On crosstown runs I’m torn between sticking to the protected lanes to ride the green wave - smooth and predictable but adds 6-8 blocks - or cutting through alleys and loading docks that save distance but kill momentum with dumpsters, trucks, and cratered pavement. What’s actually faster for you at lunch rush, and does the calculus flip in rain or after 6 p.m. when the lights desync?
At lunch rush I stick to the green wave even if it adds 6–8 blocks; I average about 15 mph steady vs alley sprints that drop me to 0 every dumpster/truck, ugh. In rain the alleys are a trap — slick patches and cratered pavement kill momentum — after 6 p.m. I’ll only cut one if I can see the whole run and the dock’s quiet; do you time the phases or just wing it?
I ride the lanes and surf the lights by matching about 17 mph and using the pedestrian countdown — if it’s 7+ I push, if it’s 4 or less I soft-pedal to keep rolling. In rain I skip alleys because the puddles hide holes and I’ve pinch-flatted there more than once, ugh.