I had to make a brief errand into Downtown yesterday, and took Second Avenue instead of the jail trail, between Technology Drive and Ross Street. In and back. Why, I don't know.
Mgawd, what a horrible piece of road!
Setting aside the cement trucks and people going 15 over the posted 35, the pavement is what kills it for me. It's plenty wide enough, but there are enough holes, cracks and patches to seriously test the strength of both your frame and your spine.
Close to town, between Ross Street and the 10th Street Bridge, on-street parking forces cyclists just far enough out that we are right on top of the longitudinal split between two slabs of concrete. It is not possible to ride on it. To the right, you're in a very active door zone. To the left, you're in moving traffic.
Brighton Road on the NSide is similar, but it's a lot less busy.
Adding insult to potential injury, I did not see a single sign outbound that might direct cyclists to the trailhead.
Don't forget about the substandard contraction joint and spawl patches to the pavement slabs outbound before 10th street. So effing dumb to patch PCC pavement with asphalt - let alone cold patch.
The patches mound up to form speed bumps in the warm months, then they spawl away and become craters in the cold months. I've lost two tubes to the speed bumps and a rim to a pothole filled with rain in an afternoon rush downpour.
Not sure if anyone saw my tweet this morning, but it's worth repeating here.
8:50 this morning, there was a car sitting in the middle of inbound 2nd Ave, between Birmingham and 10th St. Bridges.
There was no collision. It had a broken axle.
you know, as a cyclist (and driver), i think 2nd avenue is about the place i'd least like to break down. sitting there watching bikes fly by while you wait for someone to fix your car--i'd go nuts from jealousy.
and yet, it's about the best place to bust up your bike. three miles at most from REI, and i haven't walked home a flat from there yet without at least one person offering a tube.
