By John Allen

A couple of years ago, the CRW Ride Leader ride started and finished at the Craft Food Hall in Waltham. The ride had to cross Route 95/128 to get out to those scenic country roads, and the nearest crossing is the bridge on Winter Street in Waltham, with three lanes westbound,  four eastbound, and ramps to the highway. Just west of the highway is the Winter Street Oval, with five lanes westbound and six eastbound over much of its length. 

This can sound intimidating! But it doesn’t have to be. I had the pleasure of leading the Ride Leader group out, showing how traffic signals make it possible to time entry to the bridge so there is only light traffic, and I have written about that.

Have you been waiting for the other shoe to drop? Okay, I now have (finally) gotten around to editing my raw video of the return ride through the Oval and over the bridge:

https://vimeo.com/1108489609/f27cccd7ab?share=copy

As the video shows, the strategy which works here is highly counterintuitive. Bicyclists tend to think that staying to the right is best, but that works poorly here because of the large number of entrances and exits, including high-speed highway ramps. Previewing the route in Google Maps satellite view and Street View can be very helpful (you need to do this on a computer screen, or at least a large tablet, to see detail).

The Google Maps exercise will show you the lane configuration and the arrangement of traffic signals. Stepping ahead in Street View, you can often even discern the traffic-signal sequence: the Google camera car was moving as the signals advanced. I performed this for the Oval and the bridge, and you may review it too using the Google Maps link near the start of this article.

As the video shows, traffic signals keep most traffic from entering when you are proceeding through the Oval. Also, another lane besides the one you are using is always available for motorists to go in the same direction. On the bridge, as is often the case on a street with a median, the lane next to the median is the quietest one. It is a left-turn lane onto a rather small two-lane street, and it is long enough that motorists can pass you before merging into it–until you are nearly at the end, and then they can slow and follow you.

But then, what are you doing in a left-turn lane if you want to turn right? Traffic signals hold the key to this. The one before the bridge creates long gaps in the traffic crossing the bridge, so you can merge across to the right, and the traffic signal after the bridge slows down traffic so you can change lanes to the one you need to use (unless, of course, you will be turning left yourself).

If you are riding in a group, it works best here to go double file, and use the “got your back” tactic when changing lanes–the sweep moves out first, so a car won’t break up the group. I have reviewed the Winter Street route with a member of the local Ride Together Waltham group, and ridden it with the group, which mostly did as I had suggested. We got across without any problem.

Winter Street offers one example of how some strategic planning can tame a seemingly intimidating challenge. I should add that I don’t seek out challenges like this for the fun of it. I take pride in being able to manage the challenges, but the point of taking them on, after all, is to have reasonable safety and comfort in getting out to those scenic country roads, and back to the Craft Food Hall for the post-ride refreshments!