What advice would you give to someone new to biking in the Boston area?

Slowly but surely the Boston area’s biking infrastructure is catching up with its bikers.

Officials are trying out new lanes and new devices to foster safety. Bike-share programs, electric and otherwise, are expanding or debuting. And, in general, the region is gaining a reputation as increasingly bicycling-friendly—not an easily won achievement given Boston’s reputation for vehicular traffic congestion.

Still, the region is far from some kind of northern European-like Valhalla of closed-off downtowns and expansive biking corridors. It can be quite nerve-wracking to coast and pedal through many areas.

So that leads us to our latest open thread: What advice would you give to someone new to biking in the Boston area? What would you caution them to prepare for? Which areas would you tell them to avoid at which times? Any shortcuts to recommend? Sound off below.

• Cambridge and Watertown testing shared bus-bike lane along Mount Auburn corridor [Curbed Boston]
• Boston bike-shares: A guide to the rides in the city and its surrounding region [Curbed Boston]