Biking in Boston

It's a segment I usually avoid... last time I was on the road I saw the northern segments up to the Eliot... I'm also glad to see that they added in another flexpost to prevent people from taking sloppy right turns to get on the Pike or Newbury.
 
Google Maps has been displaying the Emerald Necklace (by Route 9 in Brookline) incorrectly for months. Here is what is currently displayed:

ek0n11.png


Notice the awkward jog under the Jamaicaway that doesn't exist. The only bike infrastructure under the Jamaicaway are the bike lanes that are already noted in lighter green on the map.

The Emerald Necklace does not cross under the Jamaicaway, but rather crosses over Route 9, and continues on the other side. A few months ago, I tried to update Google Maps with the completion of this Route 9 crossing, and they misinterpreted my request, and mistakenly added the jog underneath the Jamaicaway instead. This made things worse, and not better. Here is what should be displayed:

15ouxbm.png


They have been ignoring my request for update. There is strength in numbers, so please request this be fixed, by clicking "Send Feedback" (I've added a red arrow pointing to it below).

i4nyc4.png


This is a major bike corridor. Currently, because of this incorrect disconnect on Google Maps, cyclists traveling between JP/Mission Hill and Fenway/Brookline are inefficiently routed onto slower, more dangerous routes, such as South Huntington. Many cyclists (such as myself) map their routes using Google Maps, and may not know there is a safer way to travel continuously along the Emerald Necklace across Route 9. For reference:

Opening of new park is new era for Emerald Necklace

Andy Rosen (The Boston Globe) said:
BROOKLINE — Leverett Pond comes to a point just south of Route 9, and the Emerald Necklace narrows along with it, becoming vanishingly thin as the string of parks meets the major thoroughfare that has been one of its most intractable interruptions.

For years, only a small gap in the median strip beckoned walkers and bikers to traverse the traffic and continue along the Muddy River toward the Fenway. But now, a red-brick crosswalk and a new stoplight are there to negotiate between drivers and people using the park system.

The improvement, years in the making, is one of a handful of projects intended to reconnect broken links in the Emerald Necklace, which was designed in the 19th century by Frederick Law Olmsted, then broken into pieces over decades as planners made room for cars.
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This is a way for both drivers and cyclists alike to improve safety with the simple click of a button. We all benefit from cyclists knowing about seperated infrastructure. Drivers (and "E" trains, and 39 buses, etc) don't have to deal with cyclists, and cyclists don't have to deal with cars, buses, or trains. It's a win for everyone. Please take the time to do this, and hopefully we can get this error fixed.

Thank you all very much.
 
Google's new Maps edit process is terrible, I have a <50% success rate trying to get them to add new infrastructure and fix errors.
 
And they still haven't gotten Atlantic Ave right after 10+ years! You'll be going down the street then all of the sudden you're in the tunnel!
 
jass said:
Google Maps is garbage
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Meh. Google Maps covers literally every corner of the Globe. You can drop a little dude on a map and see what it looks like from millions (billions?) of locations all around the planet. Do you realize what an amazing accomplishment that is?

And here we are complaining that they don't 100% accurately depict the route of the bike route along the Emerald Necklace.

People for millennia have devoted their lives to wondering about and exploring the world beyond their homes. And now we have maps and images of the entire planet--all of it--at our fingertips at all times, for free, in all of their high resolution glory. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that Google Maps is one of the most impressive and amazing things ever created by humankind, period.
 
JumboBuc said:
Meh. Google Maps covers literally every corner of the Globe. You can drop a little dude on a map and see what it looks like from millions (billions?) of locations all around the planet. Do you realize what an amazing accomplishment that is?

And here we are complaining that they don't 100% accurately depict the route of the bike route along the Emerald Necklace.

People for millennia have devoted their lives to wondering about and exploring the world beyond their homes. And now we have maps and images of the entire planet--all of it--at our fingertips at all times, for free, in all of their high resolution glory. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that Google Maps is one of the most impressive and amazing things ever created by humankind, period.
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100% agree to this.

(probably because I'm a software developer)
 
JumboBuc said:
Meh. Google Maps covers literally every corner of the Globe. You can drop a little dude on a map and see what it looks like from millions (billions?) of locations all around the planet. Do you realize what an amazing accomplishment that is?

And here we are complaining that they don't 100% accurately depict the route of the bike route along the Emerald Necklace.

People for millennia have devoted their lives to wondering about and exploring the world beyond their homes. And now we have maps and images of the entire planet--all of it--at our fingertips at all times, for free, in all of their high resolution glory. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that Google Maps is one of the most impressive and amazing things ever created by humankind, period.
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Agreed. The point of my post wasn't to complain, but rather make a positive change to improve their product and the "biking in Boston" experience. Let's actually do something (submit feedback to get this problem fixed and cyclists onto the path), rather than debating whether Google Maps is good or bad. As of now, cyclists are being taken for miles on unsafe roads because this gap causes their software to mistakenly believe there is no safer alternative. And this is a major biking route into and out of the city, so it is more important than a minor mistake.

So, please, take the time to report this problem. When you consider the amount of time and money that went into building this connection, the minor investment of clicking the button and submitting feedback is a no brainer. Thank you very much.

REMOVED UNHELPFUL EDIT.

It will be awesome when we fix this problem!
 
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JumboBuc said:
Meh. Google Maps covers literally every corner of the Globe. You can drop a little dude on a map and see what it looks like from millions (billions?) of locations all around the planet. Do you realize what an amazing accomplishment that is?

And here we are complaining that they don't 100% accurately depict the route of the bike route along the Emerald Necklace.

People for millennia have devoted their lives to wondering about and exploring the world beyond their homes. And now we have maps and images of the entire planet--all of it--at our fingertips at all times, for free, in all of their high resolution glory. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that Google Maps is one of the most impressive and amazing things ever created by humankind, period.
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So true - my friend moved to a tiny town in Colombia for a few months and I was stunned to find every street even had google street view - crazy. (A pretty cool stroll down their main drags which run parallel up to the town/church square - a while nother level of dense, street level retail - here - https://www.google.com/maps/place/C...a!3m1!1s0x8e44444245e0fac9:0xc51f070267b26122).

Yes, would be nice to have them be more responsive but human beings still have eyes and shouldn't be too overly reliant on map apps to get around. They're a work in progress, yet. At any rate, i'm glad SOME people trying to notify google... rather than just bitching about it.
 
JumboBuc said:
Meh. Google Maps covers literally every corner of the Globe. You can drop a little dude on a map and see what it looks like from millions (billions?) of locations all around the planet. Do you realize what an amazing accomplishment that is?

And here we are complaining that they don't 100% accurately depict the route of the bike route along the Emerald Necklace.

People for millennia have devoted their lives to wondering about and exploring the world beyond their homes. And now we have maps and images of the entire planet--all of it--at our fingertips at all times, for free, in all of their high resolution glory. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that Google Maps is one of the most impressive and amazing things ever created by humankind, period.
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I mean the issue is that Map Maker worked pretty damn well before. Id submit a bike lane and 2 weeks later, it was in the public map.

Now I have a site that google is still showing as old buildings. These buildings were demolished in 2014. The entire site was flattened. Two new 6 story buildings are in. Google earth imagery shows the before, during and after.

And yet Google Maps still shows the 2014 building layout, even though I have submitted about 17 complaints.

And again, their aerial imagery shows the new stuff, so this isnt a case of he-said she-said.


They took a good system and destroyed it.
 
Two important meetings this week:

South Bay Harbor Trail
Tuesday May 16, 6:30 pm, Mass Bay Credit Union, 147 W 4th St 2nd Floor, South Boston
https://www.boston.gov/calendar/south-bay-harbor-trail-design-public-meeting
The City has a plan for connecting Albany St to the existing trail at Gillette HQ. Most of the plan looks good (it's a multi-use path), but their bike lane plans across the Broadway and W 4th St Bridges are really bizarre. They route eastbound bicyclists over the Broadway Bridge and westbound bicyclists over the W 4th St Bridge. They also provide no way for bicyclists to safely get under I-93 to make local connections.

Rutherford Ave/Sullivan Square
Thursday May 18, 6:30 pm, K of C, 545 Medford St, Charlestown
https://www.boston.gov/calendar/rutherford-ave-sullivan-square-design-project-informational-meeting
City announcing their "preferred" option, which will probably be their new "hybrid" (i.e. underpass 2.0) option. A huge step backward from the surface option the community agreed upon in 2013. Please come and support the surface option, which is better for development, traffic, walkability, bikability, etc.
 
cden4 said:
South Bay Harbor Trail
their bike lane plans across the Broadway and W 4th St Bridges are really bizarre. They route eastbound bicyclists over the Broadway Bridge and westbound bicyclists over the W 4th St Bridge. They also provide no way for bicyclists to safely get under I-93 to make local connections.
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I won't be able to make the meeting, but the bridge routing is bizarre.

I ride this area often, and the only safe way across the surface intersections under I-93 is to walk your bike via the crosswalk cycle. Anything else is a death wish.
 
Going on now:

Initial plans for protected bike lanes to be installed this spring on Brattle Street from Eliot to Mason Street and Mass Ave from Trowbridge to Quincy Street will be on display at the City Hall annex, with city staff present, giving us all an opportunity to weigh in with city staff.

Both of these projects can provide safe connections in and out of Harvard Square as long as they are designed to be two-way (including contra-flow directions). Creating a viable bicycle network in Cambridge will require many such two-way designs, which we need to advocate for early and often.

Since this is an open house, feel free to show up anytime between 5pm and 8pm.
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https://www.facebook.com/events/413960225656586/
 
Walsh just blamed cyclists & pedestrians for getting hit on Boston Public Radio. Also said we can't have cycle tracks in some places because we can't remove a lane when there is only 3 lanes one way (Boylston and Comm Ave. as examples). Then called for an "educational program." He was also proud that 2 of the 47 places the City has identified for VisionZero related changes are funded. He also has no idea whatsoever of what GoBoston2030 is/is aiming to do.

This was a DISASTROUS interview.
 
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