Commuting - route needed in Grand Rapids, MI!

Just wondering if theres any Grand Rapids commuters out there... I start a new job Friday and would like to commute, but the actual place is on 28th street which as anyone from Grand Rapids knows, is almost suicide in a car.

So far my route is Breton to 32nd, 32nd to the school nature trail, which then puts me on Eastern, RB Chaffee/36th to Division and??? this place is about a half block up on Division with no back entrance. I am thinking I may just have to go up a block, past the shop, make a right and come back down 28th street traffic for a block or so.

Of course Breton is scary enough now that its down to one lane with construction... I can only imagine the fun that awaits riding into the merge. Well, I guess it beats trying to make a left out of the far right lane... :rolleyes:

Yikes :eek:

I've never lived in GR, but I've done a lot of work there, mostly in businesses right there on 28th.

It's just a suggestion, and I don't know if this would be safer or more dangerous, but maybe you could drive through the parking lots. It seemed to me last time I was there that most of the parking lots were connected. At one point, while looking for a place I'd never been before, I drove almost a mile through connected parking lots.

You'd want to stick to the far ends of the parking lots, away from most of the cars.

I used to live in the Grand Rapids area..Beautiful area...
28 th St..It had horrendous traffic 20 years ago.. Division is just urban congestion...Think you are coming from the East Grand Rapids/Kentwood area?
It might be safet to drive out to 44th street and come back..
One street I recall, looked half way civil traffic wise...Go out old 196 route adjacent the Grand River towards Wyoming.
Does not Kent county have a bike map? Usually country recreation would know..

Good call on the Kent map... I forgot we had one. I am thinking I will cross Division, come up West of the shop and then parking lot hop back to the shop. There is a little trail in the grass from peds and homless people that I trust my roadbike can handle... would hate to commute on the new MTB...

[QUOTE=seely] Just wondering if theres any Grand Rapids commuters out there... I start a new job Friday and would like to commute, but the actual place is on 28th street which as anyone from Grand Rapids knows, is almost suicide in a car.


I'm a GR commuter as of today. :D I know the area your riding to but don't know the commutability of the roads. I ride from 44th and Eastern out to Steelcase's Kentwood facility on 52nd and M37 which is about 7 miles. It was a little cool this morning @ 5am. :o After this morning's trip I'm wondering why I haven't done this before now!


[QUOTE=seely] So far my route is Breton to 32nd, 32nd to the school nature trail, which then puts me on Eastern, RB Chaffee/36th to Division and??? this place is about a half block up on Division with no back entrance. I am thinking I may just have to go up a block, past the shop, make a right and come back down 28th street traffic for a block or so.

Yeah, even if you have to ride slightly out of your way the safest route is gonna pay off in the long run.


[QUOTE=seely] Of course Breton is scary enough now that its down to one lane with construction... I can only imagine the fun that awaits riding into the merge. Well, I guess it beats trying to make a left out of the far right lane... :rolleyes:


Tell me about it. There are some killer holes just before the RR tracks below 29th! :eek:
Good luck with your route finding!

MX

Well I figured it out... the left from Breton onto 32nd is impossible since you are cutting across two lanes of psycho's racing each other into the merge. So I take the sidewalk (I know, the sidewalk), to 32nd, hop on 32nd from a parking lot there, cut down to the Nature Trail, take 32nd to Buchanan and cut through a few parking lots (great idea Chadlewis!) and I'm at the front door. Pretty nice ride, and even in rush hour 32nd is very tame! Coming back I ride in the lane on Breton since I only have to make a right, which is no problem being in the right lane and all.

Glad I could help and I'm glad you were able to map out a good route. Drive safe!

congrats on the new job. sad to leave waco behind?

congrats on the new job. sad to leave waco behind?

Nah I'm back there before July 8th for school... I just wish that I wouldn't have come up here during an unseasonably cold/rainy period. The worst part about going to back to Waco is I got laid off at the shop right before I left, so I get to come back to some menial craptacular job no doubt.