WalksOn2Wheels

Just curious. Lots of folks seem to love their route or have a longer, more scenic route. Others of us choose the least objectionable path and simply deal with it. This is especially true for urban area riders.

For instance, I currently have a ten mile route that is, for the most part, a pretty bike safe (not friendly) route. Unfortunately, in the mornings, there is a roughly 1.5 mile stretch at the start of my route that is particularly harrowing. It's two lanes wide, so that's nice. But it is uphill and usually into the wind and I haven't really had a chance to warm up at this point, so I don't like to push. I usually peak around 22 mph and then as I get towards the top of the incline I'm at around 16 or 17 mph.

The speed limit is only 40 miles per hour, yet just before this stretch (where I turn right onto the road) is a school zone that gets clogged up with parents dropping their kids off which means that the instant they leave the school zone, they and anyone else who got caught in the traffic must approach light speed in order to arrive to wherever they must so desperately be. As a result, this is where I receive about 80% of my close calls/buzzes/honks/rude words of discouragement on my route. I absolutely, positively hate it.


So, what is the least favorite part of your route?

sd790

When I stop at the office.

wolfchild

I love my commute. I have few different routes to choose from, can't think of anything negative

Grim

At the 1.5 mile mark on the way in I have a steep hill in a sweeping curve where people drive like crap! Took a mirror to the arm there already. Almost a 1/4 mile chug. If it was flat or no curve it would be no big deal but people hug the curve and you are on the inside. To add insult last year a drainage pipe broke under the road and rippled the pavement right in the apex right at the worst part. If there was a side walk on that side I would ride it. Side walk on the other side but you are trapped on that side for almost a mile till you crest the hill and there is foot traffic. This section of road there is a wreck almost every weekend of some idiot running 70mph through the S Curve.
The bummer is my office is moving 2 miles closer to my house (I'm 4 miles now) on Dec 10. The best part of my commute is the part I am loosing that is relatively flat with bike lanes.

This picture doesn't show how steep this is pulling out of the valley. That fence has had a car go through it 5 times in the last year.

Vicelord

I ride on a great bike lane for the first 3 miles of my commute. It's protected on one side by a curbed train track, with the lane to the other side being an "access lane" with a 20 mph speed limit. Then I turn onto a road that is a 40mph speed limit with no bike lane, a rough ass road, and some very bad Phoenix drivers. I hate this part of my commute and I'm quite sure that someday I'm going to be hit or crash, but it's only 1.5 miles. The remaining 8 miles is awesome... two lane road with a wide bike lane and lots of climbs and descents.

Eileen

+1

Best part of any errand/trip: the ride. Worst part: getting off the bicycle.

Aeneas

On my way to work, I have a left turn that bothers me. As I'm coming downhill there's a light, I turn left at the light and there are usually lots of cars piled up. Generally keep to the right and pass the stopped cars then signal a left turn when I get a chance. All in all, not that bad.
On the way home, I cross a major road. Just after the light before the road, a left turn lane starts about 1/4 mile before the crossing with the major roadway. I generally stay in the turn lane (taking the lane) for the first 300 yards to allow traffic to pass, but about 100 yards before the light I make my signal and move left when traffic allows or when there's no possible way anyone behind me can make the green, but drivers seem to ride up my arse anyway. Whether they don't see my signal, or it doesn't register, or they are just in a hurry to get to the light to wait for the next 2 minutes, I'm not sure, but it's the point at which I feel most exposed. Add the occasional 7-11 patron entering or exiting the parking lot on the right and the situation is enough to make me very nervous every time I ride thru there.

FunkyStickman

There's a 200 foot stretch of highway (no shoulders, coming out of a blind curve, bad concrete blocks, etc.) that I detest. Everything else I can pretty much handle.

urban rider

There is a park that is not safe, although it is a shorter distance to my house and job. I prefer to go around the park a couple of extra miles than to go through the parK.

Gas, .69 cents, the price of a can of beans.

1242Vintage

The worst part of my commute is a very funky intersection. A ghost bike is chained to the signal pole on the island in the center of this messy intersection. Once I navigate through there the rest of my commute is very relaxing.

tsl

+1. The end of the commute is the worst part.

Earlier this year I actually changed branches to lengthen my commute. I have several routes I can take and I enjoy them all.

daredevil

end of thread!

GriddleCakes

That sounds pretty miserable. Makes me feel lucky that all of my hill climbs involve separated paths or neighborhood roads with low speed limits.

I'm blessed that for about 50% of the school year, I get to ride on 7 miles of uninterrupted MUP all the way to school, with only about half a mile of low speed neighborhood roads between my home and the path. But they groom the path for skate skiing in the winter, and I think that it's inconsiderate for cyclists to ride the path when the snow is soft, leaving miles of ruts and furrows, so half of the time I'm shunted out onto the alternate street/sidepath route.

The street section (Fireweed Ave to Latouche St to the sidepath north of 36th) isn't terrible, beyond the harrowing thought of sharing an icy road with motorists, trusting that they'll be able to stop in time whenever we all pull up to a stop light. But after being spoiled on the MUP, where I'm the second largest beast out there (after the moose) and the burden is upon me to make sure that I don't run anyone over, it's kind of a scary jolt to go back into the road where everything is larger than me. It feels like dropping back to the bottom of the food chain. And unlike the rest of the streets I tend to travel on in this town, Fireweed is one place that I will hold up traffic, and that I will get honked at and be passed too closely. Still beats riding the bus, though.

afwen

Left turns. I have one on the way in and one on the way out.

groovestew

The worst part of my route is dodging pedestrians and dogs on the MUTs. Yeah, I got it tough.

Maxxxie

My ride home takes me along a severely pot-holed, industrial road. Between dodging the potholes and dodging the 18-wheelers, it's a wonder I'm here to tell the tale! The badly potholed section is about 300m, so it's not like it's never-ending. It just feels that way. Once I'm past that section, the rest of the ride is pretty pleasant.


Max

bergerandfries

There's a TON of folks turning right from south-bound Shiloh road to west-bound Renner road in Richardson, TX in the morning. This backs up the right lane because there is no right turn only lane. Since I'm going straight, I go to the middle lane. It's not really bad, but I just am not comfortable with my rear end flapping out in the breeze between the stopped cars on my right and the 50+MPH cars zooming by on my left. Crossing under George Bush Turnpike on Shiloh isn't all that fun either because it becomes the south-bound access road...

jdgesus 

the part of the MUP that goes right through the university campus. its a madhouse, especially in the fall and spring.
summer is OK, since everyone is "on break"

genec

Dodging motor vehicle traffic. My whole commute is on high speed roads ranging from interstate 5 to several local arterial roads. The speed limits range from 70MPH to 45MPH and motorists typically drive as fast as they feel they can get away with.

Although honestly at times they trip over themselves and the motor vehicle traffic comes to a complete halt... that's when it's really fun... as there is always one or two motorists that feel they have the right to go anywhere with their cars and they will drive in bike lanes, cut through parking lots, drive across medians, make right turns from left lanes... and just about do any darn thing they can get away with.

I long for a nice quiet MUP with a dog or two...

AlmostTrick

Any part with a strong headwind.

mtalinm

crossing route 9 going south from Boston. It's a busy road with a ton of people trying to hurry to beat the light, so they always try to overtake me or swing around me at the last minute. then, at the light, most people turn left (as I do) but there are a couple who live at the high-rise across the street and plow ahead without looking. I'm always quite nervous on this stretch; https://goo.gl/maps/MWO0

CptjohnC

I have three 'problem' areas. 1) a high traffic, narrow, no shoulder, two-lane road, down hill, ending with a left turn onto a bridge. If there's no traffic, it is fine -- I can cruise down at speed. But normally there are cars backed up for the entire length, which means I either have to ride the right side -- but often the cars are pulled too far to the right for me to comfortably pass -- or ride the center line, in which case I need to ensure that I have space to get out of the way of oncoming traffic. The worst part, though, is the end -- the traffic coming from the cross-road has horrible line of sight, and I feel very vulnerable (not to mention folks here have mentioned being hit, or seeing other cyclists hit at this spot).

2) On the way home -- to avoid that same stretch riding uphill -- at a glorious 9-10 MPH, in my case -- I have a very steep (15-18% grade, as best I can tell) hill, which is presently covered with leaves. I had to walk up one day when the leaves were wet.

3) I have a towpath section which is rocky and not very bike friendly, even on my larger tire hybrid commuter. Someday I'm borrowing my brother's MTB just to see how that would be.

ChrisO

https://maps.google.com/maps?client=f...167.53,,0,7.84
^^^^^That intersection, right there! Outside of the Home Depot in Silverdale, WA. If I ever get squished on my commute, it'll probably be here. Then again maybe it won't because I'm on super-alert mode in this spot. It's really not terribly high volume intersection, but the drivers going from northbound Silverdale Way right-turning onto SR 303 don't believe in recognizing the redness of the light in front of them, stopping, putting down their phones, or otherwise acknowledging the existence/right-to-live of rest of the people on the road around them. The predictability of it is annoying

Ira B

About 14 miles and about 1.5 miles before home I have to climb out of Coupeville on Parker rd.
It's not that it's a huge hill but at the end of a long hard day sometimes I could do without it.

dcrowell

Ha!

I have the opposite problem. I have trouble getting out my door in the morning. I'm not a morning person.

Once the brisk air wakes me up, I'm fine. I have a mellow city commute. Traffic is usually not bad, there are bike lanes part of the way. There are a lot of red lights though.