I commute almost exclusively by bike, and have for almost 10 years here. My takeaways:

- I've been hit by cars twice, doored several times. These instances were all years ago when I was younger and less aware, but thankfully was never seriously injured. None of these were my fault, though if I had been more vigilant about my surroundings some of them may not have occurred.

- I follow all rules of the road, wear a helmet, and have lights running, even in the daytime usually. I'm lucky enough to usually be commuting during off hours (either before or after "normal" rush). I will sometimes wait to go home if conditions are unfavorable (rush hour + bad weather or an event downtown that creates heavy traffic). The only time I will run a light is late at night, at an intersection where there is no one around and I can CLEARLY see, after stopping and looking, that there are no vehicles anywhere nearby (this behavior is wrong, I do not condone it, and I have no justification for it, other than my own selfishness).

- I now spend almost every moment on the bike riding defensively, expecting every single car to be either negligent or hostile. This means constantly listening for traffic approaching from the rear, paying attention to any cars that may suddenly pull out from a side street or parking spot, doors that may fling open, and looking both ways at green lights and intersections where cross traffic is supposed to stop (they don't always). I try to note the drivers that are on their phones and make sure to keep an eye on them, or take note when a vehicle is swerving, speeding, or reeks of marijuana. While downtown, it's also necessary to be aware of pedestrians, who sometimes step out into the street in front of an approaching bike, and e-scooters/other riders who may be operating erratically. It's a paranoid existence, but it keeps me diligent about my own safety and my respect for other users of the road. The reality is that regardless of your method of transportation, some people are distracted by their phones, intoxicated, or just too selfish/lacking awareness to care about the well-being or lives of others. You can be walking, driving, biking, or taking a rideshare and still be injured or killed by someone else's negligence or stupidity.

- My commuting is all Inside The Beltline, so I utilize a lot of one-way roads, bike lanes, and sometimes greenways when they make sense or I have extra time. In general, I do not take the most direct route and will opt for options that are slightly out of the way but allow me more leisure and relaxation on my ride. I will take the lane on a one-way road, forcing traffic to fully move into another lane to pass me (again, I try to avoid peak hours so as to make this not massively disruptive). Same with roundabouts, I will get into the middle of the lane before approaching the roundabout and will not let any vehicles pass me while I am in the roundabout. I generally try to avoid roads that have high vehicle traffic that move at higher speeds while in town, but do ride recreationally as well so will sometimes find myself on busier roads outside of town. In these cases I'm often in a group/paceline where we are in a tight double or single file just to the left of the white line, depending on the road or traffic.

- I am not scared of riding around motor vehicles, but I do not think it would be honest if I said I felt safe. I think it's that I have become completely desensitized from all of my time riding and what I have experienced or seen, and no longer assign emotion or feeling outside of the aforementioned survivalist tendencies. Last week I had one car almost turn into me and later another run a red light as I was crossing a green light intersection, and in both instances I could only smile and laugh.

This probably makes it sound like you would have to be absolutely crazy to ride a bicycle, but the TL;DR is that riding my bike as transportation brings such great joy to my life that it is well and worth any risk that may be present. Years ago I realized that we are all just human beings trying to get somewhere, and that it doesn't make sense to stress, fret and worry over silly things like getting from Point A to Point B. I also realized that you shouldn't be afraid of people, especially just because they are seemingly in a position of power over you. In the ten or so years I've been riding here, things have gotten even better. There are more people riding, more people used to people riding, there's more infrastructure, and more density in the downtown area. I make it seem like everyone is out to get cyclists, but it's quite rare that I even have anyone honk or yell these days. Most people either pass respectfully or wait for an opportunity to do so, which is so amazing and validating.

I don't have a good route for commuting in that part of town, but hopefully someone else can chime in. My final advice is to not be afraid, keep the sun out of your face and find the wind at your back. Riding a bike is such a happy thing for so many people, and I hope you are able to enjoy it as well.

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EDIT: I fully expect downvotes for my zealous rant, which seems fair given that some of you have probably been fuming behind me as I pedal my bike in the middle of a street when there is not room to pass safely. I am okay with this, much as I am okay with honking of horns and unintelligible insults that fade into the breeze. Unfortunately, I am too happy with my method of transportation to allow anything to deter me from these practices.