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some small town strategies:
drive on neighborhood streets instead of major thoroughfares, there are often good routes parallel to major streets
look for paths through the woods or across cul-de-sacs to avoid traffic and stay on no traffic streets
I never use left turn lanes at stoplights, I will take a right and pull a u-turn or get on the sidewalk and use the pedestrian lights, even dismount to walk across
I avoid four lane streets and streets with stoplights but sometimes there is no other way.
cut across parking lots and use sidewalks through parks if visibility is good and no traffic around or few pedestrians
don't race, ride slow and easy, pedal a little and coast a little, you will get there.
use flat handlebars to ride upright so you can look around easily
I don't wear a helmet but i ride pretty slow. i come from europe where almost no one wears a helmet and there are far more bikers on the road, but people are pretty relaxed about biking for the most part, not racers. Go ahead and wear one, i'm just saying I would not make it a hard and fast rule
yup leds and flashers the more the better, i like the flashing red headlamp idea
watch out when there is glare early am or late pm, assume you are invisible
drive defensively, anywhere within the curbs is the death zone, relax only when you are out of the death zone
If I have traffic behind me I will skip over to the sidewalk, i know that is not always possible and some folks want to assert there rights, but I try not to let teh cagers have a chance to hit me
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