Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Bayshore Bikeway to the North

We were up and out on the bikes this morning.  We decided to ride the Bayshore Bikeway north and see where it went.  It goes along the working water front, first as a separated bike path, then onto side streets, and eventually on to a divided four lane road.  We saw a car carrier tied up on one of the piers.  It's a big ugly boat.

 
Riding on Harbor Drive wasn't too bad, despite the high speeds.  There is a wide shoulder.  The plan had been to ride up to the ferry dock and take the ferry over to Coronado Island.  Unfortunately, with little warning, we entered a construction zone.  The shoulder disappeared and we were forced to take the lane and sprint for safety.  The drivers were very courteous and hung back, because passing could have been deadly.  Half way through the sprint, there was a "bike lane closed" sign.  Thanks guys!  We finally got a place to move off the road and discovered that up ahead there was a total closure.  We gave up, turned around and rode back.  Traffic was closed to southbound traffic so it was an easy retreat.

 
We are grievously disappointed in San Diego.  People had told us that there were bike lanes everywhere, and that it was cycling nirvana.  I'm just not seeing it.  There are many bike lanes, but they don't connect to provide safe passage across the city.  Many streets signed as bike friendly don't actually have shoulders, they have sharrows and that's it.  Call me chicken, but I would at least like a shoulder to ride on.  May continues to be a difficult month to find a location.  We weren't able to make it to Grass Valley due to issues with the RV, so we're thinking we'll give that a shot next year. 

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