# from santa monica to ucla?



## steel515

How do people ride safely back to UCLA? Do they have to ride on Wilshire?


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## tyo

I travel that route (in reverse) every day as my exercise. Best way is to take San Vicente for as long as you can - widest road with a bike lane that I know of. When you're nearing the end, you can take a left before Wilshire, and cut through the V.A. If you're willing to explore a bit, you'll find a nice shortcut from Constitution Ave to Waterford st. From there make a right on Montana and go straight till you hit UCLA. 

In words - my exact route from San Vicente

Left onto Montana, straight until the road turns right. Look for a big gate on your left - if this one is closed, go down a bit farther and use the next available gate.
Whichever gate you took, keep to your left until you get to a broken up parking lot - cut through it to Bonsall (left turn) then a sharp right onto Constitution - if you hit a small downhill here you're in the right place. Ride straight until the overpass, right before it hit a left and follow the concrete - it'll take you to Waterford, where you go straight till Montana.

The alternative is taking a bit of Wilshire (scary) and left onto sepulveda then right to montana. 

Hope this helps, and use google maps or something to trace the route before you go - since the VA likes to play musical chairs with their gates on all sides, you'll probably have to explore a bit your first few times.


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## SM-Rider

yep... what he said.


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## DrRoebuck

tyo said:


> Left onto Montana, straight until the road turns right. Look for a big gate on your left - if this one is closed, go down a bit farther and use the next available gate.
> Whichever gate you took, keep to your left until you get to a broken up parking lot - cut through it to Bonsall (left turn) then a sharp right onto Constitution - if you hit a small downhill here you're in the right place. Ride straight until the overpass, right before it hit a left and follow the concrete - it'll take you to Waterford, where you go straight till Montana.


Definitely a good way to go. Those hills from Sepulveda into Westwood can be a bit of a pain if you're decked out for commuting and not just riding, though.

I wish they would open a pedestrian gate on the Veteran end of the VA cemetery. That would be just ... beautiful.


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## tonytourist

Just saw this, I too would ride up San Vicente, but I always hang a left at Montana, which turns into Bringham Ave, left at Gorham, right on McArthur, left on Pershing, left on Bonsail, right onto Constitution, before you hit Sepulveda you can turn left at the path which will lead you to Church, make a right at Montana which turns into Gailey after Veteran.

You could just take Montana all the way from Ocean, but with all those shops you have to be careful with car doors at times.


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