[felixnm]

I feel more comfortable cycling in downtown Chicago than I do on suburban or country back roads. Nowadays, cyclists must worry about people using their phones while driving. Based on my observations of city driving, drivers are more aware of their surroundings due to the increased traffic and overall hustle and bustle. Drivers in the country often let their guard down due to the serene and idyllic environment.

[onlyrealcuzzo]

2nd - Chicago is regularly voted one of the worst cities to bike in - and I'm not sure how.

It's flat and - at least north of the Blue line - there's good infrastructure. Combine that with dense population, and the lake and tons of parks nearby, and it's the best biking city I've ever lived in.

[BetaDeltaAlpha]

Those rankings often factor in climate.

Snow is hard to bike in (I think, I dunno though, being in coastal California).

[ryukoposting]

I used to use a moped to commute up Milwaukee Ave to Niles- I was surprised at how civil people were. I was about as slow as a bicycle and only remember getting blown by once in two years.

I'd still be terrified of using a bicycle in Chicago. I never realized how many people almost never look at the road while driving until I had such a good view into their cars (yes, cyclists and moped riders are watching you). The only thing that alerted people to my presence was the rattly 30-year-old two-stroke engine under my ass.

[Gigachad]

A pretty good description of why this happens https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2021/8/6/the-key-to-slow...

TLDR is the simpler you make a road, the faster and less attentive drivers are. While a complex cobblestone alleyway might be very tricky to navigate, basically no one will be killed there because you wouldn't attempt to speed while looking at your phone on it.

[gffrd]

An inattentive, indecisive driver is a cyclist’s biggest threat.

Neither of those are options driving in a city of any size.