Manly to CBD commute

[sizzler]

Hello,
I'm planning on starting the commute from Manly to the CBD on a daily basis. wanting to avoid the main road at all costs I have found a route on Bikely.com which goes through the less used streets of mosman etc. Does anyone ride this? If so is it reasonably safe? any advice? cheers

[simonn]

I have found a route on Bikely.com which goes through the less used streets of mosman etc. Does anyone ride this?

If you post the name of the route to get around the new person/url restriction maybe someone will be able to answer. My wife rides from Freshie to Walsh Bay (and back) almost everyday using this route:

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Fr ... -Walsh-Bay

Probably better to go this way than up Sydney Rd or West Esplanade etc.

Don't worry too much about main roads (except, IMHO, Warrigah Rd other than VERY early in the am). In the > 16,000km or so I have commuted in the past 2 years or so, I have had 3 stacks resulting in injury to me and my bike. 2 on cycle tracks/shared paths - 1 with another cyclist and yesterday with a stick... probably? - and 1 on a side street - ped walked out from behind a truck without looking into my path in the dark with about 2 car lengths notice at best. None involved cars at all. Northern Beaches & Lwr N Shore drivers are generally very good with cyclists IME.

[Christine Tham]

I'm planning on starting the commute from Manly to the CBD on a daily basis. wanting to avoid the main road at all costs I have found a route on Bikely.com which goes through the less used streets of mosman etc. Does anyone ride this? If so is it reasonably safe? any advice? cheers

Why do you want to avoid the main road? Military Rd has three lanes and is pretty safe to cycle on - I do it 3 times a week.

[sizzler]

thanks for the feed back. It is the manly to bridge route on bikely. but essentially it looks like the same route that you posted simon.

why do I want to avoid Military Road? well it seems pretty dangerous to me, especially in morning peak hour with cars switching in and out of transit lane etc. I'd prefer to take the back route, would be a little less stressful.

[Christine Tham]

why do I want to avoid Military Road? well it seems pretty dangerous to me, especially in morning peak hour with cars switching in and out of transit lane etc. I'd prefer to take the back route, would be a little less stressful.

Not my experience. Generally cars avoid the left/transit/bus lanes (due to single occupancy) so even during peak hour I can cycle quite comfortably.

Back routes can be more stressful (drivers get annoyed at cyclists because harder to overtake on single lanes or illegal because of double lines), also more intersections/roundabouts etc. (accidents tend to happen at intersections according to several studies).

For example, on that back route that you were considering, I have seen some near collisions between cyclists and inattentive drivers (or perhaps inattentive cyclists) at roundabouts, cars nearly swiping cyclists, etc. I myself was nearly hit by a car turning left without indicating on the bike path last week (luckily, I slowed down because I was suspicious of the car).

Not saying that you will never enounter an accident on the main roads (although I haven't, like simonn most of my mishaps have been on "safe" bike paths), but don't equate traffic = danger, instead try and remember intersections = danger, so you want to minimise unnecessary turns in the route.

[simonn]

would be a little less stressful.

It is easier to go your own pace on the back roads, but they are hillier and not necessarily safer... bit like driving a car really

[Christine Tham]

It is easier to go your own pace on the back roads, but they are hillier and not necessarily safer... bit like driving a car really

Abusive drivers and drivers who do stupid things tend to do so on quieter streets, because they think they can get away with it.

Like it or not, everyone is well behaved on main roads (esp. during peak) - because everyone is watching. Also, general skill and alertness levels are higher - someone wouldn't drive on a main road during peak hour unless they had to, which means that they are experienced.

[JV911]

which means that they are experienced...

at applying makup, eating breakfast and shouting at kids in the back while talking on the phone

[Christine Tham]

at applying makup, eating breakfast and shouting at kids in the back while talking on the phone

Only near schools, and during school drop off/pick up times.

A self-respecting commuting cyclist would have finished their early morning training ride, and arrived safely at work, well before then