First bike ride in Worcester

I took my bicycle out in Worcester for the first time yesterday. Patton as I recently christened my bike performed great. He needs to be tightened a bit and is still in the break-in period. The Camaleonte Due was a good choice. My rear disc brakes are squeaking so I need to adjust that, and my fenders need to be tightened.

Riding in Worcester

It was a short ride (about half an hour) to pick up a chicken for dinner. I rode from Union Station near where I live, through Kelly Square and up Chandler to Park. It was a good ride, but Worcester needs some help.

1. The roads are in terrible condition. This is a problem even when I'm driving. Cycling, it was really obvious.
2. No access for people with disabilities. I passed a man in his wheelchair on the road because there was no sidewalk ramp for him so he was riding in the far right of the lane. Not right.
3. The drivers seemed shocked and or startled to see a cyclist in Kelly Square.
4. Drivers
   1. One class of drivers were a big problem. These were the ones on cell phones or generally not paying attention. I'm not sure what you do about that as they are a menace to not only cyclists but everyone. I'm not sure how Boston got the rep for bad drivers. Worcester's seem far worse.
   2. Hostile drivers were the second class. These were drivers who seemed openly hostile to cyclists, e.g. honking at me when I'm in the left lane signaling a left turn; riding my ass and gunning it to pass; etc.

I'm going to keep at it. There need to be bike lanes and driver education on rules for bicycles (we are generally the same legally as a car in MA). Overall, it felt good to get the exercise. I calculated it should take about :30 - :45 minutes to get from my house to the Zen Center. I'll be riding at night next time and will see how that goes.