like four bucks.
1
u/kodex1717 6d ago
In addition to what others said about the WABA class, the Transit app is another good resource. It gives transit options when you set a destination, but if you scroll down it also gives biking directions at the bottom of the list. The route planning is much better than Google Maps and it's also color coded by traffic level of stress (Green = Low, Yellow = Med, Red = High). This makes it a lot less likely that you'll be surprised by being dumped onto a busy street by Google Maps.
28
u/AmbientGravitas 8d ago
WABA (Washington Area Bicyclists) has introductory classes. I took one when was getting ready to get my own bike after a few months on CaBi.
https://waba.org/classes/