16
Pro tip: Had a talk with a bus driver that changed my route planning
Was waiting at a busy intersection last Tuesday and this city bus driver rolled down his window to tell me I was taking a bad route through a construction zone that was about to get worse. He said he sees bikers take that street every day and get stuck in the gravel or squeezed by trucks turning blind. Has anyone else gotten good route tips from people who drive the same roads all day?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
willowc601mo ago
See I actually disagree with this a little bit. Truck drivers and bus drivers see the road from a totally different height and angle than we do on bikes. What feels safe and smooth in a car or a 40 foot bus can feel completely different at bike level. Ive taken route suggestions from drivers before and ended up on roads with no shoulder, bad potholes, or way more traffic than my original path. Your mileage may vary but I think its better to trust your own eyes and a good cycling map app than a driver who's never actually pedaled that street.
8
adam_anderson619d ago
Honestly, I gotta push back a little here. I think you're underestimating how much those guys pick up just from watching day after day. Tbh, a bus driver clued me into a left turn that had a blind spot that ate up three cyclists last year in my city. Sure, they're up high, but they also see where bikes actually get crunched, not just where the map says it's okay. Willowc60's point about potholes and no shoulder is real, but I'd rather trade a rough road for a route that a pro driver says is safer from getting doored or right-hooked. Ngl, I take driving pro tips over a GPS that doesn't know about the construction zone I'm about to hit.
1