Biking in Boston

This will also make the crossings at Brandon Hall and Fairbanks SO much safer. Assuming traffic doesn't get screwed up completely, this could be a great example of a lane reduction on a busy arterial (down to 1 lane, no less) and a precedent to follow.
 
The separated bike lane on Staniford has opened in the past few days. It looks like they're still working on Causeway. They look great. I've seen a bunch of people using them already. The whole city needs these damn things.

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thanks for the pics.
Causeway St doesnt open until the spring.
A portion of Commercial St may open this season.
 
Why on earth does the concrete barrier end before the crosswalk?
 
tysmith95 said:
I wish they could put flower pots or something on this bike lane. Unprotected bike lanes do nothing because Boston drivers ignore them.
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Maybe it was the rain but at rush hour this afternoon drivers were not abiding by the single lane. It was de facto the same two lanes as always. Maybe nobody noticed.
 
jass said:
Why on earth does the concrete barrier end before the crosswalk?
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That's a tight turn if that barrier extends all the way to the crosswalk. IMO that's a good thing from a traffic calming standpoint (and this intersection sucks for pedestrians), but from a traffic flow standpoint, probably not. There's also some sort of utility box there. I wonder if access to that has anything to do with it. In any case, I worry about bikers stopped at the line and cars/trucks turning wide.
 
jass said:
Why on earth does the concrete barrier end before the crosswalk?
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Seriously. I love (LOVE) that we're getting dedicated bike facilities on a major downtown street. But this looks like it's asking for more right hook injuries.

Intersections are the most dangerous parts of multimodal street interactions. All the recent deaths of people on bicycles have been at intersections. We need protected intersections.
 
34f34f said:
Seriously. I love (LOVE) that we're getting dedicated bike facilities on a major downtown street. But this looks like it's asking for more right hook injuries.

Intersections are the most dangerous parts of multimodal street interactions. All the recent deaths of people on bicycles have been at intersections. We need protected intersections.
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Agreed. This intersection has been significantly re-worked recently (inc. the creation of the bike lanes) and from a non-automobile standpoint, it's more challenging than it used to be (and it was never good). A lot of people in the area have complained- so much so that Channel 4 has had a reporter there on a regular basis talking to pedestrians and bicyclists. I guess they're putting together a segment about dangerous intersections. A coworker of mine with a physical disability wrote to the city and it was more or less brushed aside. The city feels it's safer/better, but it's definitely not.

In any case, the lane is good for the length of Staniford (I'll post more pictures later), but the intersections are still dangerous. Buses, duck boats, and a ton of trucks turn right at that intersection- it's a matter of time before a bike is caught.
 
Lrfox said:
Agreed. This intersection has been significantly re-worked recently (inc. the creation of the bike lanes) and from a non-automobile standpoint, it's more challenging than it used to be (and it was never good). A lot of people in the area have complained- so much so that Channel 4 has had a reporter there on a regular basis talking to pedestrians and bicyclists. I guess they're putting together a segment about dangerous intersections. A coworker of mine with a physical disability wrote to the city and it was more or less brushed aside. The city feels it's safer/better, but it's definitely not.

In any case, the lane is good for the length of Staniford (I'll post more pictures later), but the intersections are still dangerous. Buses, duck boats, and a ton of trucks turn right at that intersection- it's a matter of time before a bike is caught.
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LrFox -- its the "Olde Goldene Rule" in action -- but this time its not just the $ contributed by automobile users above and beyond anything contributed by any resident [e.g. Sales tax on car purchase, excise tax, gasoline tax and of course tolls] -- the other contributing factor is Newtonian Mechanics

Pedestrians and Bikes like sailboats may have the legal Right of Way -- but if your expected trajectory is destined to intersect with a Car, Truck or Duck Boat, then you had better yield

Having been on the pedestrian [MIT crossing at Mass Ave] and bicyclist [several times in Austin TX] side of the equation -- even a gentle brush can ruin your day
 
I like that we're getting these cycle tracks, but unfortunately they really don't serve most people who bike. The radial connections into and out of downtown are what really need to be improved, and this project does nothing for them at all.
 
Lrfox said:
The separated bike lane on Staniford has opened in the past few days. It looks like they're still working on Causeway. They look great. I've seen a bunch of people using them already. The whole city needs these damn things.

bike%20lane%203_zpsqlgd37pm.jpg


bike%20lane%202_zpsdpab6ck7.jpg


bike%20lane%201_zpsutenqjwa.jpg
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I'll say it again - this is a great project, but they should have - and still should - construct a protected cycle track along Lomasney -> Nashua. Problem solved now for connecting the river path system.
 
So it seems like there are a lot of people who are wrong about the turning right on a red arrow issue. The only time it is illegal to turn right on red is when there is a NO TURN ON RED sign posted. If there's no sign, it's legal, whether there is a red ball or a red arrow.
 
cden4 said:
So it seems like there are a lot of people who are wrong about the turning right on a red arrow issue. The only time it is illegal to turn right on red is when there is a NO TURN ON RED sign posted. If there's no sign, it's legal, whether there is a red ball or a red arrow.
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Uh... that's news to me. I would never turn against a red arrow. Ever.

Ever.

... and then 2 seconds of googling confirms you are correct. Huh.

Actually, more looking yielded a lot of contradicting info :confused:
 
From the Mass RMV Manual:

https://www.massrmv.com/Portals/30/docs/mcmanual/18_TrafficSignals.pdf
STEADY RED
A steady red light means “STOP.” Do not proceed until the light turns green. You may make a right turn on a red light only after coming to a complete stop. You must also yield to pedestrians or other vehicles in your path before turning. You may not turn on red if a NO TURN ON RED sign is posted.
If you are traveling on a one-way street and turning left onto another one-way street, you are allowed to turn left on a red light. Come to a complete stop and yield to pedestrians and other vehicles before turning.

STEADY RED ARROW
A steady red arrow means the same as a steady red stop circular signal (see the preceding Steady Red section), but a steady red arrow applies only to vehicles intending to proceed in the direction of the arrow. The same rules apply for TURNS ON RED.

https://www.massrmv.com/Portals/30/docs/mcmanual/25_Turns.pdf
TURNS ON RED
After coming to a complete stop at a red traffic light, you are allowed to turn right on red after giving the right-of-way to pedestrians and other vehicles, unless a NO TURN ON RED sign is posted. You may turn left on red following the same rules only if you are turning from a one-way street onto another one-way street.
 
Another thought about Causeway St. I predict that for much of the day, the cycle track in the middle of the street is going to be pretty much unusable because it will be full of pedestrians crossing the street everywhere.
 
cden4 said:
Another thought about Causeway St. I predict that for much of the day, the cycle track in the middle of the street is going to be pretty much unusable because it will be full of pedestrians crossing the street everywhere.
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thats one of the reasons the cycle track is in the middle. if it was on either side it would be full of peds waiting to cross. Peds (legally) crossing Causeway do not need to get halfway and stop.
 
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