evblazer

I'm looking to see just how wrong I am in doing what I suggest and if anyone has a better idea, aside from driving a car or finding another route (unless your local and you know one because I haven't found one in three years)
At the end of my long commute to work I run into a really bad intersection which crosses a Farm to Market Road (FM121) which is basically a highway with stop lights.
https://tinyurl.com/2czylc on this map I'm going south east on freeport parkway.
Freeports is a divided road with 2 lanes on each side and at the end is a stop sign. I stop here and then cross the service road for FM121 and normally I'm first in line at the light to then cross the 6 lanes which are FM121 itself. Cars really like to takeoff from this stoplight and force me off. They can go straight or take a left onto FM121 to go north. There is only room for 3 maybe 4 cars the rest have to wait at the stop sign and then try to launch across when there is room.
Overall it no a good place to be but it is safest route I have.

The issue I have is when I'm stopped at the light. When the light turns green motorists will get really aggressive about getting around me and have bumped into my numerous times. There is a shoulder but is full of glass and rocks so I try not to ride it in although I have gotten pushed into it, and when I say full I mean there is no space at all that isn't a rock or glass. I tried something today which gives me a head start, although regretably I am running a red.
The near side (south bound)of FM121 will get a red light allowing the far side (northbound) to make a left turn. This lasts for 20-30 seconds. I waited until all lanes going south had completely stopped and then I crossed the first half of the highway, running a red light to do so. Once traffic on the other side had stopped from their red and I had the second green light I cross there to the stopsign and went left. This allowed the motorists not to have to wait on me or more likely attempt to kill me and allowed me to cross in the lane without getting a potential flat or possibly falling on the rocks.

Coming back the other way there is a tunnell under the highway but it is only one way. If I took it going to work I'd have to ride the wrong way on the service road, the wrong way around two blind corners for roughly a mile.


. At the stop sign it adds a right turn lane.
You stop at the stop sign and then cross the service road which runs parallel to FM121.

Mr. Underbridge

I'm not entirely sure I'm reading this right, but your basic goal is to get across 121, correct? If the legality is an issue, from the looks of the map you could turn right onto the service road, go about a quarter mile to what looks like a connection between the two service roads, then wait until traffic is clear on 121. I can't tell, but it looks like it would be reasonable to cross southbound, wait at the side of the service road, then cross northbound.

Since you'd be turning right, you can go whenever it's safe to do so, and not deal with the racing starts from the cars behind you.

I've found in situations like this, going straight across basically 3 roads simultaneously is simply not worth the stress (which you've evidently decided as well). When I ride to work, I go about 2 miles out of my way for a safer route, simply because I got sick of dealing with onramps to the freeway and the near-death experiences they convey.

joejack951

When you are first in line at the light, where are you in the lane? Are you off to the right near the shoulder stripe or are you centered in the lane? If you are off to the right, I'd suggest centering yourself in the lane so that when everyone gets moving it's completely obvious that you are not trying to share that lane space at all. You may receive some honks and *kind* words when someone is required to go a little slower because of you, but it's certainly better treatment than getting bumped

evblazer

I am usually in the center. Sometime in the right wheel line. I don't get honked I get laid on the horn, engines gunned and people will pass dangerously close to me regardless of my position in the lane and sometimes push me right though rarely physically they just cut me off. It isn't once a week it is pretty much an everyday occurance. When I'm not first in line it sucks. Since it is a very steep, to me, hill I can really hold up traffic with my 285lbs self and 60lb bike (two large arkels full of stuff0. It really makes my day if I'm behind or in front of a tractor trailer or pickup truck with a trailer I can keep up with them with ease and they seem overall to be nicer.

The road is basically 5 lanes going south 2 of which are the service road and then 5 lanes going north, 2 being a service road. 65mph speed limit on 121 and 45mph speed limit on the service road with large grass filled ditches between sections, if only I had a cyclocross bike The intersection to the north does not have a light so during rush hour it is a constant stream of people plus I'd have to wrong way to get there. To the south a mile or so there is another intersection but it has alot more traffic on the cross street.

Right now this is the very end of my commute. Come August it will be the middle of my commute, if the commute is even possible anymore.

zeytoun

Where are the aggressive cars mostly going, evblazer?

joejack951

Are you going left, straight, or right eventually? Where is most traffic going, left, straight, or right?

evblazer

edit: I'm going straight in the right lane.
The lane I'm in is left or straight. Luckily there is a median between the right turn entrance and my lane so I don't have to deal with a right hook situation.
It is a mix but the more troublesome are the ones going straight.
For the people who turn left who squeeze me a little while passing, even if I'm in the middle of the lane, they are headed to I-35E or to follow 121 a long ways.
Then there are the people who squeeze too close and move to the right before fully passing me so they are in the single lane so they can turn left on the service road. Saves them a whole two seconds and half the time the people going straight work in my building It is the only one to the north on the service road before the service road ends.
Unless I find a really out of the way route across I guess I'll have to deal with it and make sure that I come in early enough to miss when it is busy. Running the red while making everyones life easier is gonna end up getting me a ticket or someone ticked that I'm going before I get a green light.

zeytoun

Other options include:

Getting an electric assist to speed you up a bit.

Wearing a "POLICE" t-shirt.

noisebeam

Also try, when stopped and in centerish position with vehicles behind you, to look behind and make eye contact with driver, smile, quicky wave or nod pehaps too.
I would estimate that a driver who sees you as another person may be less likely to treat you poorly. Its certainly not a cure, but it may help.
Al

srp

My commute has a couple areas that are narrow (zero shoulder and fast at 50mph. These are very short areas totalling about 500ft. I have no problem blowing through red lights at the worst point because there is no intersection at the light. There are no sidewalks and no options for anything different without a very long detour.

If stopped, i will claim self preservation and a desire to get ahead of traffic so they can spread out a bit, see me better and pass safely.

PaulH

Why not ride in the left edge of the right lane? That way, right-turning cars will pass on your right whitch will be safer and easier. Since you are going straight to the access road it makes sense to be in the left part of the right lane, rather than the right one.

Paul

noisebeam

What is the light for?
Al