Bicycle: 1 Phnee: 1

[mousme]

I didn't mention it in my last entry, but I have a new bicycle icon. Not quite representative of what I do with my bicycle, but it's nice and peaceful-looking.

Made it to work in 25 minutes this morning, due to no traffic and not having to stop every few minutes due to bicycle-related mishaps. I still had to stop halfway up Courcelles and walk my bike up part of the hill, but I am pleased to report that I got just as far up the hill as I did yesterday, and walked the bike the rest of the way to the traffic light. I am tired today and usually have breakfast when I get to work, so I was worried I'd run out of steam earlier, but it turned out okay.

The bike did score a point when I was trying to get it down the stairs. My pannier was heavier today (bringing lunch and books and stuff to work), and so the bike nearly got away from me and I bashed my elbow against the brickwork of the house, skinning it rather painfully. It's fine now, other than a small scab and some redness, but it's still a point for the bike. Right now the overall score is 7 to 2. Maybe tonight I'll try storing it in the shed out back.

I have been trying to follow dizietsma's advice, by riding safely but assertively, and following traffic rules as though I were driving a car. I signal my intentions (thank goodness I remember them from driver's ed.), stop at red lights and stop signs, and generally try to behave. I'm also really, really visible thanks to my shiny new yellow safety vest. The one thing I'm not clear on is whether I should or am allowed to change lanes like a car for left-hand turns. I have been going under the assumption that I am, but hanging out in the left-hand lane on a two-or three-lane street is pretty stressful. It beats getting off and walking the bike across the intersection, but if it turns out that's illegal then I will submit and walk my bike where needed.

Anyway, so far so good. If I can keep this up, I think I'm going to enjoy biking to work. It sure beats having to take the bus and the metro (which takes about as long, overall), although it felt kind of strange to leave in the "wrong" direction today. I may alternate taking my bike and taking public transit until I'm in better shape, physically. Right now my posterior is quite sore, lemme tell ya. I'll see how I'm feeling tomorrow morning.


I think that perhaps I won't go by St. Patrick anymore, though: it's under construction, and the lack of visibility there makes me a little nervous. It won't change much if I go via Jacques-Hertel and Monk, at least I don't think it will, and it'll avoid people honking at me (I believe the guy was just trying to "alert" me to his presence behind me, but all it did was startle the shit out of me: dude, I'm on a bicycle, which means I could hear you coming a block back!) and coming too close for comfort in order to pass by.

I bought myself two books on bicycling in Montreal yesterday, and I'm going to read those today, to see about getting around

Comments

[bodhifox.livejournal.com]

Down here you have every right to as much space as a car, unless it is on a restricted freeway. You can't ride bikes side by side though in the same lane, because duh, you couldn't with a car. And people do tend to take all the space you give them to pass in a car if you ride too far the right. My bicycle icon does not reflect accurately what I do with my bike either, but who knows, sometime, perhaps.

[mousme.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I noticed yesterday that if I wasn't really assertive with my biking, then drivers seemed to assume that it was okay to squish me/run me off the road. Some of them very "helfpully" honked at me (not angry honking, but honking on the mistaken assumption that I wasn't aware of them coming up behind me).