Georgia - not a safe ride

merring_j

I moved down from New York recently and have to second the views of most people on this board - Georgia drivers (much like the state of Georgia itself) absolutely suck. And to say that the bad drivers are from the northeast is ludicrous. I have ridden all over NYC, New Jersey and New York state and the drivers there are, for the most part, used to and respectful of cyclists. If, as some people say, New Jersey is the armpit of America, then the south is its asshole with Atlanta at the epicenter.

Chance3290

Yet...you moved here.

I may talk bad about the drivers down here, but I won't say Georgia sucks. I don't think I'd admit that I moved into the epicenter of an asshole. I don't much like hanging around inside assholes, butt, to each their own.

__________________
Please, don't MOO at the cows. It only confuses them.

merring_j

Nice use of your 'butt.' I moved down here for family reasons and will be leaving as soon as it is practicable to do so.

Chance3290

"practicable" ?
See, you've already been in Georgia too long.
RUN WHILE YOU CAN!! IT MAY NOT BE TOO LATE!! GO..FLY LIKE THE WIND!! SAVE YOURSELF!

I hope the family reasons work out. Take care.

__________________
Please, don't MOO at the cows. It only confuses them.

merring_j

Main Entry: prac·ti·ca·ble http://www.webster.com/images/audio.gif
Pronunciation: 'prak-ti-k&-b&l
Function: adjective
1 : capable of being put into practice or of being done or accomplished : FEASIBLE
2 : capable of being used : USABLE
synonym see POSSIBLE
- prac·ti·ca·bil·i·ty http://www.webster.com/images/audio.gif /"prak-ti-k&-'bi-l&-tE/ noun
- prac·ti·ca·ble·ness http://www.webster.com/images/audio.gif /'prak-ti-k&-b&l-n&s/ noun
- prac·ti·ca·bly http://www.webster.com/images/audio.gif /-blE/ adverb

I take it 'cultural philistine' is too highfalutin as well.

Chance3290

My apologies. I did not realize that what you said was:...and will be leaving as soon as it is capable of being put in practice or of being done or accomplished to do so.

And I'll bet you didn't talk like that before you moved down here.

__________________
Please, don't MOO at the cows. It only confuses them.

lakerider23

OF is quite right, unfortunately Georgians don't have the market on bad drivers it's a nationwide thing. Hell, in the small town in Florida I live in there are not only bad drivers but bicyclists that insist on riding on the wrong side of the road facing traffic Education is on-going thing.

Roller4life

Yeah, Riding here isn't the safest thing and the burbs are better than the true city of atl but your porbably going on the roads most traveled. Some of the best stuff is up in the hills of north georgia but thats far for me at least. Georgia does have some $*@# heads but for the most part people are nice and pay attention.

thombo

Reinvigorating an old thread, i know, but I'm in town (marietta to be exact) and I'm looking for some good routes (around 20 miles or so) to get some good, relatively safe exercise. I biked around Kennesaw today and it was alright for parts, but hard to avoid very crowded streets. Anyway, anyone have any fun, interesting routes to recommend? perhaps in and around buckhead, marietta, etc? I'm willing to drive to find good places to ride.

Thanks for any help.

Bruce

Chance3290

Go to the Big Chicken and turn left.
You've got several choices. Kennesaw Mountain, Silver Comet Trail, etc.
Check out www.atlbike.org They have lots of info.

__________________
Please, don't MOO at the cows. It only confuses them.

ettsn

Chance is right though, the problem is transplants. Now, before you get all bent out of shape, the reason is actually quite benign:

Each area of the US has their own indigenous bad driving habits. They learn to deal with them. For example, when a metro New Yorker visits LA, he thinks the drivers are all nuts, yet the SoCallians numbly ignore it all. Conversely, LA guy rents a car and drives into Manhattan and thinks everyone has lost their mind! We each get very used to our local driving styles. That's the problem. I'm one of about 11 native Atlantans. The other 5 million moved here from everywhere else, bringing their local driving talents with them. We have Bostonians, Canadians, Chicagoians, Los Angelians, Ohioans and Pittsburghians -- all coexisting on our congested roads. It's not Atlanta's fault per se, rather a case of lots of exotic ingredients making a terrible stew!

But don't point a finger at Atlanta and say this place isn't great. That's the root cause of all of this -- if Atlanta weren't such a great place to be in general, we wouldn't have so many millions of folks relocated here. Personally, I love it. I hope to never live anyplace else (and yes, I've been all over).

-Paul
first post!

Topsi1208

Here in Georgia, the law is bikes have a right to the road too & must obey the same traffic laws as cars. The drivers here get irritated because they are always in a hurry & don't want to slow down for cyclists. The roads were not built with cyclists in mind so we don't have a lot room to get out of the way or for motorist to go around us. I stick to riding the rural roads during non-peak driving hours. So far, I've not had any problems. Thank goodness.

Topsi1208

Hi Bruce,

You should come on down to & ride the South Fulton Scenic By-way, also known as Silk Sheets. There is a 26 mile loop, 31 mile loop & a 38 mile loop and lots of other roads in between to make it longer or shorter. Every weekend you will see lots of cyclists out on the trail. There is a website that lists all of the trails, both mountain & road, in Georgia. Just put GA bike trails in a search engine & you should be able to link to it. Good Luck!

monkey9

Hey there - I live in St. Augustine (we have some safe, non-sucky riding here), but was looking to weekend in Dahlonega (I loved it's pretty hills during the TdG), and after reading this thread, want to ask, how's that part of the state for riding?

Thanks.