Riding along the South Shore of Long Island
03-29-10, 11:45 AM
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Riding along the South Shore of Long Island
I'm thinking of riding out of Manhattan by Brooklyn Bridge and down Flatbush Ave (which I've done quite a few times) and down to the beach, then east (which I haven't done before).
My question is: can I do this? How much of the route is accessible to bikes? Or any fun?
I mean to cross the bridge at the end of Flatbush Ave; then head east past Rockaway Beach... is that bikeable?
Then there's another bridge to Atlantic Beach; is that bikeable?
Loop Parkway; Meadowbrook Parkway; Ocean Parkway; Robert Moses Causeway; bikeable?
I've ridden from Babylon east most of the Island, so I can handle that part... but there, too, suggestions would be appreciated.
All comments and suggestions, including but not limited to "you're nucking futz!" are welcome and appreciated.
My question is: can I do this? How much of the route is accessible to bikes? Or any fun?
I mean to cross the bridge at the end of Flatbush Ave; then head east past Rockaway Beach... is that bikeable?
Then there's another bridge to Atlantic Beach; is that bikeable?
Loop Parkway; Meadowbrook Parkway; Ocean Parkway; Robert Moses Causeway; bikeable?
I've ridden from Babylon east most of the Island, so I can handle that part... but there, too, suggestions would be appreciated.
All comments and suggestions, including but not limited to "you're nucking futz!" are welcome and appreciated.
03-29-10, 04:48 PM
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Flatbush to Rockaways is definitely doable. I've done it, and took pictures: https://s50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...ide%209-28-07/ 
Just watch out for fast moving car traffic on stretches of Flatbush-- It can get crazy. South of the Belt Parkway, there is a bike path that runs next to Flatbush all the way to the Gil Hodges bridge to get to the Rockaways. Beautiful view on the bridge.
To get to Atlantic Beach from Far Rockaways, you have to get to the bike path next to NY Highway 898 (the Nassau Expressway). It runs with 898 over the bridge to Atlantic Beach. That's as far as I went... I don't know if there is a bike-accessible route along Loop Parkway.
Good luck!
Just watch out for fast moving car traffic on stretches of Flatbush-- It can get crazy. South of the Belt Parkway, there is a bike path that runs next to Flatbush all the way to the Gil Hodges bridge to get to the Rockaways. Beautiful view on the bridge.
To get to Atlantic Beach from Far Rockaways, you have to get to the bike path next to NY Highway 898 (the Nassau Expressway). It runs with 898 over the bridge to Atlantic Beach. That's as far as I went... I don't know if there is a bike-accessible route along Loop Parkway.
Good luck!
03-29-10, 07:05 PM
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Here are links to a NYS's bike suitability map for Nassau & Suffolk Counties.
https://www.nysdot.gov/divisions/ope...t%20072809.pdf
https://www.nysdot.gov/divisions/ope...430A3DFC07B020
These are big files (almost 10 Meg each). They will answer your questions regarding legality for bike riding.
At least until the recent budget crisis, NYSDOT would snail mail you paper copies of these maps by sending an email to the proper coordinater as per https://www.nysdot.gov/divisions/ope...cts/index.html
https://www.nysdot.gov/divisions/ope...t%20072809.pdf
https://www.nysdot.gov/divisions/ope...430A3DFC07B020
These are big files (almost 10 Meg each). They will answer your questions regarding legality for bike riding.
At least until the recent budget crisis, NYSDOT would snail mail you paper copies of these maps by sending an email to the proper coordinater as per https://www.nysdot.gov/divisions/ope...cts/index.html
04-05-10, 12:06 AM
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As to the bridges: the first one, onto the Rockaways, is bikeable on a walkway. Signs discourage riding, but I've been several times and always seen several bikers riding.
The bridge to Atlantic Beach is a different story. Law enforcement seems to take very seriously the fact that the walkway is for walking only. So I walked it. Did see one fast biker riding in the main road, and don't honestly know the legality of that.
From Atlantic Beach you can head east to Long Beach, about 5 miles (you can do the last couple miles on the boardwalk). From there you can zig and zag Northeast thru Freeport and on up and over to Babylon. I did this ride 2 years ago on very rideable roads which I worked out on Google Maps. My main priorities were to avoid Sunrise Highway and Merrick Road. I managed this except for about 10 blocks. However, my route had a huge number of turns and thus was pretty slow.
I had a great time on that ride; it was really cool going out from the city all the way to Montauk.
The bridge to Atlantic Beach is a different story. Law enforcement seems to take very seriously the fact that the walkway is for walking only. So I walked it. Did see one fast biker riding in the main road, and don't honestly know the legality of that.
From Atlantic Beach you can head east to Long Beach, about 5 miles (you can do the last couple miles on the boardwalk). From there you can zig and zag Northeast thru Freeport and on up and over to Babylon. I did this ride 2 years ago on very rideable roads which I worked out on Google Maps. My main priorities were to avoid Sunrise Highway and Merrick Road. I managed this except for about 10 blocks. However, my route had a huge number of turns and thus was pretty slow.
I had a great time on that ride; it was really cool going out from the city all the way to Montauk.
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