Wondering if any one out in Suffolk can help a Nassau resident out. I am planning to bike to parents house next weekend who live in Bohemia, however a direct route from my house to theirs will not total the mileage I want so I am thinking I can keeping going past their house on Montauk Highway (which I used to frequently ride) until I hit Bayport and then head north to 27 and west back to their exit. What I am wondering is if bicycles are allowed on Country Route 97 - Nichols Rd in between Montauk and 27. I’ve looked at the satelitte maps and it looks kind of like a highway and I know you are not allowed to bike along 231 south of a certain point so I am wondering if the same is true for Nichols. Thanks in advance.
I’ve ridden on the shoulder of Nichols Road, it’s a bitch sketchy, but you can ride on the road.
Heading back west, are you just going to ride on the shoulder of 27 (Sunrise Highway)? I would be more worried about that. You will only be on Nichols Rd. for a couple miles headed north from Montauk Highway to Sunrise Highway (27).
Thanks, yeah I’m planning on riding the shoulder of the service road. I used to ride it all the time between north bablyon and where it temporarially ends just north west of sayville (in fact I am going to ride it that day) and I never had any more of a problem than any other road on LI. Does it get sketchy once it picks up again (sorry I’m not really good with the names of roads or I would have provided more details)?
Living on LI (or having grown up there) I just generally avoided it as it is probably the second busiest road on the Island other than the LIE. I just don’t like cars flying by, plus all the crap on the shoulder of a major road like that. I used to sometimes ride the shoulder of the eastbound side from Oakdale to Bayport though and it wasn’t too bad, just a major highway, if you are comfortable with that it’s fine.
Nichols is busy and has a narrower shoulder, but you should only be on it for a 2 or 3 miles I would think. You may be able to cover some of that distance in the neighborhood just east of Nichols Road if you wanted to. So continue on Montauk just past Nichols, head north on some of those side streets, pop back out on to Nichols just south of Sunrise Highway then begin heading back west. I am not really sure of those roads and if it is possible, but I think there is a neighborhood north of Montauk Highway, south of Sunrise Highway and east of Nichols and you may be able to do some of your northbound distance going through there. Check some maps for roads running north-south just east of Nichols.
If not, Nichols isn’t too bad but I’d stay out of the aerobars and stay alert.
Be super careful with riding the service roads for Sunrise highway. There isn’t much of a shoulder and when you get back on from Nichols Road to head west, the Vets Highway interchange is right there. Lot’s of merging traffic. I would advise you to consider another route.
What if you came down Nichols (south) and then once on the service road get right off at 454/Vets highway and take it back up towards bohemia? I used to live in Oakdale (next town over) so I am familiar with the roads. 454 has a nice wide shoulder.
Actually what the previous poster said about Montauk Highway isn’t bad. I’ve ridden that quite a few times and it’s not bad. Much better than anything near Sunrise highway.