There and Back Again: How to Pick your Bike Commute Route

Google Map — Map 1: Google's suggestion for a route using SE Boulevard to get to the Riverpoint Campus, with bike directions requested. They would put you on Division from 4th Ave. all the way to campus, and currently Riverside Avenue (the future Martin Luther King, Jr. Way), which they tell you to use, is under construction. This route puts a rider into heavy traffic unnecessarily soon and isn't possible right now as mapped. I wouldn't send a beginning commuter through the intersection of 3rd and Division with its ugly merge involving vehicles exiting the freeway, although I can ride through this quite confidently.

One of the most common questions from potential bike commuters reflects nervousness over picking a safe route: How do I figure out where to ride?

Take some reassurance from the results of a question I asked on the Bike Style Facebook page: “What did you used to think was really hard about bike commuting and now don’t have to think about at all? (or not very much)”.

The #1 response: Route selection.

This post provides a few suggestions and tools for you to go with the rest of the starter info in our 30 Days to Bike Commuting series. I have even more questions you can ask yourself about a potential route–watch for those in an upcoming post.

IRL vs. Technology: I have good reason for starting this list with steps that involve trying things in real life and talking to real people–these just work better.

Google Maps can’t show you that a particular route is full of drivers who routinely speed and roll their right turns on a red light. Nor can it give you specific landmarks and instructions that take into account the idiosyncrasies of a particular intersection or a workaround to deal with street construction issues. MapMyRide routes come from real people and can be great, but they may not yet have the route you need. So here’s what you do:

Scout the route. Consider a practice ride on the weekend so you can work out the kinks or alter your route if need be. This will also help you determine how much time you need for the ride.

Scout on your bike, not in your car—perceptions are very different! Recognize that side streets are quieter but those uncontrolled intersections present their own issues. However, if you usually drive on major arterials that feel too busy on your bike, try shifting just a block or two.

Scout alternatives: Try using one route to the destination and a different route coming home. With Spokane’s hills that will often be the preferred route anyway: Take advantage of the steep drop on the way down (wheeee!) but avoid it on the way back up if you can. And if you face any one-way streets you’ll definitely be working out two routes.

Alternatives will vary in attractiveness by time of day, among other factors. A street that’s just fine mid-afternoon may feel too busy at 5 p.m. You can vary the route or vary the time you ride through.

Ask an expert. Get in touch with Eileen Hyatt, SpokaneBikeBuddy@aol.com. She provides personalized suggestions for the best route based on years of experience riding Spokane’s streets. She’ll even
meet up with you to check out possible alternatives and make sure you know the rules of the road.

Ask people you work with. If you work for an organization that participates in Commute Trip Reduction then you have an Employee Trip Coordinator who can help you find bike commuters among your colleagues. If you don’t have an ETC you can ask around.

In reality, you already know who the bike commuter is: It’s that person who shows up with the annoyingly chipper attitude and rosy cheeks every day.

Odds are there’s someone at work whose route matches yours (at least for the last few hundred yards and possibly for much farther). You’ll learn where your fellow bike commuters park their bikes, whether there are showers in your building if that’s important for you, and other insider tips.

Ask a friend. Maybe you’re not planning to try riding to work just yet. You’re venturing forth on a Saturday outing to a coffee shop or one of our fantastic Bikespedition shopping destinations.

That’s great! You and your friend(s) can choose a place to meet up and ride together for moral support.

Attend events with people: Any time you have the
chance to attend an event where you can talk with
people who ride bikes, do it. You’ll find commuters who
will share routes, secret shortcuts, and tips.
We’re a pretty friendly bunch.

Try these techno-tools for bike route selection.

Just ask Google: Google Maps

Type in an address.
Zoom in on the maps and select the “More” tab.
Check the Bicycling box to see the safest bike routes marked in green on the map. These appear to be bike lanes or signed shared lanes as I look at what pops up for Spokane.
Try “Streets View” to see actual conditions.
Click “Directions” and add your destination. (You’ll need to choose Bicycling again—default is set to By Car. How odd.).

Google Maps isn’t a perfect tool by any means. The first map in the series here shows you what it suggested, which includes routing me through an intersection I wouldn’t recommend to a beginner; I don’t even like coming through it as a driver. That’s why you still need to scout on the ground.

Warning: Google Maps also may not tell you a street is one-way. Always, always ride your bike with the flow of vehicular traffic, NOT counter-flow the way a pedestrian walks. If you get off and walk the bike then you’re a pedestrian and you should walk counter-flow.

More maps: Spokane’s master bike plan shows current and future designated routes. The Bike/Pedestrian Resources page on the Spokane Regional Transportation Council site links to various area maps.

route 5 — Map 5: A creative alternative with a scenic twist--longer but quieter and prettier. Use Sprague west to Bernard, which is very lightly traveled. Head north to the Convention Center complex and cut through the breezeway to get to the Centennial Trail, then backtrack along the river. A gorgeous ride, far less traffic, and the only encounter with Division is coming through it westbound on Sprague with the traffic light.

Localized info from real people I: John Speare, a former member of the Spokane Bicycle Advisory Board, collected real bike commuter routes via GPS by riding with people who volunteered and mapped them. This shows you routes already in use by area bike commuters who have had more time to figure things out. Zoom in all the way and you will see street-level detail.

Localized info from real people II: MapMyRide.com lets you create a user profile and map routes. Once you’re a member (quick creation of a log-in) you can search for routes in Spokane.

These often include notes about the route that can be very useful (traffic volume, what the street or road is like, resources along the way, landmarks/cues for turns) and tags indicating type of road and surface.

You’ll also get a topographical profile so you can see what kind of hill climb lies ahead. If you have any reason to climb the west end of the South Hill you need to know that Adams provides the shallowest climb. (These are the types of insider tips you get by talking with people.)

Some are recreational rides or race routes, others are commuter routes. Some even have video. (Helmet cam, anyone?)

(Security note: You may not want to label a route with “home” in the name—you’re telling people where you live and marking it on a map. Start from a nearby intersection.)

This post addresses only the first cut at identifying routes. Upcoming posts will talk about the characteristics of different streets and some other elements of route selection.

P.S. Yes, that’s a J.R.R. Tolkien salute in the title.

——————–

Posts in our 30 Days of Biking Blogging Inspiration & How-to Series for Sept. 2011 30 Days of Biking

Your Turn

Have you assessed the conditions along a potential route for your ride if you’re new to this? Can we help with some sticky spots by suggesting alternatives?
If you’re an experienced commuter, what do you like best about your route? Which parts do you dislike?

Bike Style Life

There and Back Again: How to Pick your Bike Commute Route

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