The most dangerous places for Ada County bike riders seem to be on streets where people bike for purpose, not pleasure - like the mostly commercial Fairview Avenue on the Boise Bench and busy Front and State streets near Downtown Boise.

They're also places where drivers don't always expect to see bikers, unlike popular riding spots such as Hill and Bogus Basin roads.

Four cyclists died and hundreds more were injured in 653 car vs. bicycle accidents recorded by the Idaho Transportation Department from 2003 to 2007. Almost every crash resulted in some kind of injury. Statistics from 2008 are not yet available.

The ITD study does not indicate whether the drivers of the cars or the cyclists were at fault.

The study shows the most dangerous spots in the county are on Fairview Avenue - at the intersections of Orchard Street and Milwaukee Street.

Cole Road doesn't fare much better, with several collisions apiece at the Fairview Avenue and Ustick Road intersections. The most dangerous intersection outside of Boise is at Cherry Lane and Linder Road in Meridian, with five accidents.

Police officials say there is nothing about the construction of these intersections that leads to such accidents - it just seems to be a lot of cars and bikes passing through the same places.

"What I see here is the majority of these intersections seem to involve (bicycle) commuters - these are not popular recreational corridors," said Kurt Holzer, a Boise attorney and longtime cycling enthusiast who rides thousands of miles a year on his road bike. "Most of these places have a high volume of bikes and cars at commuter times ... they are just busy intersections."

Holzer said he thought the most dangerous intersection in Boise would be the one at Hill Road and Bogus Basin Road, since that is such a popular recreational biking corridor.

But Holzer also points out that motorists who travel popular bike corridors like Hill Road are used to dealing with bicyclists, and both groups are generally more aware of how to share the road.

Boise resident Steve Hulme, who rides about 5,500 miles a year on his bike, said he is a little puzzled that the Fairview intersections have the most car vs. bike accidents.

"I would have guessed somewhere like ParkCenter or Warm Springs Avenue," Hulme said. "I ride through (Orchard/Fairview) all the time, but usually not during rush hour.

"It must be the bigger density of traffic during rush hour. Drivers are in a hurry and are maybe not paying much attention," Hulme said. "I guess my perception is a lot of bicyclists avoid the very busiest intersections, which would make these medium-density intersections a place where more accidents happen."

The high number of crashes along Fairview Avenue, Cole Road and State Street are no surprise to Boise police Sgt. Kyle Christensen, who runs the motors unit, which concentrates on traffic issues.

"We are seeing more and more bikes all the time, especially with all this 'green' stuff and high gas prices," Christensen said. "This makes sense to me because these are some of the busiest intersections in the city, like Fairview and Milwaukee. It's possible drivers just aren't as used to seeing bicyclists in those areas."

Meridian Police Sgt. Tracy Basterrechea suspects the high number of crashes at Cherry and Linder comes from the nearby high school and junior high, along with a popular city park - all near one of the busier intersections in town.

The most common thing police hear from motorists following such accidents is "they just didn't see" the cyclists, Christensen said.

Christensen said the number of cyclists will only continue to grow, requiring riders and drivers to pay closer attention to each other to avoid accidents.

"Bikes are low-visibility vehicles," Christensen said. "Bicyclists need to adhere to traffic laws just like any motorist."

Everyone agrees that no matter who is at fault, the bicyclist will lose in a collision, so it is important follow traffic rules and constantly pay attention.

"I just assume I am invisible," Holzer said. "You have to pay attention and think defensively at all times."

"I just try to make myself as visible as possible," Hulme said. "I feel that if (a motorist) sees you, they won't run into you. Bicyclists have to understand they can be hard to see. ... I wear a bright orange jacket in the winter, a white T-shirt in the summer. If I could give advice to motorists, I would say: 'If you are planning on turning, please use your signal. Let me know where you are going to go.'"

Patrick Orr: 373-6619