Commute Route to Minimise Death

detones

Here’s one for the experienced commuters on here. I will be working on a project for my Job in the City Centre which requires me to travel into town for a year. I am coming from North County Dublin so will park the car in my mother in laws and bike in. For a bit of training I hope to cycle directly in the odd day too. I am use to cycling on mostly rural and quiet roads of North County Dublin. Despite growing up in Coolock and driving a motorbike for years into the city years ago, living up in the sticks for nearly 10 years has softened me up and I am very uncomfortable cycling in heavy traffic.

I am looking for the best commute route from Glasnevin/Finglas way (Near Autonahn Pub) to Connelly Station area of City.

I would ideally like to:

(A) Get to work in one piece

(B) Not get to work dead.

Here the route i was looking at. I think I could possible use the cycle path along the Canal but not sure how far it goes or if it suits a road bike.

Will give it a trial run next week but would appreciate any thoughts.

seamus

Can't specifically advise on the route, but as someone who also rode a motorbike in heavy traffic and then after a break got onto a bicycle, you will take to it like a duck to water. You will miss the ability the accelerate quickly out of danger and be very aware that your brakes are crap in comparison, but you will adjust.
But you will have the confidence to ride in the middle of the lane when you need to, and you'll still have the natural instinct to do lifesaver checks, avoid undertaking large vehicles, and spot an idiot driver from 200m away.

Your route does seem to be heavily focussing on keeping yourself on quieter backroads rather than being the most efficeint route. There are benefits to backroads - you rarely get held up by heavy traffic or red lights. But at the same time having to negotiate multiple junctions will slow you down and overall put you at more risk.

rp

+1 on that, bring your m/c road positioning and general survival tricks to the pushbike - too many times I see other cyclists change road position without the old life-saver. And as per Seamus's reply, junctions are the place where most accidents happen, so minimise them on your route.

Lumen

As the legions of people walking around with donated motorcyclist organs will testify, motorbikes are less safe than bicycles.

The "accelerate out of trouble" advantage is significantly outweighed by the "accelerate into trouble" disadvantage.

droidus

That route looks pretty good. Personally Id continue down Botanic Ave. And take a left either at Whitworth road/Canal, or directly onto the North Circular at Phibsbrough and avoid Drumcondra completely.

lennymc

another ex motorbiker who cycles in, you will be fine. Its amazing how much of it comes back to you.

@lumen - iirc I read a stat somewhere that most accidents involving a powered two wheeler (as they are called in officialdom) were the fault of the other road user, the usual "sorry mate i didnt see you" response.

Cleaver99

Thats similar to my route but I find Botanic Avenue a nightmare, narrow/poor surface, I'd suggest that you hit the Ballymun/Collins Ave junction and swing down onto Griffith Ave or Homefarm Road then either directly on to Drumcondra road or else down by Griffith Park/Milmount. Maybe try one or two routes on a Saturday/Sunday to get a feel for the junctions

Lumen

lennymc wrote: »

@lumen - iirc I read a stat somewhere that most accidents involving a powered two wheeler (as they are called in officialdom) were the fault of the other road user, the usual "sorry mate i didnt see you" response.

Sure, but I wasn't making any assertions about fault, only probability.

I'm not being flippant either, one of my friends died in a motorbike accident a few years ago and another gave up the bike after narrowly missing a concrete bollard with his head after coming off at considerable speed.

Coronal

I commuted from Rathmines to DCU for a month at one point. I used the Ballymun road, onto St. Mobhi Rd. I'd keep going south, then turn east onto the North Circular and meet up with your route there. I never had any issues with drivers or poor surface conditions there. I took the same then on the way home. I think there are separate cycle lanes for most of that route as well, and it's about the same distance as the one you've selected, just with less turns. But I'd say your route should also be fine!

Crimsonforce

cut through wadelei, st pappins road, down ballymun avenue , onto mobhi road
turn on homefarm road, turn right down walsh road around by park and leave you out at drumcondra road, cycle lane to quinns, turn left on cloniffe road straight to end and right onto amiens street and bobs your teapot, arrive alive.

detones

Thanks for all the suggestions lads, good few route ideas too for me to try. Will give it a go the weekend when the roads are quitier to get a feel for it.

droidus

Cleaver99 wrote: »

Thats similar to my route but I find Botanic Avenue a nightmare, narrow/poor surface, I'd suggest that you hit the Ballymun/Collins Ave junction and swing down onto Griffith Ave or Homefarm Road then either directly on to Drumcondra road or else down by Griffith Park/Milmount. Maybe try one or two routes on a Saturday/Sunday to get a feel for the junctions

I go that way every day, never had any problems. The stretch before the met office is a bit rough, and the schools dont help, but IMO, its much preferable to Ballymun/Griffith Ave./Drumcondra, all of which have high volumes of traffic, either travelling at speed or backed up for ages.

Kav0777

detones wrote: »

(B) Not get to work dead.

If it's any consolation, if you're dead you won't get to work at all.

HivemindXX

I think you may be over concerned about the dangers. The statistics should make you confident you'll be able to make it work alive. To back up what other people have said as a motorcyclist (assuming you weren't having near death experiences doing that every week) your instincts should make you safer than a lot of cyclists out there anyway.

On your specific route I would probably take Botanic Road and Whitworth road instead of the N1 but that's just a random choice. What I found when my work place move to Finglas for a few months was that I picked out my route based on a combination of looking at the maps and my own knowledge and then cycled it a few times. Then I'd find myself wondering if I could avoid X junction if I took Y side road before I got to it and I would make slight alterations. Pretty quickly I ended up with what was probably the ideal route for me. Someone who really hated right turns or roundabouts might choose something different.

De Bhál

I cycle from Ballygall to Balsbridge daily.

So a few points about your route -
You will have to deal with poorly maintained speedbumps on Ballygall road, still the best option though. Be very careful passing the shops. Cars pulling out on to main road (Ballygall rd east) from Glasanon rd here are under pressure to pull out as there are no lights. Therefore they will pull out in front of a cyclist if they feel they can make it.
On then down the old Finglas Road which is fine and past the Bon Secours Hospital - danger point here with ppl turning left into hospital. It's fine though just be out in the middle of the lane so cars can't overtake you. You'll be going downhill so there should be no complaints from the cars behind as you'll be tipping along.

I would avoid Botanic Avenue, poor surface, packed with traffic and not wide enough.
Myself I continue up the hill pass the Addison Lodge and up to Crossguns Bridge and go left down Whitworth Rd.

Rest of it seems fine until you get to Buckingham street upper. You can't cycle down there as it's a one way street. Maybe better continuing downand turning right onto to Amien Street, there's a filter light for that. Trying to cross Amien Street to get across to the other side of the road will be dangerous. Maybe someone who knows that street better may be able to help you.

Anyway it's a nice cycle and it should take you about 25mins. It's also got 2 or 3 Strava KOM's if you're bored.

detones

De Bhál wrote: »

I cycle from Ballygall to Balsbridge daily.

So a few points about your route -
You will have to deal with poorly maintained speedbumps on Ballygall road, still the best option though. Be very careful passing the shops. Cars pulling out on to main road (Ballygall rd east) from Glasanon rd here are under pressure to pull out as there are no lights. Therefore they will pull out in front of a cyclist if they feel they can make it.
On then down the old Finglas Road which is fine and past the Bon Secours Hospital - danger point here with ppl turning left into hospital. It's fine though just be out in the middle of the lane so cars can't overtake you. You'll be going downhill so there should be no complaints from the cars behind as you'll be tipping along.

I would avoid Botanic Avenue, poor surface, packed with traffic and not wide enough.
Myself I continue up the hill pass the Addison Lodge and up to Crossguns Bridge and go left down Whitworth Rd.

Rest of it seems fine until you get to Buckingham street upper. You can't cycle down there as it's a one way street. Maybe better continuing downand turning right onto to Amien Street, there's a filter light for that. Trying to cross Amien Street to get across to the other side of the road will be dangerous. Maybe someone who knows that street better may be able to help you.

Anyway it's a nice cycle and it should take you about 25mins. It's also got 2 or 3 Strava KOM's if you're bored.

Thanks for the post De Bhal really appriciate your suggestions.

buffalo

To add to the various options - I'd be looking at this for your final leg: http://goo.gl/maps/kLyUB

Whitworth Road has a great surface at the moment, great for rolling down (westbound), and then the lights let you come onto Dorset Street easily, and straight into a nice wide bus lane (just go around the NCR-bound car traffic).

I know I mentioned NCR, but looking at the destination and the map, it'd be a poor choice. Gardiner Street is fine up until that turn, just be assertive about your position at the Summerhill junction.

Dotsie~tmp

You might find near Finglas the biggest problems are the holes in the road rather than the arseholes on the road.