For you, Aero to Convoy then I make a left on Daggert, right on Ruffner which turns into Copley to REI/Roadrunner. Actually riding on Balboa and CMB are the worst. Convoy is manageable IMO.

Didn't see this til long after but thanks anyway. I took Convoy all the way to Copley Park Pl....while a little unnerving it was strangely empowering to get in that left turn lane and hold the lane as I waited for the left turn signal. Going home I took Ruffner to CMB then Convoy, followed by my normal route home to OB.

If you don't like College - and who does! - you have to ride around it: You could do a lot worse than this - it keeps you off ECB except for about a half mile section The downside - you may need GPS nav if this is the first time you're attempting it. Also, 70th St. across I-8 isn't ideal either but is arguably better than College.

I use basically this route to get to SDSU, and it is quite pleasant the entire way.

Hi everyone,

I am new to the forum, I have been reading some of the discussions on this forum and so far it has been very useful and also alot of fun. Basically I will be moving to San Diego for the first time to study at UCSD, and I plan to use my bike to move around as much as possible. As I am looking for an apartment, I have been reading about the different locations in San Diego and how the commute from these to UCSD would look like. From what I have read here, I think there are a few good options, but I was wondering how the commute would look like (duration + overall quality of the route for a bicycle) from places such as Encinitas or other areas in northern San Diego (I also see on the map places such as Solana Beach, Del Mar and Mira Mesa). Are these nice places to live, and appropriate considering I'll be on a student budget?

Many thanks

Thanks for the useful information, I will definitely have a look into those areas in the north. By looking at the 101 bus route through google street view, the one thing that I'm wondering is how fast cars are going on that road. Also if I were to go live somewhere south of UCSD, I have the same concern with Genesee avenue, how fast are cars going there, and is it safe for bicycles? If no, is there a way to avoid the Genesee avenue to reach UCSD from the southern areas?

Well I have been doing my search for apartments in the last few days, I found alot of good information on this forum to help me figure out what would be doable vs what would not. I'm considering a place in Del Mar, just east of highway 5 along Del Mar Height road. What would be the different possible routes from there to reach UCSD by bike, and how could they be compared in terms of speed and safety? Taking the road through Torrey pine preserve seems quite attractive but I'm not sure how much time that route would take me, does someone have any estimate (the climb as seen from google maps does seem a bit daunting)? Also does someone have any experience with the train running along the coast for the days that I would not be in the mood for the bike commute?

Many thanks

The 101 bus runs up Torrey pines and stops at ucsd.

i work close to there & know the area well. i could help with the roads, but i do not know any off road trails :( with the exception of the dirt portion of rose canyon, which i believe lets you off at Nobel Dr (just up the road a bit from Eastgate Mall) but i have never ridden it. if you want some road routes though, let me know & i'll map out a few.

I used to live in an apartment complex on the NorthEast corner of Genesee Ave and Eastgate Mall. My apartment there was particularly sweet because it was right at the top of this cool canyon with a dirt path coming up out of it.

I had walked a fair ways down the trail (never ridden it- me and MTB don't mix too well unless you like blood and bruises) and never got to the end, but I was told it spits out somewhere on Sorrento Valley Road.

Even if it doesn't help you/your friend- it definitely looked like a cool path, and I saw some mountain bikers sweating their way up that hill fairly frequently... Have fun!

Thanks Kathy and Hippy for the confirmation on that trail! I'll be heading into Sorrento Valley in August and I'll plan on riding the mtn bike a few times to check it out. Looking at Google it also appears there are some other trails that could be useful for a commute to qcomm so I may plan an afternoon to explore.

Whats the best way to go from Normal Heights to the harbor around G street? I just moved here and I'll bo working down there so I need a way to get to work on the days that the bus doesn't run early enough. Something not too climby at least for the way to work.

Thanks!

sarahh:Whats the best way to go from Normal Heights to the harbor around G street? I just moved here and I'll bo working down there so I need a way to get to work on the days that the bus doesn't run early enough. Something not too climby at least for the way to work.

Thanks!

this right --> HERE <-- is probably the most direct way. pretty chill ride & scenic through the park... google suggests Hawthorn st. down to harbor, but i have not ridden that road so i can not vouch for it... personally whenever i head that way i just keep on going down Park blvd. till i get to Broadway, hang a right & that will take you all the way down to the harbor just north of G st. i'm pretty comfortable in most any kind of traffic situation though, & there might be others on here that commute that area regularly & know less traffic dense side roads to use. but really it's a sweet ride! all downhill :)

Sigurd:

sarahh:Whats the best way to go from Normal Heights to the harbor around G street

Many vatiations, but this would work for me - no climbing (but going back there's no way around it)!

The opposite direction I would do something very similar, but you would want to go a different way to get up to 1st Ave - maybe something like this. Grape would be your "big hill" going back.

Welcome!

Welcome. I would stay off Hawthorn downtown because it carries a lot of traffic off the freeway down Harbor Dr. to the airport. I would come down 2nd or 4th. The one-way streets downtown are a bother, but you'll figure out which ones work for you.

felizcortez:I am considering trying to commute via bicycle to my office a few times a week. I am located in North Park by 30th and University and work across the street from Qualcomm at Mira Mesa Boulevard and Scranton Road. Any tips on the best potential way to get there?

lol... thats pretty much my commute! this one really depends on how comfortable with traffic you are & there are a few hills. here is the way i go... though if you think you would be more comfortable with a coastal route (waaaay longer though) just let me know & i will hook ya up, i know a few different routes, but this is the most direct --> HERE <-- the main hills are on Stonecrest / Daily Center, and on Ruffin after you cross Aero dr. the rest are all small. then once you get past Sony on Carroll Rd it is all downhill :)

@ felizcortez. i go from El Cajon & Idaho to Sony... takes about an hour, give or take a few minutes for wind & traffic lights. its only like 5 more min to get down Carroll to get to where you are going. the traffic isn't that bad at all, pretty non existent till you get to Mira Mar rd. depending on the time, back home will be the same way & the only hairy part is crossing the 163 onramp on Kearney Villa rd...

if you just don't like dealing with anything in the morning the cheaper way to go would be to ride to fashion valley transit, take the 41 bus to UTC, then its only like a 20 min ride to get to your work :) and it would save ya a few bucks too. lol, depending on the time you go in i could ride with ya...

again, i have other routes i could give you, but the mileage goes way up & so do the hills. and honestly, they probably have way more traffic, it would just move slower. hope that helps :)

@ felizcortez.. no prob :) multimodal was how i started doing it. i would take the bus to UTC then ride from there to work. my best tip would be to stay motivated & do it every day (or as much as you can)... at first the rides seem long & hard, you're tired & you may kinda feel like your not making progress... then after about a month you get a second wind of sorts & things just become easier. i eased myself into doing the full commute once i felt more comfortable, not just going the full distance but with the traffic i would encounter as well. first, maybe one or two nights a week i would do the full ride. then more & more till i didn't need the bus anymore. lol, now i can beat the bus home by half an hour! still to this day i use the bus from fashion valley to UTC so i dont have to do the hills in the mornin (i'm NOT a morning person!) and so i'm not so damn sweaty coming into work :)

so the distance is all you, and it's totally doable! if i can anybody can! seriously, i eat pretty much nothing but garbage & beer and i smoke like a chimney. the advise about traffic & the such, well this place and this community has been a HUGE help! and these little thingys -->HERE<-- are priceless! i'm an audio/visual learner so this really helped me a lot with things! they are lil animations of different traffic situations and they are super helpful, i would think that even many seasoned cyclists would learn a thing or two from these.

and again, if you ever get out of work around 7pm & want me to show you the route & ride with ya just let me know. it would be nice to have someone to talk to on the way home for once :)

no problem! i leave my house just after 8:30am to catch the 8:55 bus to UTC. it gets there about 9:30 & ride from there, that gets me to Sony before 10am with no rushing... if you want a guide for the ride home i leave right about 7pm keeping about an 18mph pace (ruffly) to make it back just after 8pm. just let me know when you wanna try it out & i'll whisper ya my number :)

Shady,

I got stuck on a six week trial a few years back. It's very sketchy for parking your bike outside the courthouse. I wouldn't do it. You have to go through security screening to get in the courthouse also. I don't think they'd let you take your bike into the jury waiting room.

I would just take the #30 bus southbound in the morning along La Jolla Blvd. $5 (Exact change or bills) buys an all day pass and you can use it coming home. The bus will drop you right at the courthouse, just before you turn onto Broadway. Going home, pick up the #30 bus going north at 3rd & Broadway, and it will let you off close to your A.M. starting point. The buses run every 15 minutes, so if you miss one, you shouldn't have to wait too long for the next.

The first day, you pay the bus fare. If you don't get released from Jury Duty after the first day, the court gives you free bus passes from then on. They try to encourage mass transit rider ship to reduce traffic and parking headaches downtown. The #30 bus takes 30 minutes from my PB location near Fanuel & Grand. Maybe 40-45 minutes from your neighborhood.

Bring a good book or newspaper to read on the bus and in the jury waiting room and just get comfortable with the idea you'll have a lot of idle time all day. Maybe a laptop to get some work done. They have a segregated room for laptops. I don't know about WiFi. They give you 90 minutes for lunch if you want to walk around downtown. I used to bring my own lunch and water and eat during my breaks, saving my 90 minutes at lunch for walking along the harbor and around the city.

#30 Bus: http://www.sdmts.com/mtscr/Route.aspx?r=30

The bus is not that bad, I came to like it. Multi-modal is cool.

Good luck,

OKB

Their are bike racks right in front of Hall of justice.

From Old town, I believe the best route would be san diego ave/congress until you wiggle over to Kettner or Pac Highway.

However, I prefer to through point loma.

option A: nimitz to harbor drive bike path right to broadway (I use W point loma to nimitz to avoid the tricky left @ sunset cliffs/nimitz

optionB: Voltaire to chatsworth. Chatworths to lyton. Cut through liberty station to access harbor drive.

I rarely do these routes during morning rush hour.

I rode that interchange in the south bound direction approximately 1200 times over the last 4.5 years without a single unintentional close call.

It's not difficult and it is not suicide when you know how to do it properly. Education is the key.

Comment edited to be moved to a different thread....

Major cross streets for source and destination would help. There are a few ways to get to Kearny Mesa but some make more sense if you are going further north and others make more sense if you are going further south.

From Cass, take whatever way you like east but you're going to have to hit Garnett/Balboa eventually. It's a little hairy. I recommend this for negotiating the more difficult sections -- especially the ramps at Balboa and Morena. Admittedly, it's not newbie friendly but the alternative is to go miles out of your way. Once you get past Morena, you've got a bike lane for a while, which is fairly easy and doesn't have many driveways or intersections until you get to Genesee. I'll ride almost anywhere but even I get a bit nervous crossing I-805 on Balboa. There's a pedestrian bridge that crosses the 805 at Batista St and Antiem St on the west side and connects to Othello on the east side of I-805. It's a lot less stressful. From there you can either work your way back to Balboa and cross the 163 there, which is still a bit hairy but not as bad as 805. Or you can turn south on Convoy and cross the 163 via Aero Drive and double back on Kearny Villa.

A route that's less scary but significantly longer would be to go south on Mission Blvd to W. Mission Bay Drive. Take W. Mission Bay drive until you get to Quivera Access (across from Dana Hotel), hang a right and then a left onto Quivera Rd. When you get close to the river, there is a little access way here to the bike path along the north side of the river. Take that path east as it leads you to Friars. From Friars, take a left on Napa and a right on Linda Vista Road. From there you can cross the freeways either on Mesa College Drive or Convoy/Aero to Kearny Villa Road to Balboa.

Each has its issues. For the beginning bike commuter without vehicular cycling training, I'd recommend the second route.

Crossing I-5 on Clairemont Drive is easy compared to the ramps at Balboa-Morena. The hill is shorter but steeper. They have those new bike lanes on the hill which are nice but if I recall correctly, once you get past the shopping centers, it starts to get less bike friendly again and you still end up going to Balboa and having to deal with crossing the 805 and 163. It's a possibility worth considering.

Of course, you avoid the part past the shopping centers if you go Mt Acadia. The thing with Mt Acadia though is it that it dips through Tecolote Canyon and is very steep and people drive way too fast through the canyon. Once you get past the canyon, you've got two traffic lanes and two parking lanes. If there aren't a lot of parked cars, it's not too bad but if there are, it can suck. I don't ride in the door zone.

Mt. Alifan to Mt Agiular to Batista works fine. Again there are lane issues but mostly short lived because the parked cars are usually sparse through there except within about 1/4 mile or so of the shopping center.

Anyone have any clever ways of getting to The Griffin SD at 1310 Morena Blvd from the UTC/UCSD area? It looks like a pretty terrifying set of roads surrounding it- not sure I want to get on Tecolote Dr (from Mission Bay Dr). Not sure I trust the advice of the goog, either.

Any advice appreciated!

In my experience, congestion on Sea World Drive/Tecolote Road tends to keep the speeds fairly low through that section. It's not that bad. Take the lane when the bike lane line turns dashed and hold it until you get past the off-ramp from I-5 on the other side. Do the same on the way back. There's no bike lane past I-5 coming back so take the lane there all the way back to Mission Bay Dr. Take special care with the I-5 off ramp there as some people take it faster than they should.