New Commute: Roscoe Village to Hyde Park -- Strategic Questions

Hey everyone (long time lurker, first time poster here),

I'll be starting a new job in Hyde Park and want to stay on the bike! Questions for the group:

1) Is it right to assume that the Lake Front Path will be the fastest route south in the morning, say 7:00 a.m.-ish?

2) Is it right to assume that the Lake Front Path heading back north at 5:30 or 6:00-ish will be crowded and thus very slow over the next several months?

3) If there is a faster route home than the LFP, what would you suggest? There is great info in this old Hyde Park/Logan Square thread (http://www.thechainlink.org/forum/topics/best-route-from-hyde-park-to), I just wanted to see if April 2012 opinions are still the same, and to get more opinions on streets vs. LFP specifically during the northbound p.m. rush hour commute.

4) Would your optimal commuting strategy for Roscoe Village-->Hyde Park change seasonally, or is the current fastest route always gonna be the fastest route?

Thanks in advance, bike friends. I'm nervous but excited about this significant mileage increase.

-Pete

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Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on March 27, 2012 at 5:47pm

Go Pete!

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on March 28, 2012 at 12:47am

Overall, that's a really great route.  I'd suggest 2 minor changes. 

1.  Right now pavement under the railroad viaduct on 33rd is in rough shape.  Either 35th or 31st is a smoother ride.  I've ridden all of the strees recently.  You'll see the most traffic on 35th, but it has the smoothest pavement.  Whenever they repave that rough section of 33rd, it would become my #1 east-west choice in this area - more attractive, residential, less traffic.

2.  Halsted through Greektown tends to be really really slow - stoplights at every intersection, lots of stopping traffic (valet parking for restaurants, cabs, etc.).  If this really drives you nuts, you might try Peoria as an alternate route from Grand to either Harrison (heavier traffic but avoids bad expansion joints on Halsted bridge over the Ike) or Jackson (or Van Buren on the northbound trip).

On the reverse, I'd suggest a similar detour, then pick up Howard's suggestion - taking Hubbard west to Damen, then north.

h' said:

Hey, kids, it's Mr. PP!!!!

I think this advice from Lauren still stands:


1. take 51st west to Drexel.
2. go north on Drexel until either Oakwood (if you prefer bike lanes, albeit with plenty of bumps, nice old houses and tree-lined streets) or 43rd (a bit smoother, not much car traffic, kinda barren, wide lanes but no bike markings). i prefer oakwood, but it does entail either a short sidewalk-jog around a fountain, or cutting over a block early.
3. go west on Oakwood (or 43rd) to King Drive
4. north on King until 35th
5. west on 35th two short blocks to Giles
6. north on Giles to 33rd
7. west on 33rd to Halsted (i posit that 33rd is the absolute best east-west cross through the bridgeport/bronzeville area. it has slower/less traffic than both 31 and 35, and it has a marked sharrow. 31st is kinda desolate, while 35th has plenty of activity but not necessarily the kind you'd want to ride your bike through. 33rd, on the other hand, has a lot of tree-lined, residential, IIT-campus kinda riding.)
8. north on Halsted to Milwaukee/Grand
9. NW on Milwaukee to Logan Square


Except I'd only take Halsted up to maybe Kinzie, jog to Hubbard via Green, and then take Damen home.

Permalink Reply by JeffB on March 28, 2012 at 4:00am

The LFP is certainly your best bet in the morning.  And even in the evening, a good chunk of your northbound ride will be south of downtown, so at least that portion won't be as crowded.  And I think riding thru those north-side LFP crowds is still preferrable to street traffic; you'll just have to exercise more patience.

But if you don't want to deal with them, get off at Roosevelt, take it to Jefferson, to Fulton, to Des Plaines, to Milwaukee, to Elston, to Damen

Permalink Reply by Mr.PP on March 28, 2012 at 3:18pm

Thanks, h' and Anne, for the route recommendations. And thanks, Jeff, for the time estimates.  I'm a patient rider by nature. However, the combination of the longer commute plus my significant popularity as a man about town will likely result in the need to get back north as fast as possible in the evening with some regularity.  I'll have to do some testing.

Thanks again!


JeffB said:

The LFP is certainly your best bet in the morning.  And even in the evening, a good chunk of your northbound ride will be south of downtown, so at least that portion won't be as crowded.  And I think riding thru those north-side LFP crowds is still preferrable to street traffic; you'll just have to exercise more patience.

But if you don't want to deal with them, get off at Roosevelt, take it to Jefferson, to Fulton, to Des Plaines, to Milwaukee, to Elston, to Damen

Permalink Reply by Gerry G on March 28, 2012 at 4:14pm

+ 1↓


JeffB said:

The LFP is certainly your best bet in the morning.  And even in the evening, a good chunk of your northbound ride will be south of downtown, so at least that portion won't be as crowded.  

But if you don't want to deal with them, get off at Roosevelt, take it to Jefferson, to Fulton, to Des Plaines, to Milwaukee, to Elston, to Damen

Permalink Reply by A.K.A Paul on March 28, 2012 at 5:42pm
Welcome Pete!

See you tomorrow (Yes, I'm "That" Paul).

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