I agree. The road is a bike lane. Intentional swerving to be more noticeable is a lesser known technique. Cyclists probably think it's dangerous or too aggressive, but my life is on the line, so I'd rather be where drivers can see me.

It's literally illegal. Stop doing it. It's incredibly annoying and dangerous and ILLEGAL.

West Rock?

Via 95, the towns between Fairfield and New Haven are Bridgeport, Stratford, Milford, and West Haven. On the Merritt, you've got Trumbull, Orange and Woodbridge.

Biased though I am, Milford is the best of those.

CT almost has more pizzerias and Italian restaurants than people. This take is insane lol

Not like it used to. There were delis all over making this from scratch. They hardly exist anymore.

Medium

I get what you’re saying, but I still disagree. It’s not like I’m sending it on the sidewalk, when there’s tons of people around.

At say 6 o clock when no one’s on Whitney sidewalks I’m definitely riding there—it’s rush hour for cars and twilight. But if it’s mid day downtown, I’m not going to bike on the sidewalks by the green you know? That would be stupid and selfish.

It’s also not a black and white issue of being selfish by riding on sidewalks. The somewhat limited and sometimes usable infrastructure for bikes around town is piecemeal and haphazard. Like going up Orange St past Humphrey towards Downtown, the bike lane disappears so cars either come too close to a biker, swerve into opposite lane to pass, or just ride your butt. None of those are very smart on a bike if you like not being mangled…

FWIW a friend of mine who’s a surgeon lived in Wooster Square and walked to YNHH daily.

The poutine at Mikro is always good too

Preference isn’t the issue. Killing/hurting someone walking when you run them down on a bike because you’re too selfish to care about the people around you is.

It’s really not hard to take some responsibility. If you don’t feel safe riding where you’re supposed to the solution isn’t to make other people less safe, it’s to remove yourself from the situation.

doesn't really cover everywhere around town

i'd rather ride on the sidewalk on whitney...downtown...or pretty much anywhere there aren't bikelanes...

I haven’t owned a car in a long time and ride everywhere and it’s great, but yeah, drivers are fucking bonkers out there.

I just assume the car is going to do whatever the worst thing is and plan accordingly and do alright. The flip side is that being comfortable and assertive on busy streets is also key some of the time. Knowing how and when to shift between the two is probably the best skill to develop.

Please don’t ride on the sidewalk. It’s dangerous and illegal. If you need to go more than half a block to your destination or whatever, get off and walk it.

The bus system here isn’t that bad.

Didn’t they put bike lanes in so won’t go on the sidewalk?

I don't own a car myself and bicycle around town. Get good lights and know when to turn on red your own safety - basic urban bicycling stuff. The town is slowly improving its bicycle infrastructure. Be sure to check out college street cycles, Devil's gear, and Bradley st co-op for gear/maintenance, we've got an excellent bicycling community.

Pretty bikeable. Some drivers are aholes but that is life. Also Yale has free shuttle buses that are great for inclement weather.

While it’s very bikeable and things are close, as others have noted, the drivers in the state in general are awful and dangerous. Also bike theft is very common. They tend to strip seats and tires too so keep it locked up tight.

I recommend these threads as decent reads to protect your bike:

https://www.reddit.com/r/motorcycles/comments/t5shp/ex_thief_chopshop_operator_ama/

https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/10a47k/iama_excriminal_i_spent_4_years_primarily_as_a/

Just stay aware because drivers are distracted often , you’ll be fine . Invest in a couple good bike locks

I lived with out a car for 4 years and biked from Wooster Square, then East Rock to work at the Yale Med School. I would get Groceries from Whalley Ave stop and shop and would stuff them in a ortlieb pannier. Most people would hate doing this but it wasn’t bad…my determined stubbornness was key.

East Rock might be a better bet since you can get groceries from P&M or Nicas. There is also better shuttle coverage which will help in the winter/snow.

Very bikeable. Stay on sidewalks, I got hit only 2 months ago. Also watch out for pedestrians and other cyclists, lots of people with a deathwish

I wouldn’t risk it. I was a bike messenger in nyc for a number of years too. The amount of bad/distracted driving I see and the amount of pedestrian deaths makes it not worth it to me. It’s a shame too because it is a very bikeable city infrastructure-wise.