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  1 0 I tend to be traffic-averse when I'm biking, so I usually try to find the route that has the highest percentage of distance on a bike lane. For me the Cap Hill -> Fremont route I've found that fits that bill is: Denny down to Dexter, then right on Dexter and Dexter all the way to the Fremont Bridge. Dexter involves a hill climb, so it might not be for everybody, but it also has a bike lane along nearly the entire length, which makes it superior to Westlake for my purposes. Every time I ride along Westlake it looks like it was deliberately designed to kill bicyclists. The people who bike along the parking lots look even less safe than the people biking on the street. And of course the Denny segment of that route is pretty traffic-intense. I haven't found anything better to get me to Dexter. Mike answered in City Living over 3 years ago | Report 2 comments by Kimberly and Mike… 0 0 what do you think about taking melrose to the lakeview overpass? or even snaking under 5 down by that mountain bike park off eastlake? Kimberly commented over 3 years ago | Report 0 0 That's a good question. I like the Melrose idea. I have an irrational fear of biking westward over that Lakeview overpass. I say it's irrational because visibility is pretty good for motorists and the road is pretty wide, but sometimes people go pretty fast there. It also dumps you off on Eastlake, which isn't ideal, but you could take your next right and squirrel down through SLU on Republican or Harrison. They both go all the way to Dexter, but they also force you to cross a couple of busy streets with no lights (Fairview and Westlake off the top of my head). So I guess the question for me would come down to: is my perceived risk of the overpass and crossing Fairview and Westlake at uncontrolled intersections greater than my perceived risk of biking down Denny? That's something that only you can answer for you, of course. I'd have to try it before deciding, but I'm more comfortable riding with the flow of heavy traffic than I am with crossing against the flow of heavy traffic, so I think I'd lean toward Denny. I've done Denny a lot, though, so there's definitely some familiarity-bred contempt there. I'll try out your Melrose->Lakeview->Republican->Dexter idea next time I'm biking from Cap Hill to Fremont. Another question: what's the best way to get back? This seems like a route that might have a better alternative than simple reversal. I might be more inclined to take stinkbug's Burke-Gilman route on the way back, in part because the hill climbs seem more gradual. I hate climbing the Denny overpass. My chain came off halfway up once, and I fell against the high curb. No fun. Mike commented over 3 years ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question New comments are not being accepted at this time.

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  1 0 Yeah, it depends on 1) Where on capitol hill are you starting from, and 2) Do you care about things like downhill speeds and traffic? If you lived more on the northern end and you wanted to deal with less traffic, I'd say going down 10th Ave, cutting over to Harvard, crossing the Univ Bridge and then going along the Burke Gilman is the way to go. But that is about 4 miles and would generally take longer. On the plus side, it includes about 2 miles along the Burke, which is generally safer than riding on Westlake. The Westlake approach may be faster, but involves more traffic and includes steeper downhills to get to Westlake. stinkbug answered in City Living over 3 years ago | Report 1 comment by Kimberly… 0 0 i'm on denny & olive way. i'm also still a bit hesitant to BOMB down any hills. i'm working with an older, shittier bike at the moment, and my urban biking skills are pretty rusty. really i'm just trying to avoid major thoroughfares, like denny on SLU, and at the same time not double the distance of my ride b/c i'm a pussy. i'm thinking the burke is the way to go. **isn't there a ped/ bike path that runs along westlake? or am i imagining that? Kimberly commented over 3 years ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question New comments are not being accepted at this time.

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  1 0 If you're coming from the backside of the Hill, what about 24th down to Boyer to get to the University Bridge? Boyer's kind of a forgotten route, but it's a very useful and rare diagonal without too much traffic. Might be brutal for doors, though. Alternately, what about 15th, past the back of Volunteer Park and the cemetery, then wend your way down to 10th on Boston? I don't ride in the city anymore, so I don't know the answers, but those both seem like useful routes if Denny scares the crap out of you. Myself, I used to always prefer the heavily-trafficked streets, where you at least knew what to expect, and had lights on your side, to residential streets where some fat ass in an SUV always seems to be pulling out of the driveway at 1 MPH, or tootling around corners without signaling, but that was just me. Fnarf answered in City Living over 3 years ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question New comments are not being accepted at this time.

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  1 1 All of these are good routes; l suppose it's what you prefer, and what's most comfortable for you at your riding level. l personally take the Denny-->Westlake route suggested by some. l don't ride on Westlake, l just take the parking lots that run the entire stretch. Could they be dangerous (people pulling out, not looking)? Sure, but the lane is wide enough that if you're an attentive rider with some good defensive techniques, it shouldn't be a problem. And you don't actually have to take the parking lots themselves if you don't want to...there are smaller lanes on the water edge, and sidewalks that run most of the length there as well. However, as a couple of others pointed out, l think that as long as you are okay with the hill on Dexter, that's probably the safest route. Westlake may be a little more direct, but isn't exactly bike friendly. freikja answered in City Living over 3 years ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question New comments are not being accepted at this time.

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  0 0 I always go down Melrose, to the little trail through the "falling down" park, then take Lakeview alongside and then under I-5, continuing on as the arterial becomes Boylston. Ahem. Then right or left at Roanoke either to Harvard or Eastlake and across the U bridge. Finally just ride the BG Trail past Gasworks into Fremont. Maybe a little longer than some routes but Super bike friendly and actually kinda scenic. ds answered in City Living over 3 years ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question New comments are not being accepted at this time.

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  0 0 Agreed on Westlake. I have no issues controlling my lane and dealing with traffic around most parts of Seattle, but I only ride Westlake as part of a group. Then it's fun. To the OP: how experienced are you? If not terribly, I'd recommend the downtown-Dexter-Fremont Bridge route. Lilting Missive answered in City Living over 3 years ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question New comments are not being accepted at this time.

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  0 0 I personally like: Pine -to-> Boren OR just take Denny from Broadway. Denny -to-> Westlake Ave N Westlake all the way to the Fremont Bridge. It's very fast, (like 10 minutes), but involves bombing down Boren and/or Denny. Something I like, but isn't everyone's cup of asphalt. I have a friend that commutes to SU and takes the road just east of I-5, Melrose St. Very low key, and is mostly a bike path. Good views too. Cross the University Bridge, then drop down onto the Burke-Gilman. Very calm route. G'luck treacle answered in City Living over 3 years ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question New comments are not being accepted at this time.

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