jdoff

[Apologies if you've seen this already; I posted in the Southeast forum but got no action there.]

I'm attending a week of training north of Atlanta next month, and since it's actual winter up here (Upper Peninsula of Michigan) I thought it would be nice to do some riding during my visit. This might include commuting between my hotel and the training center and certainly some rides around the nearby recreation areas.

Here's where I'm talking about: https://goo.gl/maps/Bu8aU

I see some roads with actual bike lanes down there () but there are the typical narrow shoulders on the roads that don't, and I don't have a good feel for what traffic is like in that area.

I'd try either renting, which looks expensive, or just shipping a bike down for the week.

So what do y'all think? Dumb idea, or not so bad?

Spoonrobot 

Commuting might be iffy. That route is generally mid-high traffic and higher speed surface roads with limited shoulder and fair to poor road conditions.

If you just want to ride recreationally you'd be in a pretty good spot. The Perimeter Center bike lanes make a nice loop and you can connect to the Perimeter Pkwy bike lanes as well for a short out and back.

Vincentf

Hey, a yooper!! I've got lots of family up there. I was born I Hancock!

jdoff

That's what I was afraid of. It looks nice on Google Street View, but you can't tell how fast or erratic the traffic is.

Is there another route that would work better, short of all residential streets? I'll have plenty of time to get where I'm going, commuting-wise.

Wow, you're a long way from home! I bet we know some of the same people - drop me a note at jamyles at gmail dot com.

DarkBeer

I was in this area this past week. Traffic on Abernathy, Peachtree Dunwoody, and Mt Vernon Highway was fairly heavy. It rained Monday-Wednesday, so didn't see many cyclists out there. Don't think I would want to ride in the 5-6PM traffic on a regular basis.

JanMM

I was an everyday Hotlanta commuter and tourist but that was 26+ years ago. So, I have no current info but the weather should be tolerable, compared to the UP!
Here's an idea: Ride up Kennesaw Mountain. I rode up a couple of times when I lived there. You won't be far away. https://www.nps.gov/kemo/faqs.htm

bluegoatwoods

Sorry, but Dunwoody is not bike friendly.

Those folks tear around on those little no-shoulder roads like the devil himself was after them.

jdoff

Thanks for the replies. It's certainly sounding like it's not the greatest place for road riding aside from a few of the nearby recreational areas.

Kind of disappointing, but not unusual. A couple of years ago I went to training in Redwood City, CA and stayed around two miles from the training facility. My coworker and I decided to walk one day because hey, California. Sidewalks disappeared almost immediately, and we then found we couldn't find anywhere to cross a railway - the overpass had no sidewalks at all. We ended up calling a taxi.

Odd that it's easier to get around in my small town with no designated bike routes (at least during the winter) than it is in a larger city where it's biking weather all year.

tarwheel 

I actually lived in Dunwoody during my late grade school and high school years, but I haven't been there in years. However, based on my experiences driving and riding in other parts of suburban Atlanta in recent years, I doubt if Dunwoody is a very bike friendly.

This is really eerie. I just looked at the link you posted, and that is my old neighborhood. We lived just off Northridge Road and I went to North Springs High School. The roads were certainly decent for cycling back in the day, but I lived there more than 40 years ago! From looking at the maps, the roads are still mostly 2-lane but I imagine that there is a lot of suburban traffic on them.

qcpmsame 

Our daughter lives in Atlanta, the Cabbage Town area, she doesn't commute because of distance to her workplace but she does ride a good bit. As said, it can be hazardous there, keep you head on a swivel if you do commute. The drivers aren't attuned to cyclist and drive at max speed all the time. Hope all goes well for you.

Bill