Overall
Some high-speed traffic sections, but many quiet
roads. There's a few road segments which are not really quiet
but are not that wide and
or do not have shoulders (like some sections of Ulster County Route 7).
If you're not skilled and comfortable with
handling that sort of traffic situation, you should consider choosing a different route.
But it seems to us that many bicycle routes in the Hudson Valley have
road segments with comparable motor vehicle traffic interaction risks.
For some riding in a similar area around New Paltz with much less motor vehicle traffic
interaction, try the New Paltz South
- Rail Trail and Roads (Wallkill
- Horse Farm variation).
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Details
There are some road segments on this route which are not wide, and they seem
to us to get more traffic, and some at higher speeds, then we would wish -- and
so they seem to us to have greater motor vehicle traffic interaction risk than
the quieter roads.
It seems to us that many bicycle routes in the Hudson Valley have
road segments with comparable motor vehicle traffic interaction
risks.
We prefer to take such roads in the downhill direction. And when it
other fits, we also prefer to ride them at times when they have less traffic.
Here's a discussion of some of these road segments:
- Jansen Rd is not wide, and at its West end has some curves without
good visibility, and on a hill. Taking it in the West
direction goes down the hill, which we definitely prefer.
Unfortunately, this route takes this segment in the uphill direction.
It comes at the start of the route, and we recommend trying to arrange it so you
can ride that at a time with less traffic -- perhaps early in the
morning.
- South Ohioville Rd -- at most only brief periods which lack good
visibility.
- Rt 44 East -- uphill, but had about East-bound shoulder was mostly
about 2 feet wide and in good condition as of October 2000, and good
visibility. You would want to be confident of good uphill
bicycling control and steering skill on this section -- or else
choose a different route.
- Plattekill-Ardonia Rd -- a short section, somewhat uphill, but
with reasonable visibility.
- Bruyn Turnpike -- the Wallkill River bridge is short, and has the
sidewalk as an alternative. The rest is gently uphill to the
West, and fortunately less than half a mile.
- Ulster County Rt 7, south of Rt 299 (starts as Bruynswick Rd) --
Especially the section between Ulster County Rt 9 and Rt 299 can get
a significant amount of traffic. We don't see any visibility
problems between UC Rt 9 and Albany Post Rd. But there is a
possible lack of good visibility at a dip with a curve in the
segment between Albany Post Rd and Rt 299 (not on this route).
- Rt 299 just West of New Paltz, including the Wallkill River bridge
-- this is short, but unavoidable if you start in the village of New
Paltz itself.
We selected the overall direction of this route as clockwise, because that
takes most of those road segments in our preferred direction.
More
See further discussion of
traffic patterns into
and out of the village of New Paltz
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