Traffic notes

for NYC to Bear Mountain Adventure

see also: main route description | Variation X traffic notes

traffic

This route has a larger number of miles with moderate and high volumes of motor vehicle traffic than most routes on this website.   And there are specific road sections that have greater traffic-interaction risks which may require "advanced" traffic-handling skills -- see the Resources.

Here are some notes on traffic at some points on the route: 

• Seven Lakes Drive

This a beautiful road to ride on in low traffic, and it does have reasonable shoulders for almost all of its section on this route [as of 2010] -- but during the summer beach season it can get heavy traffic on weekends and holidays, and we've heard from some riders that it can be much less pleasant then.  Perhaps this could also be a problem on peak fall foliage viewing days.

• the park road (Seven Lakes Drive) between the Palisades Parkway and the Bear Mountain Circle

same comment as for Seven Lakes Drive above.

• three other traffic circles (in section B)

These are on Seven Lakes Drive and on the park road near Bear Mountain.  We use standard traffic interaction techniques, like described in the Resources. 

• intersection of Route 9W South with right turn just south of Short Clove Rd (in section C) 

We find this intersection awkward for four reasons: (a) it comes immediately after an uphill left turn from Short Clove Rd; (b) there can be lots of vehicle traffic; (c) the right-turn lane for the other road leaves little or no shoulder; (d) it's all uphill, so it's hard to get through it quickly. 

When Sharon and I were there in 2002, we knew we would be slow going up the hill on our tandem, and we were tired after 70 miles of riding already.  So when we made the left turn from Short Clove Rd, we just pulled over into the south-bound shoulder of Route 9W (since there is a reasonable shoulder before the right-turn lane starts) and thought about how to handle it.  When the light turned green, we waited for the south-bound traffic to clear out, and then rode into the left lane of Route 9W South (for going straight) and rode up to the traffic light, which by then had turned red.  So we waited there on the right edge of the left lane, and when the light turned green, we continued south on Route 9W.

Another strategy is to get off and walk the bike in the east-side shoulder of rt 9W -- walk south past the traffic-light intersection, keep walking until have a good view traffic in both directions, wait for a safe break in the traffic, cross over to the west side and start riding south.

see also: main route description | Variation X traffic notes