The Malahat is a Mess
Posted: Mon May 27, 2013 3:58 pm
FYI - the construction situation has made a dog's breakfast out of the Malahat. I'm sure there are regulars amongst us, the Real Men, who don't bat an eyelash at this and wonder that I'm even mentioning it, but for mortals, a warning:
Going northbound, the shoulder is often obstructed by signs or outright closed. In many spots, you can edge around this and slip back to the work side of the pylons, but not always. A few places had me forced all the way out into the traffic lane as I crept uphill. People were *very* nice and always made room for me. (And, by the way, "Pbbbbbbbtht" to you, Mr. Russ Hays Guy Who Didn't So Much as Grunt Hello When You Swanned Past Me).
Everything clears up after the summit.
Southbound - terrifying. Same shoulder closures, same signs plunked down right in the middle of the shoulder, but now you're doing 70 km/h when you're forced over the rumble strips. I got stopped by a traffic control person at one point and sat there fretting as five minutes' worth of Malahat traffic stacked up behind me. Thank God the shoulder lasted long enough to let them all by. The only real upside I can think of to mention is that I was so traumatized by managing my way in and out of the traffic lane at speed that the tight quarters on Tunnel Hill, where I usually indulge in a little freakout, passed by unremarked.
This ride is doable but extremely unpleasant right now. I suggest that if you haven't already experimented with rumble strips, you might as well go out and hit some at a variety of speeds and get used to it. Because you'll have to, unless you're planning on going all the way up or down in the traffic lane.
Going northbound, the shoulder is often obstructed by signs or outright closed. In many spots, you can edge around this and slip back to the work side of the pylons, but not always. A few places had me forced all the way out into the traffic lane as I crept uphill. People were *very* nice and always made room for me. (And, by the way, "Pbbbbbbbtht" to you, Mr. Russ Hays Guy Who Didn't So Much as Grunt Hello When You Swanned Past Me).
Everything clears up after the summit.
Southbound - terrifying. Same shoulder closures, same signs plunked down right in the middle of the shoulder, but now you're doing 70 km/h when you're forced over the rumble strips. I got stopped by a traffic control person at one point and sat there fretting as five minutes' worth of Malahat traffic stacked up behind me. Thank God the shoulder lasted long enough to let them all by. The only real upside I can think of to mention is that I was so traumatized by managing my way in and out of the traffic lane at speed that the tight quarters on Tunnel Hill, where I usually indulge in a little freakout, passed by unremarked.
This ride is doable but extremely unpleasant right now. I suggest that if you haven't already experimented with rumble strips, you might as well go out and hit some at a variety of speeds and get used to it. Because you'll have to, unless you're planning on going all the way up or down in the traffic lane.