Route advice (Somerville/Cambridge, MA)
 

I'm hoping to start commuting by bike from west Somerville to MIT, again. I used to take a fairly direct route, but now I'll be commuting with my 2 year old in a trailer. So I'm more wary, and want to avoid troublesome (i.e., trafficy) areas, even if it takes a bit longer.

Here's my planned route: http://tinyurl.com/8azfb

Anyone have comments or suggestions on this route? The trailer is a two-seater, so a bit wide. I've tried to avoid any place I think there's a sketchy combination of traffic and narrow shoulders, or where I think there might be other trouble. There are a few places (cedar street) where I plan to take the lane for a short while.

I'm still working on the return route.

Looks decent enough. I know Oxford (and I believe Harvard as well) St used to be a designated bike route until the City of Cambridge declared that all streets must be bike-friendly and removed all bike route signs. Of course the difference between declaration and accomplishment makes that a briandead move, but whatever. I believe that the pavement has been allowed to degrade substantially as a result of its de-annointing, though.

I would steer clear of the cycle track on Vassar St as the on-sidewalk sections and the irregular interaction with street traffic make it a real hazard. Better to stay in the street and of course clear of the door zone, as it is with all of Cambridge's door zone bike lanes.

One other thing to watch for is the eventual extension of the Somerville Community Path from Cedar St all the way down to the Northpoint development near Lechmere. While it's still a ways off, funding and right-of-way have been secured. I don't know if you'll still be hauling your son around at that point or not.

Take a look at a Rubel's Boston Bike Map if you haven't already. That's always helpful. Also, if you want, shoot Greg Palmer of the Somerville Bicycle Committee a note. He's a nice guy and a dedicated transportational cyclist. walker2468@earthlink.net

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In Cambridge, these streets exist: Harvard, Amherst, Wellesley, Vassar, Columbia, Holyoke, Berkeley, Brown, Bowdoin, Fordham, and Oxford. Heck, there's even a Milton and Exeter. So, when's MIT going to get its due?!?

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Yeah. I work in the Stata Center, so I won't ever need to deal with Vassar's screwed-up bike lane. Thanks for the comments.

The return trip is looking a little more difficult. Harvard is fairly calm, traffic wise, but also one way. And I'm not sure the best way to circumvent Davis. Oxford is pretty crappy. Harvard's in okay condition.

Of course, with daylight savings approaching, I probably won't actually start doing this until next spring, as it will be dark by the time we take off for home.

It would be ideal if the path reached Lechmere. But by the time that happens, my son will be in school and I'll be back to riding the more direct route. I wonder what shape the path is in, though. I've been thinking of checking it out on foot. If it's been unused for a while, it might actually be bikeable, though bumpy. And probably not with a trailer.

Bishop Richard Allen parallels Mass Ave and goes one-way the way you need for your return trip. At its end near Inman Sq, you can take a little jog around to hook back up to Harvard St which is two way by then.

You might PM Ya Ta Sabes on here. He lives in Somerville between Inman and Union and has a rugrat of his own, though I don't know if he hauls him around or not.

hey, I recognize that street!!!

I used to live on Conwell, nice quiet street, good choice over Raymond, and not quite far enough into medford to have the hill...Can't say much about the rest of the route, my commute while i lived there was all of a 1/4 mile to school.

Cambridge bike commuting tangent: I used to live in central square and commute 2 miles to work, it was nice and even on the larger roads that i rode on the cars were usually very curteous...I miss that, NYC blows...see link to commute if your curious at all...