Dirt_Dad said:
I suspect it would be valuable for anyone who rides in a lot of traffic. That's a situation I try to avoid, but as an officer I suspect that's where you spend most of your time. That's some dangerous riding. Be safe.
Like anything, riding in traffic is a skill that needs to be practiced to be improved. The more you do it, the better you get and the easier it will be for you. It's a higher density of hazards, and requires a higher level of awareness than a lazy ride down a back road. It need not always be stressful though, it's just a different set of circumstances.
That said, I stopped commuting by motorcycle around '92 because it simply made motorcycling not fun. The highest density of stupid people, highest density of traffic, greatest number of people not paying attention and droning along or multi-tasking, etc. After two near death incidents in one week, including one where a car pushed me into the center divider, I stopped riding in that environment.
Traffic seldom bothers me now whether it be rush hour or going thru a strange city, but I'm more focused on everything and all the drivers and everything they could do wrong. My wife has a lot less experience in traffic and gets stressed by it. This sometimes results in her not being aggressive enough and not making the cars give her space. Then she gets cut off and I lose sight of her and have to pull over to wait until she passes me, then launch back into traffic and work back up to her. That's sometimes a tad annoying. How you manage lane position and eye contact, horn use, etc all contribute to how much respect and awareness from drivers you will get.
