Cycling/Commuting FROM Davis Square

[on-reserve.livejournal.com]

I know many people commute FROM Davis TO day jobs elsewhere in the vicinity so I'm hoping this question will be deemed on-topic:

If you were to commute from Davis to the Back Bay/Copley area, what route would you take? Anecdotally, do you consider this to be a beginner, intermediate or advanced commute in terms of road savvy required? What sort of comfort-is-a-priority-but-price-is-less-of-a-concern bicycle would you recommend for a commute like this?

I suppose I could have posted to b0st0n but I'll admit that I prefer the less-snarky waters of davis_square when seeking advice/opinion.

Comments

[nonnihil.livejournal.com]

If you can commute at non-peak hours, check the bikes-on-the-T rules. T to Charles or Park Street and then bike from there could be a big time saver.

For peak-hour commuting, your route is going to be determined by where you cross the Charles. For Back Bay, that's pretty much going to mean Mass ave. Not a huge amount of room for cleverness there.

[on-reserve.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I am asking primarily because I was driving down Mass Ave today and thinking, hey, I think I could manage this. It's good to know that you'd consider that a solid route.

[nuns.livejournal.com]

I guess you could alternately go through Central up Western and cross the river at the BU bridge. But that has you biking along Comm Ave, which is not what I would call an improvement over Mass Ave.

[miss-chance.livejournal.com]

Wow. That is so the opposite of my experience. I live in Davis and work on upper Newbury (at Mass. Ave). It takes me 20 - 25 minutes to bike to work. If I take the T it takes 45 - 75 minutes, but since it matters too much if I'm late, I have to allow the 75 minutes. Getting my bike onto the T of bus would only **add** significant time to my commute, and *never* be a time-saver.

(for comparison, it takes 35 - 40 minutes to drive and park, and 90 minutes to walk the whole distance at a casual pace).

Since the OP asked, my route is Highland to Cedar,and down over the Beacon Street bridge. At that point, during peak hours, you can pick up the peleton of bike commuters. This can be fun, and sometimes makes me ride faster if they're setting a good pace, or can be frustrating if I have to veer in to traffic more to pass a lot... depends on my energy level that morning as compared to others' so it's variable.

I work at Newbury and Mass Ave., so I go over the Mass Ave. bridge. I cut over on Portland St., past Tech Sq. to Albany Street, and Left onto Mass Ave.

Beacon is a far straighter shot than Mass Ave. and appears to be about to get new bike-lane stripes painted, if the little dots spray painted in place are what I think they are.

[anomie666.livejournal.com]

I don't take a bike, but if I were to do it, I would either 1) Take Mass Ave into Harvard and then take the bike path along the Charles into that area or 2) Keep on Mass Ave until you cross the "Smoot bridge" and then take that over to where you are going.

[ron_newman]

Mass. Ave. through Central Square is something best avoided unless you're a pretty experienced urban cyclist.

Oxford Street is a pleasant and quiet alternative to Mass. Ave for going between Davis and Harvard squares.

[ron_newman]

Elm Street to Mossland Street to Beacon Street, which becomes Hampshire Street in Cambridge.

Right on Windsor Street, left on Mass. Ave, through MIT and over the bridge into Boston.

Left on Back Street or Marlborough Street, then right on Exeter or Clarendon Street to Copley Square.

I'd get a reasonably sturdy bike because Beacon Street is in poor condition.

[mrboboto.livejournal.com]

I take Beacon/Hampshire to work every day- a month in which I only get one flat is a good month. Broken spokes are not uncommon either. God I hate that road.

Once Hampshire ends and you're on Broadway it gets worse, because the cement trucks really chew up the road down there.

[haptotrope.livejournal.com]

This one, or an approximation. at least until The Somerville ave construction ceases.

[ocschwar.livejournal.com]

I second that route.

[schpahky.livejournal.com]

This is a good route and avoids the nightmare of Central Square. But do watch for horrible potholes on Beacon Street.

[rosiewoodboat.livejournal.com]

From Davis to Downtown, I take Elm St to Mossland to Somervile Ave to Beacon St, and take Beacon all the way through Inman Sq. to where it becomes Hampshire. Hampshire will dump you onto Broadway (Cambridge) and then right over the Salt and Pepper bridge. Depending on where you're heading, you'd probably hang a quick right on to Charles St. and then decide at the Commons where to go from there.

I actually really enjoy this route, but I'm a "lifestyle cyclist." If you are new to urban cycling, Beacon St. can be unnerving, but is a good direct route when you get the hang of it.

[ron_newman]

That'll work too, but it's a bit "hillier" due to the crest of the Longfellow bridge. Also note that if you reverse this route, you pretty much have to ride the wrong way on Charles Street between the Common and the bridge. That is not as bad as it sounds, as the street carries surprisingly little traffic.

[dylanesque29.livejournal.com]

What time of day are we talking about?

[talonvaki.livejournal.com]

Davis to Park, Park to Copley. You needed to ask this because...?

[ron_newman]

What? The MBTA does not allow bicycles on the Green Line at any time of day.

[ron_newman]

Moving on to less controversial subjects:

If you're going to ride after dark, get both a front light and a rear light.

Unless you need to ride in totally unlit places like the Minuteman Bikeway, get an LED headlight rather than one with a bulb. It uses much less energy, which means you won't constantly have to recharge or replace batteries.

Both front and rear should have a blinking mode. Always use this mode. Drivers and pedestrians will see a blinking light better than a solid one.

If the front light slides in and out of a holder on the handlebar, do NOT leave it on the bike when you park it. It will be stolen. Take it with you.

After-dark bicycle illumination

[srakkt.livejournal.com]

It's not just a good idea.

It's the law.

[charlwoo.livejournal.com]

I don't bike through to Boston, but I do bike daily from Porter to Kendall, which is part of some of the routes that have previously been mentioned. I recommend Beacon Street, which becomes Hampshire, to the Longfellow Bridge. Hampshire has well-marked bicycle lanes, and Beacon is about to have marked bicycle lanes (I saw a team outlining lanes last week). This route feels significantly safer to me than Mass Ave, which has more traffic and more cars parking/pulling out.
If you are new to bicycle commuting, I wouldn't recommend crossing the Longfellow. Cars pass very quickly and the experience can be unnerving, and once across it you are in the depths of Boston, which is a far different city to cycle in than Cambridge is. I would take a right on Ames Street in Kendall and follow it to the MDC bikeway along the Charles, take a right and take the bikeway to the Mass Ave bridge. This is a beautiful place to ride by the way. I'd cross at the Mass Ave bridge and take that straight through to Back Bay. Although the traffic by Berklee can be thick, it's a shorter stint than Boston after the Longfellow. You can take a left on Boylston from Mass Ave all the way to Copley, also.
Finally, be sure to warn slower bikeway users that you're passing them; usually saying 'On your left/right' or 'Passing on your left/right' is sufficient. I know you mentioned that you'll ride your bicycle like you would drive a car -- stopping at red lights and stop signs, and not riding the wrong way on one way streets -- this should keep you out of trouble. Signal your turns also. It might be good to take a bicycle safety workshop from Mass Bike (massbike.org), the classes are free and teach excellent bicycle safety skills.
These include riding the correct way on one way streets -- Ron, I have a great deal of respect for your contributions to this forum, but in this I completely disagree with you. Unless it is otherwise signed and marked, riding the wrong way on one way streets can be dangerous and is definitely illegal. I feel that urban bicyclists, as ambassadors of alternative transportation and potential targets of the ire of operators of moving thousand pound hunks of metal, should conduct ourselves with higher standards. You might not have any issues riding the wrong way on a given street, and it may be completely safe, but this does upset many motorists, who may be less lenient with another cyclist later. Petition to change the law, petition for signage or marked lanes, but even in these cities with roads based on cow wandering I have not found a legal bike route that requires a non-trivial adjustment to my commute.

[on-reserve.livejournal.com]

Finally, be sure to warn slower bikeway users that you're passing them; usually saying 'On your left/right' or 'Passing on your left/right' is sufficient.

Ha! I am BRAND new to urban cycling (and technically, haven't even tried it yet) so I'd be the one BEING passed for sure but it's nice to know people will be letting me know that they're about to zip past me :)

[antimony.livejournal.com]

I go from Davis to Back Bay via this route -- i.e. Mass Ave is definitely the way to cross the river, and Beacon to Columbia is my preferred route to Mass Ave, since you get a nice long left turn light and a reasonable intersection for turning left:

http://tinyurl.com/5aptdu

[ron_newman]

The intersection of Columbia and Mass. Ave. right now is a ripped-up mess. I'd avoid it by using Windsor instead.

[tamalinn.livejournal.com]

my goal when commuting home from davis square is to avoid the intersection of cambridge st and harvard ave in allston, so i ride a longer way, mass ave all the way down across the bridge and into the city. it's a straight shot, really easy, very few hills.

[ron_newman]

What's so bad about that intersection?

Taking Putnam Ave. to Pearl St. to the BU bridge would cut off some distance if your destination is somewhere else in Allston.

[obie119.livejournal.com]

I would recommend trying out your potential commute on a Sunday morning or other very-low-traffic time. When I moved here ten years ago, I had no riding-in-traffic experience, and I learned how to ride through these "practice" rides and through the short guide (How To Ride a Bike in Boston Traffic) that is written on the Boston Bike Map. The map is *very* useful anyway, and the instructions for traffic riding make a lot of sense.

My old commute from Teele into town was Broadway to Willow, left on Highland, right on Cedar, straight through to Mossman, left on Somerville, quick right on Beacon....then actually I used a right on Columbia to get to Mass Ave for the Mass Ave bridge. They just changed the traffic patterns and there's no left onto Mass Ave from Columbia; I hop off and use the crosswalk.

I am glad the OP does not want to ride the wrong way on a one-way street - it's definitely a recipe for accidents and not a great form of goodwill. The same with sidewalk-riding.

Also - May is Bike Month and if you go to www.massbike.org there are LOTS of urban bike classes which I'd highly recommend.

[obie119.livejournal.com]

The Boston Bike Map (at any store) has a short guide to "How to Ride a Bike in Boston Traffic" - read it; it's how I learned. There's a further pamphlet by the same guy (John Allen, he's local) called Bicycling Street Smarts.

I started out trying the city streets on Sunday mornings when it wasn't busy. This really helped.

MassBike leads lots of urban biking classes that are really helpful - check out their website. May is Bike Month which means lots of extra classes. Enjoy!!!

[obie119.livejournal.com]

just apologising for the double-post - I thought the first one didn't go through!

[qwrrty.livejournal.com]

You've already got tons of good advice, but here's my $0.02:

* Many roads feel intimidating because you're sharing the road with fast-moving traffic, but are safe to bike as long as you're behaving predictably and obeying the rules of the road. There's a big difference between feeling unsafe and being unsafe, but it's hard sometimes to tell the difference.

* I'd probably take the same route several other people have mentioned: Elm to Mossland to Beacon/Hampshire to Broadway to the Longfellow to Charles.

* That said, I'm comfortable with urban cycling and am okay with navigating the Charles/MGH rotary on a bike, but I think it would feel pretty intimidating for a newer cyclist. Ron's suggestion of Hampshire to Windsor to Mass Ave. to the Harvard Bridge might be easier. Try them both and see which one feels less perilous.

* For the return trip, the Harvard Bridge will almost certainly be easier. It is an unbelievable pain in the ass to get from Copley to the Longfellow on a bike. I haven't found a route that is both legal and efficient, and almost always take the Harvard Bridge and then take Mass Ave the rest of the way.

* Some of these roads have bike lanes on them. You're not required to ride in the bike lane, ever, no matter what anyone says. If you do choose to ride in the bike lane, be very careful not to ride in the "door zone" -- you're far more likely to get "doored" by someone opening their car door carelessly than you are to get run over by a driver trying to pass. Keeping out of the door zone usually means riding at the very leftmost edge of the bike lane.

* Ron's a great guy and I dearly hope that his habit of riding the wrong way on one-way streets doesn't turn out badly one day.

Good luck! I hope it works out for you!

[qwrrty.livejournal.com]

Also: I second the recommendations for the "Bicycling Street Smarts" pamphlet mentioned above, and for a MassBike basic cycling safety class if you're still feeling uncomfortable with urban cycling.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_saint_cecilia_/]

I am a friend of your roommate R (I'm the one who came over for lasagna.) I am also hoping to start commuting by bicycle soon, so I'm glad you went and asked this community! If I discover any cool tips/tricks/classes/etc. I'll let you know!

[ehy2k.livejournal.com]

More than once, I've been nearly mowed down by cyclists in Harvard or Central Squares, who zip around corners, down one way streets the wrong way. I do have to admit though, that this hasn't happened to me in Davis Square. But I have nearly hit a cyclist coming down College Ave, at the Davis Square T stop, who felt it was their right to zip across the intersection, against the light. (I might add that I wasn't the first car in the line either, so traffic was already flowing into the intersection when the cyclist cut across).

[fefie.livejournal.com]

I'm totally appreciating this thread ... as I'd vowed that this is the year to get over my fear of cycling down Mass. Ave. and a few others that intimidate me.... (Charles/MGH rotary?! maybe next year ....)

BTW, there is also this LJ for local cycling matters:
http://community.livejournal.com/bostoncycling/

[mrgz.livejournal.com]

I think that the shortest route is:

1. Head southeast on Elm St toward Bowers Ave. 0.6 mi
2. Turn right at Mossland St 446 ft
3. Turn left at Somerville Ave 190 ft
4. Turn right at Beacon St 1.2 mi
5. Continue on Hampshire St 0.7 mi
6. Turn right at Portland St 0.3 mi
7. Slight right at Albany St 0.1 mi
8. Turn left at Massachusetts Ave/RT-2A 1.0 mi
9. Turn left at Boylston St

This avoids Central square, but puts you across the Harvard bridge and the following section of often heavy traffic on Mass Ave. Half a mile shorter than the trip across the Longfellow bridge. Best of luck! Maybe I'll see you on the Beacon/Hampshire corridor.