Commuting by bike versus car

Given a choice between commuting through I-40 traffic in my car and commuting on downtown Raleigh streets on my bike, I’ll take my bike any day.

Drivers on I-40 are constantly panicked that two miles ahead some massive accident will make them two hours late. Thus they drive like any minute now they’ll grind to a halt. Frequently it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Contrast this with downtown Raleigh streets. Most drivers know they’re only a mile or two away from their destination. They know that anything that blocks traffic can be easily driven around. And the speed limit is 35 MPH (and many one-way streets), so there’s much less kinetic energy involved. Not to mention wide streets that are friendly to sharing the road with bikes.

I actually feel safer biking downtown than I do commuting on I-40.