Gen 2 Prius..short trips only?

[Grant-53]

I have been to Fayetteville, NC to visit relatives several times. I am a lifelong cyclist and I note that people there rarely ride bikes other than the 'liquor scooters' due to DUI convictions. If one can find a suitable route and ride like one is operating a vehicle, commuting could be pleasant. My favorite bike in traffic is a step through frame with a 3 speed internal gear hub and 40/20T ratio. In cold weather a circulating block heater would be useful. We use them on our snow plows here.

[skyking]

Originally Posted by ukiltmybrutha

Lol! Not on these dangerous roads!

I feel you there! I love to ride, and I have about a 6 mile gauntlet on the ride into work that makes it not safe nor practical. Either I am on an unprotected bicycle lane on a 6 lane 45mph ( try 60! ) speedway to the freeway, or I am on a steep hill climb with no shoulder or barely a ditch, around a blind corner or two. I have *never* seen a bike on the second route, and I see a couple of bikes a month on that speedway. You could ride sidewalk on the first one. So much fun with all that car exhaust.
I have seen trucks and cars wander into that bike lane every day. It is really a suicide lane.

[Vman455]

Last time I lived in Tacoma, I used to ride up Yakima from Parkland, then through Hilltop and up to Point Defiance. Years before that, I would ride backroads out from Lake Tapps to Buckley and then get on 410 and ride out into the mountains, sometimes into the park. I would never do that today.

[MeteorGray]

Like most kids, I grew up on bicycles. I have owned at least one bike at all times since age 10 or so. I still have one in the garage.

But long ago I gave up trying to ride on public roads. "My" final straw was bicycling on a road with log trucks zooming by and evidence of fallen logs on the roadside. I finally hung up the spurs and gave in to reality.

Just a few days ago a guy I knew who was my age was killed on his bike by colliding with a car. It happened to be his fault. A tragedy for him and his family.

It's hard to justify riding a bike for good health when you're always within a few inches from death speeding by and when you're deep-breathing vehicle pollutants the whole time. Of course, one could make the same argument about driving a car, but the risk differential is big.