This section of our website provides our members the opportunity to share with others how they use their bicycle, what roads they ride, and what details make (or don't make) their trip a good one. We hope, too, that you will use their experiences to plan your own routes and trips, or even duplicate theirs. If you would like to submit your own "My Commute" email us with a full description of your ride. We'll put it on the website, and maybe, even in our bi-monthly newsletter.
Smyrna to Alpharetta, by Phil MilazzoBeginning on Windy Hill Road, I ride west to the US 41 intersection. I behave more as a pedestrian than a vehicle, because I must make a left to head north on 41. The left turn lane is too hazardous for a bicyclist (at least for this bicyclist it is). I cross 41 as if going straight and stop at the southwest curb, facing north on 41. A short wait for the light is common, but I feel much safer since more people have the chance to see me. When it's anything but broad daylight, I use at least one of my three headlights. Visibility is extremely important to remaining alive.
It's a short distance to Terrell Mill Road, where I turn right and proceed under Interstate 75. The expressway is usually cluttered with south-facing motorists moving toward Atlanta at a pace that almost matches my own. The intersection of Powers Ferry and Terrell Mill gives me another pause. It's my habit to make eye contact with drivers at intersections. This intersection is a particularly busy one, being a primary approach from densely populated East Cobb to the I-75 and I-285 arteries. This intersection is being improved to handle more traffic. I hope they remember to paint a bicycle lane before they're finished.
Terrell Mill runs into Lower Roswell, and I bear right, having passed a long row of motor vehicles waiting to join the glacial southbound procession. Lower Roswell is a fairly benign road until it reaches Johnson Ferry. This is a very wide intersection where few people expect a bicyclist. The multiple lanes usually mean a line of cars I cannot see easily, which I know means they cannot see me. I proceed across this intersection with even more caution than I do others. Lower Roswell now begins to narrow into the country road it used to be. The ride is pleasanter, but the complete absence of shoulder puts me in the traffic lane at all times. My mirror is an essential tool, not merely a bike accessory, on this stretch.
The homes get larger and more expensive as I approach the Chattahoochee River. The descent toward the meeting of Lower Roswell, Timber Ridge and Willeo Roads is very narrow, winding and sometimes heavily-trafficked. Oddly enough, this place is the first where I saw another bike commuter when I started riding it about a year ago. These days, I frequently see two or three en route. It's good to know I'm not alone, and very good to know the trend is toward more bicycles, not fewer.
The Second Half
Crossing the bridge from Cobb into Fulton County takes me past the Chattahoochee Nature Center. If I'm early enough, I am rewarded by the beautiful sight of a sunrise through the trees and over the river. Such as the bicycle lane is, it ends for me at the light at Azalea Drive. I've tried taking Azalea to Roswell Road past the park and turning left onto Roswell. Climbing Roswell in one northbound lane facing two southbound lanes is another hazard I choose to avoid. Instead, I take Willeo to a right turn onto Marietta Highway, and climb the short but significant hill into downtown Roswell. Motorists roar up the hill at highway speeds, I guess because they can. That represents some hazard to me, but the visibility is good and I make use of it to be safe. Caution, patience and sometimes behaving like a pedestrian help me negotiate the lanes of motor vehicles stopped before they get to Roswell Road at the Old Mill. My course means crossing up to four lanes of motorists, turning left onto Mimosa, and gliding past Roswell's showcase antebellum homes.
The brief visit to the 1850's ends at Magnolia, where I turn right, then quickly left onto Canton Street. Again the southbound cars and trucks are usually stopped and lined up for blocks. Canton Street becomes Crabapple, which I take several miles into Alpharetta. Crabapple is another narrow road with no shoulder, and I use the bus stop spaces and church turn lanes when approaching traffic gets too close.
I make a right turn onto Rucker Road. This is another main artery that used to be a quiet country road. Today, very few motorists on Rucker are happy to see a bicyclist. Rucker becomes Old Milton near downtown Alpharetta. Again for safety, I behave like a pedestrian crossing the street rather than like a vehicle turning left. Having crossed the intersection, I face north on Highway 9, and usually wait for another light.
After one or two blocks on Highway 9, I turn right, riding a mile or so on well-trafficked Cumming Street, which ends near the south end of my office parking lot. There is a bicycle rack just outside my entrance door. The rack is mostly unused, but I have seen another bike or two on rare occasions, and spoken to one of the owners. In the office, my employer gives me a nicely-maintained shower room. My riding clothes hang out of sight on stick-up hooks under my desk. A week's supply of clean clothes stashes nicely in a file drawer. Driving days give me the chance to replenish the supply.
My nominal times are 6:30 to 8:30 a.m. to cover the 25 mile course inbound to work. I leave on the return trip when I can, but usually 6 p.m. or later is a little better. I can beat some of the morning traffic by leaving early, but the evening crush is usually unavoidable. The return trip always takes longer than the inbound because of traffic or darkness. I have to get up earlier than I used to, and I get home later. These things have meant some inconvenience, but my ride and all its benefits are worth it. I manage to ride one day or two in most weeks, and four of five in the best weeks. I anticipate moving, to only about ten miles from the office. I hope that cutting the distance in half will mean at least twice as much bicycle commuting.
Here's a list of some things which make my bike commute as safe as possible:
See you on the road!
Once or twice a week I bicycle commute from my home near the intersection of Clairmont and LaVista Roads to the State government complex in downtown Atlanta. Other days I either share a ride with my spouse, take MARTA, telework, or even drive SOV. I have several biking routes of 9.5 to 10.5 one-way miles available to me. The following describes two of these routes.
Road Route: I exit my neighborhood turning left/west onto LaVista Road crossing Clairmont and North Druid Hills Roads. Much of LaVista has paved shoulders, as well as conscientious car drivers. I turn left/south onto Biltmore Drive. Biltmore is primarily residential, but it also has a wonderful stretch of forested, winding road. I turn left/south into the Wesley Woods Seniors complex at Burton Road.
There is actually a gate at this intersection which bicyclists and peds can proceed around. I turn right/west onto Old Briarcliff Way crossing Clifton Road at a signalized intersection. I turn left/south onto another forested road, Old Briarcliff Road, watching out for drivers late to work at Emory or CDC. I turn left/south onto Briarcliff Road. Because the two and four-lane sections on this part of Briarcliff are narrow, I generally "take a lane" without much resistance from drivers. I turn right/east onto the speed-humped Saint Charles Place and quickly turn left/south onto Highland Avenue. While bicycles are common on Highland, it always seems as if I am jockeying for position here. I then cross Ponce, North Avenue, and Freedom Parkway. I turn left/south onto Elizabeth Street and quickly turn right/west onto a street with way too many names -- Austin, Lake, Irwin, and Houston. I turn left/south onto the one-way, four-lane Courtland Street following it to the Capitol.
It is always a tough decision on Courtland as to when to move over to the far-left lane. After managing this maneuver, I roll into the parking garage under my office building (it has bike parking near the affectionately named "janitor's" showers).
Road with Trails and Path Route: Because my commuting bike is actually an eleven-year old mountain bike with commuting upgrades like street tires and panniers, I can utilize the rougher facilities found on this route. I carefully exit my neighborhood crossing North Druid Hills Road.
I proceed southward thorough a seniors housing and office-professional area using Blackshear, Jamestown, Williamsburg, McConnell, and Mason Mill Roads. I veer left/south onto an overgrown trail that takes me to the short Clairmont Lakes Drive. I turn left/south onto Clairmont Road at a traffic signal and quickly turn right/west onto Williams Lane at University Apartments. From the back of the apartment complex, I travel on well-worn trails and a "closed road" though Emory's Lullwater Park. I emerge turning left/south onto Clifton Road (this is usually a dicey turn without a traffic signal and with regular traffic). I immediately turn right/west onto Asbury Circle taking various routes across the Emory Campus. I turn right/west onto North Decatur Road and soon turn left/south onto Lullwater Road. This scenic road has paved shoulder and wide-curb lane sections and becomes the speed humped, Fairview Road upon crossing Ponce.
I turn left/south onto Oakdale Road and work my way over to the Freedom Park shared-use-path. I stay on this path until I cross Boulevard and turn left/south onto the MLK, Jr. Center shared-use-path. I turn right/west onto Auburn Avenue -- one of my favorite intown Atlanta streets with it history, artwork, paving stones, and low volume/low speed traffic. I turn left on Courtland Street following the same ritual described for the road route above. Some of my variations on these two routes involve using either Houston Mill Road or Clairmont Road near my house and DeKalb Avenue or Edgewood/Euclid Avenue near downtown. In case you were wondering, my door-to-door bike commute usually takes 45 minutes with 40 of those minutes as "rolling" time.
During rush hours, my car commute averages 35 minutes and my MARTA commute (walking, bus, and train) normally takes 55 minutes. See ya out there.
My Commute From Georgia Tech/Home Park to Decatur, by Eileen Ross
Do you get bored of the same ol' route to work every day? I've come up with a few variations on my bike commute that depend on what I feel like doing, what the weather looks like, and where I'd like to have coffee that morning! I ride from in town near the I-78/I-85 connector out to Decatur. It usually takes about an hour at an easy pace.
Coffee at Aurora
1. Depart Francis St.
NW
2. Turn left at
14th St. Fast downhill. Cross numerous intersections until you reach Piedmont
Park.
3. Go through Piedmont Park; exit to Park Drive. Caution - curving road;
cut-through
motorists may try to pass you in the blind curves.
4. Turn left at Virginia Ave.
5. Turn right at N. Highland Ave. Watch out for delivery trucks and MARTA
buses.
6. Stop at Aurora's for great coffee and a delicious sticky bun. Pet the
neighbors'
dog.
7. Get back on bike onto N. Highland Ave. again. Watch out for delivery trucks
and MARTA buses.
8. Cross Ponce de Leon Ave.
9. Turn left on Colquitt.
10. Turn left on Euclid in Little 5 Points.
11. Go straight on to McLendon Ave. Watch out for car doors opening on this
two-lane road.
12. Turn right on Howard Ave.
13. Turn left on Dekalb Ave. Be sure to wear bright red or orange when travelling
east on this road.
14. Turn left on McDonough.
15. Turn right on E. Trinity.
16. Turn left on N. Candler.
17. Turn right on Sycamore St. Go past the Avondale station.
18. Turn left on Sycamore Dr. Mostly downhill fast ride from here!
19. End at Dekalb Medical Center.
Rainy or Smog Alert Days
1. Depart Francis St.
NW.
2. Turn left at 14th St. Fast downhill. Cross numerous intersections.
3. Turn left at W. Peachtree St.
4. Exit to the Arts Center MARTA Station.
5. Board a southbound train. Relax. Read a newspaper.
6. Switch to an eastbound train at Five Points.
7. Exit at Avondale Station.
8. Turn right on Sycamore Dr. Mostly downhill fast ride from here!
9. End at Dekalb Medical Center.
(Variation: Take 14th St to Juniper to Ponce de Leon. Take Ponce all the way to Decatur. This is for very early weekend days when I'm in a hurry. It really is a nice ride!)
Note: None of the above routes have bike lanes. If you're just getting started, there's a PATH trail from intown to Decatur, but, in my opinion, it is more suitable for recreation, rather than transportation. When you're ready to get more out of your bike, check out the Effective Cycling classes now offered by the Atlanta Bicycle
My Commute, from Midtown to Perimeter Center, and Back, by David Southerland
I have to admit right away that I never wake up early enough to ride my bike the entire way to work (20 miles one way!), so I usually combine it with MARTA. I simply ride the one mile east up 14th Street to the Arts Center MARTA station, board a Dunwoody train, and 15 minutes later I am at Perimeter Mall. A short 1/2 mile ride to the South Terraces building has me at work, stress and sweat-free. MARTA has a great bikes on trains program, and their liberal policy has made taking a job in the Central Perimeter possible for me. I work for the Perimeter Transportation Coalition, and my job is to reduce traffic- its out of the question to drive there everyday!
The Central Perimeter has a lousy reputation for traffic, some of it deserved. In reality though, there are only four bad cycling roads (Ashford Dunwoody, Peachtree Dunwoody, Hammond Drive, and Abernathy); the rest have either low traffic counts or wide curb lanes. Getting out of the area by bicycle is easy, especially if you live on the west side of town like I do. If you don't mind hills, this is a great route!
If its summertime, the first thing I do is check and see what the smog levels are before leaving. I am allergic to the stuff, and if its too high, I motor on back home using MARTA. If it's below .85 ppm, though, I turn right out of my building onto Perimeter Center Place, go around the traffic circle (cautiously), and turn left on Meadow Lane, which becomes Crown Pointe Parkway. Crossing Perimeter Center West, the road changes name again to Central Parkway, which is a beautiful road. But I turn right just after the bridge and go up the hill on Central Park West.
I then cross Peachtree Dunwoody Road, and the road changes names again to Crestline Parkway. At the next light I turn left on Mt. Vernon Highway, which has a great wide curb lane all the way into Sandy Springs. I am very careful the first 100 feet though, because it goes from three lanes to one right at the bridge over Georgia 400. I sometimes pause at the bridge and laugh at the poor souls stuck in traffic going north on 400 back to Alpharetta and Cumming. What are they thinking?!! Just before Roswell Road, you will need to bear right at the fork, which will put you on Johnson Ferry Road for a couple of blocks. Cross Roswell Road, pass Sandy Springs Schwinn on your right, then take the next left onto Sandy Springs Circle.
One block later, turn right back onto Mt. Vernon Highway. Stay on this road for a few miles, then turn left on Powers Ferry Road. After a blistering fast, twisting, turning downhill, you'll have to climb back up the other side on a one mile climb. The road is narrow, and is sometimes populated by teenagers in their SUVs. The best strategy is to use the vehicular cycling tactic of riding a good two feet off the road, and force the motorists to recognize your presence, and to pass safely on the left. The last thing I want is for someone to try to squeeze by me in a 9 foot lane. At the top of the hill, cross Mt. Paran, then stay right at the fork with Dudley, and continue on Powers Ferry. Pass along the western edge of Chastain Park (and that poor excuse for a bike trail), skirt the golf course and look for your next turn.
Turn right onto Tuxedo, then left on Blackland, and right back onto Tuxedo. You'll know you are on the right road because Tuxedo has a bike lane at this point! Stay on Tuxedo until it dead ends into Northside Drive, then turn left. Cross W. Paces Ferry Road, then right on Moores Mill (another great wide curb lane). Cross Northside Parkway, then left on Howell Mill, which has a beautiful wide curb lane (at least 15 feet!) all the way up to Collier. I then turn left on Collier (still another great wide curb lane road) and ride until it ends at Peachtree Street, where I turn right.
I take the right hand lane on Peachtree (its only 9 feet wide anyway- the cars won't miss it), and ride a few blocks and take a right on Spring Street, and a few more blocks to take a right on 14th Street. And I'm home!
Commuting is a great way to beat the traffic, and to save money. I estimate that my bicycle commuting saves me about $50/month in automobile operating expenses. The real savings, though, is in beating the traffic, the frustration, and the lost time that comes with driving a car in rush hour traffic. Cars should be saved for more important things, like visiting friends and family, and going mountain biking! Perhaps most important of all, I don't feel safe driving a car; it seems like road rage and aggressive driving is on the increase, and the roads are filled with idiots. On a bicycle, I seem to encounter less stupidity, and to get more respect. But that respectful acknowledgement comes from the way I ride, not just from the bicycle. Bicycle commuting is great, but be sure that you have the right skills for urban riding. Using vehicular cycling skills, I am certain that I am safer on my bike than I would be in my car.
See ya on the road, and be safe out there!