Bike Michiana

resources, news, observations and ideas about bicycling in the Michiana area

Archive for the ‘Routes’ Category

Have tips for safely biking to destinations in South Bend and surrounding areas? Please post them here and feel free to ask for advice as well.

New Michiana Bike Route Map Published

Posted by Jeff Nixa on May 30, 2009

Update: an 11 MB PDF of the map is now available for download.

The first-ever comprehensive St. Joseph/Elkhart Counties bike map is now available.  A joint effort of the Bike Michiana Coalition, local government, business and university, the folding map will first be distributed to cyclists who attend the South Bend Bike to Work Week events, June 1-5.  Afterwards, the map will be available throughout Michiana in local bike shops and other locations yet to be determined.  A free copy of the map ($5 value) will also be provided every person signing up for an annual membership in the Bike Michiana Coalition.

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Posted in Advocacy, Facilities, Infrastructure, News, Routes | 2 Comments »

Ride from ND to Goshen Ride of Silence

Posted by Adam Bee on May 20, 2009

Since there is a Ride of Silence in Goshen but not South Bend tonight, I plan to ride from ND to Lincoln Avenue Cycle.  The route is 30 miles, so I plan to leave at 4:45 sharp to make it there by 6:45.  If you’d like to ride along, show up at the Main Circle of Notre Dame before 4:45.  Make sure your bike has lights; I plan to return by 9:15 or 9:30, so we might be racing the sunset a bit on the way back.

Here is the route I plan to take (LINK).  I’ve never ridden most of those easterly roads, so I can’t guarantee their safety or comfort.  Let me know if you have suggestions on a better route!

Posted in Group Rides: Special, Routes | 3 Comments »

Passed: Underpass Project Approved

Posted by Phil G-E on May 6, 2009

Many, many thanks to everyone who showed up and spoke in support of the Maple City Greenway trail underpass at Plymouth Rd in Goshen. A close call, the Council was split evenly 3 for and 3 against (1 supporting member absent) until Mayor Kauffman voted for the proposal. Read more about it at in this eTruth article. Many thanks, too, to all who helped organize the response by spreading the word and communicating with their city council members. This will be an excellent addition to the path and make it all the more accessible and useful to pedestrian and bicycle traffic.

See below for a Google Map of the trail:

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Posted in Advocacy, Infrastructure, News, Routes | 1 Comment »

Zigs vs. Zags

Posted by Adam Bee on April 22, 2009

Have you ever noticed that right-to-left turns are much more difficult than left-to-rights?

That is, if you’re crossing some large ugly six-lane traffic sewer to get from one lovely back road to another, it seems much easier to me if you have to go LTR instead of RTL.

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Posted in Commentary, Facilities, Routes | 1 Comment »

Best Connections: In Praise of the Cul-de-Sac Killers Among Us

Posted by Adam Bee on April 20, 2009

A few days ago I wrote about my least favorite non-links, or “missed connections” in Michiana.  Now I would be remiss if I didn’t applaud the “best connections”, where some kind soul went out of her way to link neighborhoods rather than force traffic onto congested arterial “traffic sewers”.

Here are my top five:

1.  Wembley to Brighton:  Perfect example.  You can even see the old curb on Brighton.  Without this connection it would be impossible to get from Darden to Darden.  Now it only requires an ugly little right-to-left along Ironwood.

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Posted in Commentary, Facilities, Routes | 1 Comment »

Missed Connections: The Worst Non-Links in Michiana

Posted by Adam Bee on April 18, 2009

A few days ago I wrote about Virginia’s law outlawing cul-de-sacs, and how they’re one of the biggest challenges to route planning in Michiana and especially Granger.

Here are my top five most infuriating non-links in Michiana:

1. Park to Catalpa: This is the worst in my book.  Just a few more yards of pavement and Catalpa would connect all the way to Edison Lakes Pkway, Meijer, and Walmart.  As it is, I take a short zag on Main to cut through the parking lot of a nice orthodontist.

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Posted in Commentary, Facilities, Routes | 2 Comments »

An end to cul-de-sacs

Posted by Adam Bee on April 16, 2009

Virginia now has rules that new subdivisions must have through streets that link to other through streets:  http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/21/AR2009032102248.html

This is one of the biggest hurdles we face when trying to get around by bike in these times, especially in Granger.  Mishiwaka’s Grape Road big box district has the commercial version of the cul-de-sac problem, non-linking sidewalks.

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Posted in Commentary, News, Routes | Leave a Comment »

Le Tour de Shore: June 19-20

Posted by Henry Scott on April 6, 2009

We’ve had on and off discussions about a bike route between Chicago and South Bend, yet as far as I know, no one has actually mapped and made available a complete route.

Accordingly, I was excited to hear about an organized ride between Millenium Park in downtown Chicago to Indiana Dunes National Lake Shore and then on to Warren Dunes State Park over two days. The ride is Le Tour de Shore, and participation has been growing steadily in this charity ride since the inaugural voyage in 2004.

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Posted in Group Rides: Special, Routes | Tagged: | 8 Comments »

Best Climbs in Michiana

Posted by Adam Bee on March 28, 2009

Where are they? Have are my fave five:
1. Bertrand west of St. Joseph River
Long, smooth, winding, easily accessible, with moderate traffic.  I hit this on at least 90% of my rides.
2. Garland in south South Bend, east of the south end of Twyckenham
A punchy, short, steep climb in a neighborhood filled with inclines. It lends itself unusually well to repeats since you can easily loop it rather than having to turn around at the top like most climbs. The massive houses are fun to look at, too.
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Posted in Routes | 5 Comments »

Work begins on Riverside Trail for 2009 completion

Posted by Paul Taylor on March 9, 2009

Crews are mobilizing this week to complete the final phase of construction for the City of South Bend’s popular Riverside Trail, which will extend the trail north from Oakwood Boulevard to the Old Darden Road pedestrian bridge.
Read details.

Posted in News, Routes | 1 Comment »