Comments on: Bike Boston http://davewrites.com/bike_boston/ about technology, life and an imperative to create something better Fri, 03 Feb 2012 21:15:36 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Alex http://davewrites.com/bike_boston/comment-page-1/#comment-476 Alex Thu, 01 Nov 2007 11:53:25 +0000 #comment-476 I'm considering almost the same commute. I currently drive or take the commuter rail from Pawtucket, RI to BU, where I'm an engineering grad student. <br /> <br /> I hate the energy usage of driving, so I have a diesel VW and I use biodiesel as often as I can. Or I take the train, but with very irregular hours (frequent nights past 12am in the lab), I can't rely on it.<br /> <br /> I'm sick of the last 10 miles taking an hour due to traffic if I have a morning class. And since I'm already wasting between 40 an 120 minutes a day each way, I'd rather get some exercise out of it.<br /> <br /> So I'm thinking of bicycle commuting from the University Ave station in Westwood. I've been checking out possible routes on Google. They have a fantastic feature where you can drag around the line they draw when you ask for driving directions. However, even the satellite map doesn't fully expose the elevation changes. As I'm not in great shape (yet), I'm kind of concerned about that information.<br /> <br /> I'd love to see the routes you have picked out in your commuting experience. On Google, if you do use the drag-route function, you can then capture and share it by clicking the "Send" button as if you were going to e-mail it, but then just copy the link. Here's an example:<br /> <blockquote><br /> http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=1<br /> 7465214910853166210,42.211880,<br /> -71.150870%3B11023304105839471<br /> 44,42.227250,-71.161120%3B9681<br /> 951631379278,42.251380,<br /> -71.171830%3B9816917598550207<br /> 673,42.259100,-71.169720%3B42<br /> 70839555497212618,<br /> 42.296360,-71.145960%3B99065<br /> 31411145260132,42.325150,-71.1<br /> 41360%3B43043543<br /> 80281462104,42.337990,-71.153<br /> 210%3B15791237347624020002,4<br /> 2.344420,-71.1169<br /> 60&time=&date=&ttype=&saddr=B<br /> lue+Hill+Dr+%26+University+A<br /> ve+Westwood,+MA+0<br /> 2090&daddr=Blue+Hill+Dr+%404<br /> 2.211880,+-71.150870+to:Norw<br /> ich+St+%4042.22725<br /> 0,+-71.161120+to:Boston+Prov<br /> idence+Hwy%2FVFW+Pkwy+%4042.2<br /> 51380,+-71.171830+to:Boston+Pr<br /> ovidence+Hwy%2FVFW+Pkwy+%404<br /> 2.259100,+-71.169720+to:VFW+Pkw<br /> y+%4042.296360,+-71.145960+to:H<br /> eath+Hill+St+%4042.325150,+-71.1<br /> 41360+to:Chestnut+Hill+Ave+%40<br /> 42.337990,+-71.153210+to:42.350<br /> 806,-71.124802+to:8+St+Marys+S<br /> t,+Boston,+MA+02215&mra=dme&mr<br /> cr=7,8&mrsp=8&sz=13&sll=42.3430<br /> 67,-71.110382&sspn=0.078919,0.1<br /> 57242&ie=UTF8&ll=42.290263,-7<br /> 1.096649&spn=0.15797,0.31448<br /> 4&t=h&z=12&om=1<br /> </blockquote><br /> (looks ugly, but only because I becaues I couldn't put it in as a link, and I put in linebreaks to prevent it from messing up the formatting.) This can be pasted directly into your browser address.<br /> <br /> Thanks!<br /> Alex I’m considering almost the same commute. I currently drive or take the commuter rail from Pawtucket, RI to BU, where I’m an engineering grad student.

I hate the energy usage of driving, so I have a diesel VW and I use biodiesel as often as I can. Or I take the train, but with very irregular hours (frequent nights past 12am in the lab), I can’t rely on it.

I’m sick of the last 10 miles taking an hour due to traffic if I have a morning class. And since I’m already wasting between 40 an 120 minutes a day each way, I’d rather get some exercise out of it.

So I’m thinking of bicycle commuting from the University Ave station in Westwood. I’ve been checking out possible routes on Google. They have a fantastic feature where you can drag around the line they draw when you ask for driving directions. However, even the satellite map doesn’t fully expose the elevation changes. As I’m not in great shape (yet), I’m kind of concerned about that information.

I’d love to see the routes you have picked out in your commuting experience. On Google, if you do use the drag-route function, you can then capture and share it by clicking the “Send” button as if you were going to e-mail it, but then just copy the link. Here’s an example:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=1
7465214910853166210,42.211880,
-71.150870%3B11023304105839471
44,42.227250,-71.161120%3B9681
951631379278,42.251380,
-71.171830%3B9816917598550207
673,42.259100,-71.169720%3B42
70839555497212618,
42.296360,-71.145960%3B99065
31411145260132,42.325150,-71.1
41360%3B43043543
80281462104,42.337990,-71.153
210%3B15791237347624020002,4
2.344420,-71.1169
60&time=&date=&ttype=&saddr=B
lue+Hill+Dr+%26+University+A
ve+Westwood,+MA+0
2090&daddr=Blue+Hill+Dr+%404
2.211880,+-71.150870+to:Norw
ich+St+%4042.22725
0,+-71.161120+to:Boston+Prov
idence+Hwy%2FVFW+Pkwy+%4042.2
51380,+-71.171830+to:Boston+Pr
ovidence+Hwy%2FVFW+Pkwy+%404
2.259100,+-71.169720+to:VFW+Pkw
y+%4042.296360,+-71.145960+to:H
eath+Hill+St+%4042.325150,+-71.1
41360+to:Chestnut+Hill+Ave+%40
42.337990,+-71.153210+to:42.350
806,-71.124802+to:8+St+Marys+S
t,+Boston,+MA+02215&mra=dme&mr
cr=7,8&mrsp=8&sz=13&sll=42.3430
67,-71.110382&sspn=0.078919,0.1
57242&ie=UTF8&ll=42.290263,-7
1.096649&spn=0.15797,0.31448
4&t=h&z=12&om=1

(looks ugly, but only because I becaues I couldn’t put it in as a link, and I put in linebreaks to prevent it from messing up the formatting.) This can be pasted directly into your browser address.

Thanks!
Alex

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