Cruizer
11-04-2007, 05:44 PM
I just rode up to 78th and Duke this afternoon from Westmoreland (which some people think is Sellwood). The portion of the trip along Woodstock between 39th and 52nd -- Yikes!!!
I considered riding a parallel street to the south of Woodstock but it's hard to find one that goes through -- lots of dead ends and "unimproved" (an understatement) streets.
On closer inspection of my bike map before heading back home, I realized that Rural, many blocks to the south of Woodstock, goes straight through to 52nd from 36th. This is a nice route along a quiet residential road, with occasional unmarked crossings of moderately busy streets (at 39th, 45th and 52nd). In addition, staying on Bybee until reaching 36th and switching over to Rural is a more direct route than Woodstock if you're headed to Duke. At 52nd I rode a few blocks north to pick up Duke, which is a decent street for covering a lot of ground fast.
I'm surprised that Woodstock is even suggested as a bike route east of 39th. The traffic is heavy and there are lots of curb extensions and long median structures that funnel bikes and cars into a single lane of traffic through the shopping district. And cars are parked all along the street so you really have to give yourself a wide berth to avoid doors.
Note: In case you're unfamiliar with that part of town, south of Woodstock the traffic on 39th noticeably thins out. The majority of traffic coming down 39th from the north goes either west or east on Woodstock.
I considered riding a parallel street to the south of Woodstock but it's hard to find one that goes through -- lots of dead ends and "unimproved" (an understatement) streets.
On closer inspection of my bike map before heading back home, I realized that Rural, many blocks to the south of Woodstock, goes straight through to 52nd from 36th. This is a nice route along a quiet residential road, with occasional unmarked crossings of moderately busy streets (at 39th, 45th and 52nd). In addition, staying on Bybee until reaching 36th and switching over to Rural is a more direct route than Woodstock if you're headed to Duke. At 52nd I rode a few blocks north to pick up Duke, which is a decent street for covering a lot of ground fast.
I'm surprised that Woodstock is even suggested as a bike route east of 39th. The traffic is heavy and there are lots of curb extensions and long median structures that funnel bikes and cars into a single lane of traffic through the shopping district. And cars are parked all along the street so you really have to give yourself a wide berth to avoid doors.
Note: In case you're unfamiliar with that part of town, south of Woodstock the traffic on 39th noticeably thins out. The majority of traffic coming down 39th from the north goes either west or east on Woodstock.