I'm considering commuting to work. The situation is almost idyllic: 14 miles round-trip, mostly flat city streets & secondary highways, showers at work if needed, and my own office in which to keep my bike. My only concern is being a woman commuting alone through some not-so-nice areas.
Any advice from other commuters (women or men) on how to stay safe?
Thanks in advance!

Becky

As a guy I might be less of a target than a lone female could be. I commute daily through a stretch of oakland that's pretty seedy (I think the dealers know me by sight now; I know them). In the AM I'm going through about 6:45, and its almost deserted. I return about 4:15, so the volume of traffic and peds make me feel pretty secure.

Perhaps your not-so-nice areas can be traversed at times when the risk/exposure is less. Other than that, carry a cell phone, stay alert, & ride strong!

Personal security has crossed my mind a few times on the commute.

When in a risky area:
- ride strong, but leave something "in the bag" in case you need to put forth a max effort to get away.
- help no one.
- offer no hand gestures or reaction of any kind to the offenses of others.
- carry mace, pepper spray or the like. Keep it REAL handy - like up the leg of your shorts.
- don't wear roadie shoes - it you find yourself on your feet you'll need a stable platform from which to defend yourself.
- try not to stop.
- maybe go with some kind of anti-flat product.
- always look for alternate lines of escape. If someone is running into your path sometimes you can scoot behind them.

That's about all that comes to mind just now, but if your bike commute takes you through some dangerous areas, you might want to reconsider the whole thing. Nothing is more important than your safety.

- Chris

even from a guy's POV, i have noticed that you should dress down, leave the lycra at home, or wear it under something. If you have couriers on your route, emulate the way they dress. I get harrassed by motorists far less often when I dress this way, especially in the downtown area of L.A. I think the full bike clothing kit screams $ to some people as well.

edit: thinking of some other things...make sure you can change a flat fast. I carry ~3 CO2 cartriges, along with a pump for backup, and use tires that are easy to get off the rim. If you can don't use a flashy bike either, go with something non-descript. Try the ride out on a weekend if you can with someone as well to see if you can get a vibe for the neighborhoods while on your bike.

Those are all great ideas! I think that my hubbie and I are going to ride the route this weekend and we'll take it from there :)

I'm not arguing here, because I don't know the area you are talking about and I'm sure your concern is well-founded. This thread just got me thinking about my own experiences.

It's the idyllic countryside that worries me sometimes - where there is no one around, someone could run me off the road or assault me on a trail somehow without witnesses. In the city - and even the seedy parts I ride through from time to time - being in a public place gives me some sense of security because there are other people around.

Lots of good advice posted above - good luck and be safe.

Now this is interesting. As a female I recognize the risk of riding where there are few witnesses. But I feel safe from driver rage on the isolated country roads, and I would feel much less safe riding in a bad area of a city. It seems that the animosity sparked by seeing a guy in lycra is just not a factor for us females, and that's one big risk eliminated.

suonata

The hillbillies and angry teenaged suburban males probably aren't a problem for women out in the hinterlands. As a male I don't ever feel vulnerable to sexual assault downtown. Sure, I feel vulnerable to random violence or muggings there. Interesting topic.
The comment that one should not get off the bike is sound advice.

I forgot to mention this, and I should have right away. Do your transit busses have bike racks, or alow bikes? Here in L.A. most of the MTA busses have a front rack for bikes. If they do, always carry enough $ for a fare to at least get you to a safer area. I found this out the hard way, after breaking a frame (snapped downtube) on my commute and having to walk 5 miles through some so-so neighborhoods in bike shoes.

i'm from the "badlands" section of west philadelphia and commute whenever i go downtown.

i've never really felt threatened by my surroundings, but i also grew up in this area. i'd say the best thing you can do as anyone biking is be polite, courteous, don't pick an argument with someone. if you <i>nicely</i> remind people that the bike lane or bike/bus lane is not for cars, they'll usually get embarrased and move to the proper lane.

on the biking in areas that are pretty deserted... carry a cellphone with a "one touch" emergency call button. nokia makes this feature; if your cellphone is charged and on standby and you hold down just the "9" button for something like 5 seconds, it does the same thing as calling 911. also, keep in mind... if you're afraid of being raped or something of that nature, most (i think about 75%) women who are raped know their rapist; usually acquaintences or "friends" take advantage of women, the point is usally women know the first/last name of their attacker and some sort of ID stuff about them. it's very rare that a woman is taken advantage of by a random person. furthmore, out of the random attackers most of them observe their victim for an extended period of time before attacking. we're talking weeks or months. if you vary your route and time schedule, this should foil would-be attackers. i leave between 7:00 and 7:15, depending on what route i'm taking. try to be as conspicuous as possiable, don't wear complete roadie gear. the bike shorts can fit under a pair of those slouchy lounge pants you can get at old navy or target and then throw on a tshirt over the lycra.

if you're concerned about someone forcing you off you bike, take a women's self defense course. cheap, effective. carry mace. smack them with your u-lock.

I commute and have off and on for several years. I am a female and have ridden in some very seedy parts of town like the gang areas. I was told that to commute would be a bad choice when I had a job in those area's. I decided to try it and I dressed both with biker shorts and baggy shorts over them and never had more than a drink thrown at me. I always have my cell phone and I can change a tire very fast. Because I now have taught in two areas that are considered to be bad and have become familar with the students I am less fearful. I think what we fear sometimes is what we are not familar with. Good luck!

Good luck with your commute. I started a couple months ago, and love it. Even though I am a guy, I have to ride through a couple areas that are home to gang activity, so I like to be prepared.

Here's what I do.

I have a cell phone holder on the strap of my backpack. I always have my phone turned on. I also practice dialing it while riding.

Check out baggy MTB shorts. Probably better for a woman than lycra.

You can get pepper spray holders that clip on your bars. I have mine with me, both for dogs and people if I ever need it.

Learn the locations of the nearest police and fire stations. There's always safety there.

In over 700 miles of commutes, I have not had any problems, and hope I never do. In fact, I find most people to be very curteous to me.

Have fun!

Here in oakland wear very UN revealing clothes, ride defensive, carry cell phones and some carry pepper spray. You might also try to develop multiple routes to keep the predictability factor down.

Hi Becca,
I'm a girl who has been commuting 6 years now. My job of the past year takes me through some of Boston's projects/somewhat seedy areas. I've actually felt few problems. Here's some of my choices.
-no bike shorts, an occasional jersey. I have a lot of traffic so the day-glo jersey to me is more important. It's not terribly sexy anyway :rolleyes:
-I carry the cell phone in either a back pocket or usually in my sports bra. My chest is a little bigger so it's an advantage to cleavage.
-I don't ride this route after dark in the summer - luckily my job doesn't keep me that late anyway. In the winter, no one's really loitering.
-I do my best to be pleasant and workaday. I love my bike dearly but it's not flashy. I try my best to be part of the community, to nod or smile briefly as I pass, to say thanks if someone moves out of my way (part of this is on a bike path), and just ride steadily through.
-I remember that even though statistically there is more crime in this area than in others, my greatest risk is still involving cars rather than crime.

Good luck, and definitely do a few test runs!