Biking is a great eco-friendly mode of transportation and a wonderful way to get your exercise, but it certainly isn’t easy. It's a lot harder to bike places than many people realize.

One thing I've noticed is very few cars stop to let me across the street. Even if I'm at a cross walk, they'll just zoom by me. Are people in that much of a rush that they can't slow down for a few seconds while I cross the road? Are people really that sleep deprived and unaware that they don't see me?

Because of how intimidating cars can be (especially to a new biker) I spend most of my time on the sidewalk. I see signs that tell drivers to share the road but I rarely ever see bike lanes. This makes it hard to know when I can be on the road and when I'm putting myself in danger of getting hit by an impatient or daydreaming driver. However, it's probably not great for me to be on the sidewalk because I'm not technically a pedestrian but I'm not really a car so it's this weird middle ground where you don't know where you should be. Luckily sidewalks have been pretty empty so I don't have an internal crisis often.

That is until I reach a point where there are no sidewalks and a whole new internal crisis starts. I then have to decide whether I should take my chances and ride on the side of the road (which might end without warning) or do the walk of shame and walk my bike across the treacherous terrain that is the side of the road. Being on the cautious side (as most new bikers probably are) I most often opt for the latter.

Despite the difficulties of biking, I still prefer it over a car or bus. Nothing beats arriving at your destination with blood pumping through your veins, gas money in your pocket and the knowledge that you’re helping cut down on pollution.