Pico or Olympic to SM Pier?
Thread started by
laoxue at 10.25.07 - 8:23 am
I need to go between S Westwood and the Santa Monica Pier early Sunday morning. Can anyone suggest reasons to prefer one of Pico or Olympic over the other for this trip? Is there some other route I should consider?
In fact, I'm going to/from the Exposition Park area, but I know the route between Expo Park and Rancho Park very well. Basically I take Exposition to Jefferson to National to Westwood. I could continue west on National past Westwood and come up from the south. Would that be any better?
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I prefer Olympic to Pico, people drive faster on Olympic, but it has wider lanes. Pico starts to narrow as you get closer to Santa Monica and has parallel parking, so more alertness for potential dooring is necessary. Olympic eventually T-Bones into Lincoln at the same time that people speeding off the 10 are merging onto to Olympic to Lincoln, so I would recommend taking a right (going north) at 17th or 14th to Colorado and then continuing West. Slightly less direct, but taking Broadway part of the way is nice with bike lanes and once you hit downtown SM you can use the bus lane.
GarySe7en10.25.07 - 8:40 am
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My recommendation would be Pico. The streets of Olympic can be sketchy sometimes.
SPOOK10.25.07 - 9:17 am
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haha, three different suggestions.
SPOOK10.25.07 - 9:18 am
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Venice is easiest, with least amount of hills, and long stretch of bike lane. However Westwood to the pier Venice is a little indirect. If you do go down Pico, I recommend in areas where it gets tight and there are lots of parked cars, just take the center of the lane. I do it all the time when I shop at the Pico Trader Joes, and lug big panniers of groceries on the sides of my bike. I'm sure cars behind me get annoyed, but they can go around.
GarySe7en10.25.07 - 10:09 am
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olympic is wider plus afta bundy it like a str8away,,plus you can stop by the bikerowave on the way back off of olypic,,2cents
skano10.25.07 - 11:14 am
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personally, i'd take pico to normandie to imperial highway to sepulveda to pico to ocean to SM pier.
trickOfshade10.25.07 - 11:22 am
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venice is safer imo. it has a huge bike lane to the coast. ppl drive crazy on olympic since it is a main artery especially around the 405 ramps. Pico is an alternate of olympic and tends to suck past cloverfield. i would suggest going the extra distance and enjoy a bit more of a workout for safety's sake. gl
jchungerford10.25.07 - 11:29 am
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Pico is safer, Venice is safest, but Venice is far south of the SM pier.
A route I like from Westwood & Nat'l
N on Westwood
W on Exposition, cross via light at Sepulveda
Either cross Sawtelle and continue on Exposition to Pico, or N on Sawtelle and then West on Pico
Either way you end up heading West on Pico.
You can continue West on Pico all the way . . . but I prefer either one of the following:
North on Centinela, jogs L then R at Olympic and continue on Centinela North
West on Nebraska . . . wave at the Bikerowave
North on Stewart
West on Colorado
OR
West on Pico past Centinela . . . then
North on 17th St
West on Colorado
I R GPS KITTEH
Knittens10.25.07 - 11:38 am
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Thanks everyone. And Kittens, thanks for the directions in English!
laoxue10.25.07 - 6:03 pm
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Olympic has a 45 mph speed limit. That's why cars drive at freeway speeds on that street. I usually avoid it. Especially the stretch between Barrington and 20th where there's a roadside ditch that most impatient drivers expect you to be riding in.
My recommendation is to take Santa Monica Blvd from Westwood. You get a decent bike lane until Sepulveda. Then take a left at Ohio which is the left turn just before Bundy. Taking the left at Ohio can be ballsy but just assert yourself into the left turn lane and you'll be good. Ohio becomes Broadway and gives you a bike lane almost all the way to the oceanfront.
.K
onethirtynine10.25.07 - 6:18 pm
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