Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Tell our contestant what he's won behind door #3!
View Clay's bike and rail alternate in a larger map
In a post below, a new reader inquired about what would be the best route for him to use to commute to work. From his request, I saw a great opportunity to display three separate approaches to bicycle commuting.
The first option involves utilizing neighborhood streets to access a park trail. The gentleman is fortunate enough to work near a major trail, and so in good weather, it can be a viable commute option (in bad weather, parts of the trail are often submerged). That's the GREEN line on the map, and it adds about 4 miles to his commute.
The second option involves cycling a little over a mile to a nearby DART light rail station (See why it's good to live in the City, inside Loop 12? You're close to all the good stuff! Well, except for a CostCo), taking the train to a station not too far from his place of employment. It does involve riding about a half mile on a 6-lane thoroughfare, from the DART station to employment, but that's not really a problem, just a little intimidating at first. This is the RED line.
The final option, which would be my first choice, involves all city streets, mostly Dallas Bike Routes. It saves four miles over the mostly trail option, is all weather, and the streets are almost all low volume local residential streets and minor collectors.
So, as we did for Heather a few months ago, let's throw it open for discussion and advice.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
12 comments:
I trust PM's route choices. He got me from North Irving to downtown Dallas with about 20 minutes of planning time. And I'd never been to the metroplex before so I had no local knowledge.
Lisa and I used some of the roads on this map. The blue route roads were very pleasant.
We actually rode about 5 miles on Forest at night. It was fine. No problems.
PM said; "It does involve riding about a half mile on a 6-lane thoroughfare, but that's not really a problem, just a little intimidating at first."
I love riding on these roads. I could, if I squint my eyes, see how this could be intimidating. But the "danger" involved is really an illusion.
Think of that right narrow lane as a bike lane that cars can use. Then ride large as if you belong. Smack dab in the middle of the lane. Trust me, no one will bother you or put you in danger.
Once you do it a few times you won't have any anxiety on that leg. (You do not need to ride fast either! Just take your time.)
The commute will be the best part of your day! Have a great trip, Clay!
The routes look like a good start. One's quick, one is nice when tired, & one's pleasantly pastoral. Now tell the contestant to drive & ride the routes to see what they really look like. I bet he'll see some enhancements not visible on Google. Maybe a few problems as well. Unfortunately, Google doesn't tell you signal timing and triggering info, nor where & how the motorists stack up.
One added tip - suggest he initially try the road route mainly for the morning commute & ride home on the trail. Traffic on my route is nearly 4X as heavy on the way home & the motorists are more aggressive. It has led me to take a somewhat different morning than evening route.
The trail route should be nice but watch out for the cracks! Particularly if you ride on narrow tires.
Reiterating ChipSeal's comments, it is interesting how, in some ways, riding on multi-lane thoroughfares can actually be easier than the low-volume neighborhood streets. You don't have to stop nearly as much or yield the right-of-way to cross traffic (god, I hate four-way stops!). And you don't have to worry about sharing a wide lane or dealing with parked cars.
On the blue route, that section of McCommas between 75 and Greenville is one of my least favorite parts of the route I was experimenting with. I don't have an alternate suggestion though.
McCommas is a narrow residential street with parking on both sides (making it really narrow), and road humps. It has more traffic than neighboring streets because it crosses over Central Expressway. Here's a by-pass that works well if you are coming from the south.
http://tinyurl.com/qqhj5f
How about variety? Use them each at different times for different reasons. It's funny to think in terms of cutting 3 or 4 miles from a bicycle commute route as an advantage. It seems like making a cash purchase and saying, "No, I only want half of my change back."
The routes selected by PM are all excellent for the novice commuter. My choice would be a combination.
Once Clay gains confidence and experience, simply take the combined first leg to the trail leg, exit the trail at Greenville and take that road all of the way south to the destination. Though I do not begin as far south as Belmont, I often take Greenville, from Mockingbird, all the way north to Beltline without incident.
Again, I would not recommend this for the beginner, but it is very doable and a route toward which Clay can build.
Herman, is that the return trip (as you've described it)?
I thank you all again for your support, and will find a valid way to keep everyone updated. I do think I will be doing the dart in the morning if it proves to be quicker, then the trail ride home.
Clay, if your bike isn't yet equipped with rack and panniers (or a sexy wicker basket), or even if it is, a good trick is to carry a few days worth of clothing to your office and leave them there. Drive once a week for laundry duty, and cycle the rest of the time.
I took the dart strech of the trip tonight, and other than missing by train by a split second (saw it fly off as I got to mockingbird) It was all TOO easy. I have put about 20 "commuter" miles on my New bike so far and I picked it up Friday. This site and community have been a big help.
Here she is, http://img99.imageshack.us/i/4f47d7f8a248dc66965956c.jpg/ , And I have a silver BELL helmet, give me a wave or a holla if you see me out there
Rode the bike home down Hillcrest and other than getting mooned in front of SMU (it was damn funny), I got a ton of waves and smiles from the cars, no issues at all.
Clay, what a nice bike and what a great post!
Hillcrest? Dang boy, you jumped right in! :D
Post a Comment