Route through downtown San Diego?
 

Hi there, I'm hoping that some of my fellow San Diegans can help me out here. I live in North Park (around 30th and Redwood) and work on Coronado. I would really like to start biking to work, but I can't seem to come up with a route through downtown that I am comfortable with (on the way back anyway, Pershing to B etc works OK to get to the ferry although I hate crossing the I-5 on-ramps). I've ridden up Broadway to 25th or so on the weekends and the traffic, lights, and buses are bad then, I can't imagine it's any better at 5:00 on a weekday so I'd like to find a safer route. Does anyone have any suggestions? Oh, I'm somewhat of a hill wimp too...

Seeing a bike accident at the Pershing-to-5 northbound ramp this morning is really not helping much!

I'm not sure what you're trying to minimize. Traffic? Traffic lights? Hills? Through downtown, I don't think you're going to get away from traffic and traffic lights--but I figure that the more traffic the better in those situations because people are more aware. It's the more sparsely populated/faster speed limit roads that seem to be more dangerous in my opinion. Downtown where everyone's slow anyway you're just about as fast as a car, and there's tons of both cars and peds to watch out for if you're in a car.

I don't see how you're going to get out of climbing a hill somewhere. Might as well be Pershing; it's direct at least.

You might want to explore cutting through Balboa Park somehow, if nothing else for a change of pace.

There's a little-updated downtown bike route available online, but I haven't checked it out myself.

No matter how you go you will have to cross 5 at some point... as it runs from the Mexican border to Canada, and in this case, runs between you and downtown.

You are close to Pershing, so I see why you chose it. Perhaps going up to Landis to Robinson to Park might suit you better... (Park was always a nice ride)

Or down 30th to B street. There are lots of options... go to google maps and see if something else suits you. (I believe B comes right in to downtown at City College... so it might be somewhat busy there depending on time of day)

I used to take 30th down to the Navy base way back in the day (over 20 years ago), jogging over to 32nd street just before it crossed 5... and it was mostly urban residential.

The on ramp situation at Pershing and 5 is somewhat hectic.

Good luck.

Sorry, I rambled on a bit in my original post, let me be a little more specific... What road other than Broadway would you recommend for getting through downtown from west to east keeping in mind that I'd like to head north somewhere around 25th? My issue with Broadway is that the lights are horribly timed and there is a lot of bus traffic. Maybe all of the other options are that way too?

I had not really considered that heavy, slow traffic might be better than sparse, fast traffic. You do have a point.

And yes, I know that I have to cross I-5 and go uphill at some point. I just try to avoid anything too steep.

G street.

In fact, almost any one way is better than Broadway... take note that the "one ways" tend to alternate going east and west. C street is almost as good, except for the Trolley... But take G down to 16th or better 14th and then head north to C then east to 28th, then work your way north. Once you get east of 5 and north of 94 you just have to "stairstep" through the streets of "Bankers Hill" to get to the one you need.

The lights on G are timed I think for about 22 MPH... so if you sprint it and keep on the left side, you can make it on greens all the way, and make the turn north. (if you don't make the turn, you end up on 94) Traffic can be heavy as all the motorists are using G too, but they often don't time it right, which can give you nice gaps.

I used to do this often, but honestly have not commuted down there in 20 years. Back then I lived in Northpark off of Marlbourough and Dwight... Landis was great for crossing 805 when I was going southward, and Orange was the route if heading northward. I stayed off of University and El Cajon as much as possible... there was almost always an alternate.

Others here may have more current data... but frankly that part of town hasn't changed much... with the exception of the major change for 15 through Northpark.

For history, I used to go to either Adams Ave Bikes (still in Kensington, but moved from the old location) or Zumwalts (no longer there on University at about 30th, near the KFC)... both were good LBS. The Ken Cinema was always good for cheap "art" movies.

BTW riding down Park to Downtown was always a blast... although I know they have added more traffic lights since then. I don't think I ever used Pershing.