Orphan Road

A friend of mine who commutes on her bicycle was recently hit by a car. Thankfully, she was okay. Conversation over drinks motivated Friend of Orphan Road (and sometime B&P contributor) Eugene to dig up this great article in the PI about bicycle safety in Seattle. Every year in Seattle, around 200 bicyclists are struck by cars.

In high school, I used to commute 20 miles a day on my bike -- a 5 mile ride to and from football practice, twice a day (uphill! into the wind! in the snow!).

Which got me to thinking, why don't I ride my bike now? I mean, my old mountain bike is a charming living room ornament and all, but in theory I might actually be using it for its intended purpose.

And the answer is: I'm terrified. My commute takes me straight downhill on Denny, where there's no bike lane, and even if there was there are enough SUVs, semis, and distracted drivers to make me shiver even when I'm on foot.

I'd love to have bicycling as a commuting option, but unless and until the city closes off whole streets to motorized traffic (not bloody likely), I'll stick with the bus and my feet.