bike commuting from Davis to Waltham

[happyok.livejournal.com]

Hey guys!

There have been a couple of posts about bike commuting, thought I'd see if anyone rides from Davis to the Waltham area. I have done it a few time in the past weeks, and it might be fun to have a partner. I pretty much am on Rt 60 the whole way...

It's a great ride! The hard part is getting there, coming back it's basically all down hill. about 9 miles.

Lemme know!

Comments

[srakkt.livejournal.com]

If you take the aforementioned Fitchburg Connector Path from Alewife to Belmont, it shaves a *lot* of distance and the busiest part of Rt60

[dariusk.livejournal.com]

Ooh. I don't commute that way but I do that ride a few times a week. It's a lot of fun. Do you go Mass Ave to 60W, or 16W to 20W, or what?

[dariusk.livejournal.com]

Err. I didn't read the rt 60 part. My bad.

[happyok.livejournal.com]

i go mass ave to 60...

my work is right off 128, so i'm on totten pond road by the end if that makes any sense...

i need a map! i'd love to get off the road when i can.

[ron_newman]

I don't see why you're going to Arlington Center instead of Belmont Center to get on Route 60.

[happyok.livejournal.com]

i'm glad i asked this question! i just google mapped the route and have been using what i found. happy for suggestions, though!

thanks!

[ron_newman]

What I'd do, starting from Redbones on Chester Street:

Right on Mass Ave, left on Haskell St, cross Rindge Ave, cut around baseball field to the corner of Yerxa and Pemberton, then go through tunnel under the railroad.

Emerging from the tunnel, right on Walden Square road, left on Sherman St, right into Danehy Park. Go all the way through the park and out the other side onto New Street. Right on Concord Avenue, head into Belmont.

Left on Oak (or Goden or Myrtle), right on School St. This crosses Common St. and becomes Waverley St. Take this to the end, and bear right on Trapelo Road.

You will soon join Route 60. Turn left on Waverley Oaks Road (staying on Route 60), then right on Beaver St. Stay on Beaver as it goes through various forks and joins. Right on Lexington St, then left on Totten Pond Road.

[happyok.livejournal.com]

is this route shorter? less trafficky?

[ron_newman]

I don't know what you're comparing it to. Certainly shorter and less trafficky than going to Arlington Center and taking Route 60 from there all the way to Waltham Center.

[ifotismeni]

i would advise avoiding lexington street at all costs if you can. it's got tons of strip malls and nobody leaves any clearance for bikers -- you will have to go on the sidewalk here, and there are pedestrians to dodge. i usually drive down lexington in my car to get to work and it is BAD.

[srakkt.livejournal.com]

I'll again advocate for the Fitchburg Connector Path; zero automobile traffic, and it drops you onto low-traffic residential streets to get to Rt.60

[ron_newman]

Or combine the two routes: Fitchburg Connector to Brighton Street, right on Hittinger, through the High School campus (around Clay Pit Pond), right on Concord Ave, left on Oak, then proceed as above. That keeps you on residential streets all the way to Waverley Square.

[ifotismeni]

where do you get off rt 60 to go to waltham out of curiosity?

this is the map i created for a possible route from my home in arlington to waltham, but i'm not sure it's the best way.

[ron_newman]

I think Lake Street to Route 60 to Trapelo Road is shorter than that, but I'm not sure which way is the less hilly one.

[ifotismeni]

oh, good call. i'll give that a shot this weekend to find out.

last night i tested this route. clearly, anything's better than that.

[ron_newman]

Also, see the above comment about the Fitchburg cutoff trail, for another way to get to Belmont Center.

[ifotismeni]

i think coming from where i live it wouldn't make sense for me to take that route, but if i still lived in davis i would.

[ifotismeni]

i'm going from arlington center to waltham (wyman street right next to 128) next week. not really sure on my route yet.

[jbsegal.livejournal.com]

A) Hmmmm... I'm coming from Davis and heading to 3rd Ave in Waltham... interesting possibilities, though I'm really not in shape these days.

B) bostoncycling

[happyok.livejournal.com]

i work on 5th ave!!

[kimchee1.livejournal.com]

Have you worked out a route? I am in Teele Sq. and have to go to Winter St. in Waltham (pretty awful area to get to). I've done the whole ride in a couple of different ways but lately, I have been wimping out and taking the Fitchburg commuter rail out to Kendal Green and then riding the 2.5 miles to my office. The sweat factor riding in was just too great. Fortunately for me, I have found a new job in Cambridge, so I won't be doing the ride for too much longer but would still like to work out an easy route. I never knew about the Fitchburg cut-off nor have any of my fellow cyclists at work talked about it...will look for that this week.

To Winter St.

[thebinturong.livejournal.com]

I do this (http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid=109905502379435414593.00044d08fa320a028e687) route pretty much every day. It is the straightest shot I could figure and its basically pretty nice except for the brief stretch on Trapelo Road wher there is alot of construction going on. The best advice I have is avoid the Leonard St. underpass in Belmont Ctr., that entire block sucks I guess because the town of Belmont must hate traffic lights. There is a small footbridge a little ways down Royal St. which allows you to get on Pleasant St. (Route 60) without going through that Belmont Ctr. excursion.

The Fitchburg connector is nice, but not if you ride a road bike or if it has been raining alot. On the other hand, Concord St. is fairly chewed up in places. In all, Pleasant St. and Beaver St. make it a nice ride.