Skyline Drive

[shhambo]

Which ways do you go? Jenkins, Cornell? My ride last night was a little unsettling. Couldn't see enough to know if there was any shoulder, and the shoulder kept disappearing and reappearing at random.

[hemp22]

shhambo, which parts of the walker/park route bother you? i ride that frequently and i agree that there are some sub-optimal sections. but i think it still feels better to me than thompson, cornell, or skyline in the dark (while they may be lower-traffic and consistent [lack of] shoulder, my concern with those routes in the dark is the number of tight curves).
Also, there are some options for getting around most of the problem sections on Walker, but they're usually too far out of the way for me to bother with.

[shhambo]

Hey hemp thanks much for the response. I just found an old thread titled Tanasbourne with a couple of good looking options. Maybe I should have searched more before posting.

Walker: Amberglen to 158th. Actually even more so, W of 185th. I turn off @Amberglen and head N.

I think you are right about the curves being more dangerous than disappearing shoulder though. And the idea of riding on Cornell seems really sketchy, but maybe more visible w/all the shopping stuff in there.

[hemp22]

Yeah, I agree that the tough spots on Walker are the two big "dips" that culminate in narrow bridges over creek crossings with no bike lanes: Between 173rd & 185th, and then again between 185th and Amberglen.

If you're looking to have a more consistent bike lane or shoulder, you have a couple options:

1) When heading W on Walker, where it narrows down and the bike lane crosses over the right turn lane and then ends: Turn Right there onto 170th. Follow 170th up to 173rd and then take 173rd to Cornell & take Cornell to Amberglen. 173rd doesn't have a bike lane, but it has a little less traffic & a slower speed. That first stretch of Cornell is just finishing up a big widening project, so it was a mess all summer, but they've finished widening and paving it now. As of last week, they hadn't painted the bike lane stripes yet, but that should be done pretty soon. Just watch for people crossing the bike lane to turn right onto Evergreen.
2) ride through the first dip, and then turn right onto 185th and take that to Cornell. getting over into the left turn lane on 185th can be tough, so you can just do a box turn in the crosswalks to avoid that. this is a little less out-of-the way than the first option if you don't mind the section of walker between 173rd and 185th.

But personally, I just prefer staying on walker because it's more direct. I just take the lane fairly early once I'm on those downhill sections approaching the narrow bridges.
I suppose I've also ridden the route enough times in the daylight to always know where the shoulder is going to end.

It sure would be nice if they would put wider bridges in at those creek crossings so that we could have bike lanes.

My only other complaint with the Walker/Park route is probably my biggest concern: When travelling eastbound on Walker, getting out into traffic to make the Left turn onto Park (with no turn lane) can be sketchy.

[lynnef]

If by Park you mean Park Way....

Walker - heading from Hillsboro east... I skip Walker altogether - Evergreen, turn east on Cornell, then south on 158th IMMEDIATELY get into the left turn lane, turn into the office park by the gas station.

The next part is hard to explain in email - follow that street to the end, turn left. Then turn right, then left, which takes you into the north entrance to the Tualatin Hills Park and Rec complex. The soccer fields are on the left side. Go 3? soccer fields in and turn left (you are on a paved path all the way. If you have to cross a creek, you've gone too far). Follow the path and you'll pop out onto Pioneer.

Continue on Pioneer until you get to Meadow, turn right. Turn left on Downing. Note: you can turn LEFT onto Meadow from Walker; it is the street right across from the Nike entrance, so there is a protected left and a light.

At the end of Downing, bear left onto Butner. Cross Murray at the light. Follow Butner until Huntington, turn right. The road goes down, then up (wheee!). Turn left onto Park Way. You can take it from there.

Alternatively, if you must ride on Walker, turn left at Meadow. Or left onto Filmont; take the third right (Faircrest) follow it all the way and it drops you onto Park Way. Filmont is NOT a protected left. I try to hit it when the traffic is heavy, so I can merge in and turn. Agressive left turn signalling has also been known to work (GloGlov aided). If that fails, I stand by the side of the road and stick my hand out. It eventually guilts someone into letting me cross.

[hemp22]

Interesting - someone else recommended the same route in an old thread from several months ago. That section between 158th & Murray is great. I just don't like riding on Butner from Murray up to Huntington. But I could always get around that on the side streets to the north I suppose.

I use the Filmont/Fairmont route a lot too - good for getting from Park to Hocken/Jenkins etc.

[lynnef]

Originally Posted by hemp22

Interesting - someone else recommended the same route in an old thread from several months ago. That section between 158th & Murray is great. I just don't like riding on Butner from Murray up to Huntington. But I could always get around that on the side streets to the north I suppose.

I use the Filmont/Fairmont route a lot too - good for getting from Park to Hocken/Jenkins etc.

Google maps does show a way through on the north side. It may be that I never ride Butner when it is bad, traffic wise.

I did Jenkins/Ecole/Walker/Filmont/Faircrest daily as my regular commute. But as of last week, well, no commute. Draw your own conclusions

[shhambo]

This is great, so many good options. Thank-you. I can't wait to get out and explore.

[Tait]

Just to throw out there... I ride Cornell all the time and haven't had any problems, even going over 26.