niles canyon traffic?

[deathbug74]

Looking for input on what traffic is like on Niles Canyon Rd on a Friday evening, between Fremont and 680. (heading to Lib'mo).

Having run 680 from Fremont up to 84, wasn't much fun, hence an alternate route.

(Hoping a Lib'mo meet will fall on the Friday I'm up there arty)

 

[fang]

Depends on what time during the evening. 5pm is decent, avg spd around 45mph, a decent amount of drivers. Around 6pm, it increases a bit. I think it dies down around 7pm. One thing to watch out for are deer and rocks in the road.

 

[EastBayDave]

Niles is great about 6am Sunday's....

Otherwise there's too much traffic to really have fun.

 

[flying_hun]

Even for commuting rather than having fun, the back up at the four way stop near Sunol can stretch back quite a ways. Why not just split on 680?

 

[nine_inch_rear]

Its not too bad.. sure, there are cars but its not horrid. It tends to bottle neck as you approach Sunol. KEEP YOUR SPEEDS DOWN though. Cops are out there like stink on shit.

 

[EastBayDave]

Its not too bad.. sure, there are cars but its not horrid. It tends to bottle neck as you approach Sunol. KEEP YOUR SPEEDS DOWN though. Cops are out there like stink on shit.

In the mid-East part of Niles Canyon, along the straights general area where the rock wall is siding the river, there always seems to be a CHippie w/the radar/lidar on the weekends.

 

[Razel]

Friday evenings isn't that bad except as mentioned at the 4-way stop east of downtown Sunol. What will get backed up is Valecitos from 680 to the pass, but it keeps moving.

 

[Razel]

Why not just split on 680?

That's a long stretch at times to split (Mission Blvd south to Niles Canyon on crowded evenings).

 

[nine_inch_rear]

In the mid-East part of Niles Canyon, along the straights general area where the rock wall is siding the river, there always seems to be a CHippie w/the radar/lidar on the weekends.

Havent seen them there yet, but will keep an eye out.. thanks! I see them all the time as I come out of sunol to the right.. right along the train tracks, just waiting.

 

[flying_hun]

That's a long stretch at times to split (Mission Blvd south to Niles Canyon on crowded evenings).

That's true, and I'm a fairly cautious splitter, but the lanes are pretty wide for most of that distance, and it's not so bad. :dunno

 

[deathbug74]

Why not just split on 680?

I may, but since last time I tried that I got cut off and ended up going pavement surfing, I'm looking for other viable options as well.

Since it's been awhile, I'd hope they're not still working on that stretch of 680 (between auto mall and mission), but I'm not holding my breath.

Otherwise there's too much traffic to really have fun.

I wouldn't really expect anywhere to be clear enough to really have fun at commute times, just looking for an alternate route besides freeways.

Friday evenings isn't that bad except as mentioned at the 4-way stop east of downtown Sunol. What will get backed up is Valecitos from 680 to the pass, but it keeps moving.

That part I remember from past experience, and it wasn't a whole lot of fun, but tolerable.

 

[ScottRNelson]

Niles Canyon traffic moves along at a decent rate most of the time, but it's extremely rare to be able to ride it fast for any significant distance. I've done it a few times, but that was mostly due to luck.

If you're looking for interesting alternate routes, you can always take Niles Canyon half way, then take Palomares over to the north end and take the Dublin Grade frontage rode into Pleasanton. It takes about the same amount of time for me that way, but I happen to live in the north-west corner of Pleasanton. If you need to get to Livermore, there isn't a great route from the edge of Pleasanton to Livermore. Especially on a Friday afternoon or evening.

 

[flying_hun]

If you're looking for interesting alternate routes, you can always take Niles Canyon half way, then take Palomares over to the north end and take the Dublin Grade frontage rode into Pleasanton. It takes about the same amount of time for me that way, but I happen to live in the north-west corner of Pleasanton. If you need to get to Livermore, there isn't a great route from the edge of Pleasanton to Livermore. Especially on a Friday afternoon or evening.

:thumbup

Another (slow) alternative from the south is to shoot up hill from Milpitas to Calaveras. Takes lots of time, but at least it's fun. :ride

 

[deathbug74]

If you need to get to Livermore, there isn't a great route from the edge of Pleasanton to Livermore. Especially on a Friday afternoon or evening.

that seems to be the consensus, and kind of what I expected.

Another (slow) alternative from the south is to shoot up hill from Milpitas to Calaveras. Takes lots of time, but at least it's fun. :ride

I was considering that one too, depending how time works out.

And thanks for all the input guys :thumbup

 

[ScottRNelson]

:thumbup

Another (slow) alternative from the south is to shoot up hill from Milpitas to Calaveras. Takes lots of time, but at least it's fun. :ride

I do that a couple of times a month. Add 20 minutes to your commute time compared to taking I-680 if traffic on 680 is still moving. And it's a bit more dangerous as well, with all of the blind turns. And it's more work. But if you're not trying to hustle too much through there, it can be quite an enjoyable ride.

 

[littlebeast]

take niles canyon, exit into sunol (left on kilkare road), take the first right immediately after you cross the railroad tracks. baby twisties onto foothill. easy cruise to castlewood. turn right on castlewood into pleasanton. turns into sunol blvd which turns into first street which turns into stanley which takes you into downtown livermore (near railroad ave).