Sharing the road

America's love affair with automobiles and the open road is experiencing something of a mid-life crisis. The roads aren't so empty anymore and some days seem to be swarming with bikes.

For bike riders, the dangers of shared roadways range from honks, shouts and thrown objects to distracted or drunk drivers, and those who intentionally try to crowd them from the road.

Gerald Martineau for The Washington Post

A cyclist rides through rush-hour traffic in Northwest Washington. This week is Bike to Work Week.

Gerald Martineau for The Washington Post

An early morning cyclist rides along Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington.

Tracy A. Woodward-The Washington Post

A bicyclist shares a lane of Constitution Avenue NW with cars and trucks. The District wants to almost double the distance of bike lanes to 80 miles.

Gerald Martineau for The Washington Post

Though the upsurge in adult cyclists in the U.S. began in the 1980s, neither the road designs nor the culture have fully adjusted to that fact. "It's a huge contrast to Europe, where drivers most frequently wave, and where I've never seen the behavior I see here," said one Annapolis cyclist.

Gerald Martineau for The Washington Post

With the sketchy outline of a regional biking network beginning to emerge, the bicycle clearly has emerged in the last couple of decades as a more roadway common fixture.

Gerald Martineau for The Washington Post

Cyclist Justin Wilson of Washington makes his way south on 15th Street NW in the new contraflow bike lane that heads the opposite way from the one-way northbound auto traffic. On 15th Street between U Street and Massachusetts Avenue, a dedicated lane is marked by yellow posts set one lane out from the curb. Parking is permitted in the lane on the other side of the posts, a lane that once carried traffic. Under a new plan, that lane would extend south to Pennsylvania Avenue.

Gerald Martineau-The Washington Post

Chris Herink, left, and Shaun Ross wait for the light at Gallows Road while commuting on the Washington & Old Dominion Trail. Herink commutes from Vienna to D.C., and Ross commutes from Ashburn to D.C.

Tracy A. Woodward-The Washington Post

Gallery Credits:
Producer, Photo Editor Stephen Cook Text Editor Kendra Nichols

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Sharing the road

America's love affair with automobiles and the open road is experiencing something of a mid-life crisis. The roads aren't so empty anymore and some days seem to be swarming with bikes.

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