Biking in Boston

George_Apley said:
I assumed it was a Karen, but that works too.
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Ha. I should find a little more forgiveness in my heart for the hard boiled types that typify the outer white neighborhoods, but there’s just a certain way they get right under my skin and activate all my projections... In fairness, I can see how it it could easily be seen as some liberal encroachment to take away parking and just make the life of someone who’s lived there for decades a little harder. Be that as it may, this needs to happen, and I hope to heck it does, soon.
 
I do find it fascinating how political identities really break down at the local level. Some of the people strongly opposing projects like this are likely dyed-in-the-wool Democrats. There's an inherent conservatism that comes with living in a neighborhood for a long time. The suburban, car-centric mindset is also a tough nut to crack for people who grew up in it–or worse–who grew up in a city neighborhood in the '40s-'60s and White-Flighted out with their parents.
 
From Boston Cyclists Union's Facebook page, report that the Longfellow Bridge Inbound has been re-striped to a single general travel lane, a zebra buffer with posts, and a wide-enough-to-pass-while-climbing biking lane:
Longfellow_Bridge_Inbound.jpg
 
Certainly it's more needed on the climb portion, but why narrow the lane after that? The width of the bridge span didn't change, what necessitates giving more pavement to cars at that spot?
 
HenryAlan said:
Certainly it's more needed on the climb portion, but why narrow the lane after that? The width of the bridge span didn't change, what necessitates giving more pavement to cars at that spot?
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I believe that on the downslope into Charles Circle, the two lanes serve to "store" cars as they wait for the light to enter Charles Circle, and sets them up to sort themselves into the left (MGH) straight (Cambridge St), and right (Charles St).

Meanwhile, on the bike side, coasting downhill into Charles Circle produces biking speeds more at parity (and less urgency of passing).

There's still a legit question of "how come the cyclists don't get to be comfortably stored at the stop line the way motor vehicles do?" Cyclists also want to pulse through the intersection on the green, just like motor vehicles.
 
The traffic volumes at Charles Circle necessitate two lanes to get the required throughput on a (traffic-light)cycle. Bikes, being much more space efficient can get the same throughput through an intersection with much less space. I think it's a worthwhile trade-off for the situation at hand.
 
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Ah, I didn't realize the transition included adding a car lane. That actually makes sense, I'm somewhat in favor of that to lessen back-ups. At the end of the bridge, though, bikes should get a priority signal so that they can pass through Charles Circle ahead of the cars.
 
HenryAlan said:
Ah, I didn't realize the transition included adding a car lane. That actually makes sense, I'm somewhat in favor of that to lessen back-ups. At the end of the bridge, though, bikes should get a priority signal so that they can pass through Charles Circle ahead of the cars.
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Hopefully we can get some overall bike improvements at that intersection with the new BTD downtown connection plans. It's always a shame to come off that nice bike lane on the bridge and get tossed in the middle of 5 lanes of merging traffic then struggle uphill on a four lane divided highway that is Cambridge St.
 
#bancars said:
Twitter thread on the bike commuting experience in Boston:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1202311509352812544
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First of all, I am a huge biking advocate. Almost as much a biking advocate as a pedestrian rights advocate. But, right at the end of that video the bike line turns to a shared right turn/bike lane. Shouldn't the person on the bike have gotten into the back of that queue and waited their turn to proceed through the intersection? Isn't passing a queue of cars wanting to turn right on their right just as bad as all the cars that were using bike lane as a vehicle travel lane?
 
C-Town_Jeff said:
First of all, I am a huge biking advocate. Almost as much a biking advocate as a pedestrian rights advocate. But, right at the end of that video the bike line turns to a shared right turn/bike lane. Shouldn't the person on the bike have gotten into the back of that queue and waited their turn to proceed through the intersection? Isn't passing a queue of cars wanting to turn right on their right just as bad as all the cars that were using bike lane as a vehicle travel lane?
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Not sure what video youre referring to, but most states have an exception in the law to allow bikes to pass on the right. Not sure what the MA law says, but one of the issues with bicycle law compliance is that it varies state to state - not the case with 99% of car laws.
 
C-Town_Jeff said:
First of all, I am a huge biking advocate. Almost as much a biking advocate as a pedestrian rights advocate. But, right at the end of that video the bike line turns to a shared right turn/bike lane. Shouldn't the person on the bike have gotten into the back of that queue and waited their turn to proceed through the intersection? Isn't passing a queue of cars wanting to turn right on their right just as bad as all the cars that were using bike lane as a vehicle travel lane?
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Not sure if I have the right video, but the only one I saw that somewhat matches your description involved a shared lane to the left of the bike lane (filled with snow). I think that's for bikes coming from elsewhere, and not normally meant for through riding bikes on Comm Ave. Regardless, the rider is in that lane, but he does not pass anybody, so maybe I have the wrong video. I agree that it's not safe to pass on the right while in a right turn lane. I stay to the left in such lanes, or even move in to the next lane over, depending on circumstance.
 
HenryAlan said:
Not sure if I have the right video, but the only one I saw that somewhat matches your description involved a shared lane to the left of the bike lane (filled with snow). I think that's for bikes coming from elsewhere, and not normally meant for through riding bikes on Comm Ave. Regardless, the rider is in that lane, but he does not pass anybody, so maybe I have the wrong video. I agree that it's not safe to pass on the right while in a right turn lane. I stay to the left in such lanes, or even move in to the next lane over, depending on circumstance.
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I was really confused you guys couldn't find the video because it was the one that popup right at the top of that twitter post when I clicked on it yesterday. I just clicked on it and all the videos in that thread on twitter are different. I can't even find the video I was referencing now to link to. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
 
C-Town_Jeff said:
I was really confused you guys couldn't find the video because it was the one that popup right at the top of that twitter post when I clicked on it yesterday. I just clicked on it and all the videos in that thread on twitter are different. I can't even find the video I was referencing now to link to. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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Looks like it was this tweet:
https://twitter.com/x/status/1184588112137281537
, which is the user's pinned tweet, not in the thread.

Passing on the right is definitely legal, though:
Section 11B. Every person operating a bicycle upon a way, as defined in section one of chapter ninety, shall have the right to use all public ways in the commonwealth except limited access or express state highways where signs specifically prohibiting bicycles have been posted, and shall be subject to the traffic laws and regulations of the commonwealth and the special regulations contained in this section, except that: (1) the bicycle operator may keep to the right when passing a motor vehicle which is moving in the travel lane of the way,
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First paragraph here: https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXIV/Chapter85/Section11b
 
Ah, yes, I have seen that video before. For the most part, it's not a turning lane. The video is showing cars driving in the bus/bike lane. There are a few spots where it briefly becomes a turning lane, but that's not what the cars in it are doing, they are using it for general travel, so I think, as long as he is paying attention, passing on the right is justified.
 
This is a bike/bus lane so I don't know if this question belongs here or in the bus thread:

What level of enforcement is planned for this lane?

Clearly the current setup is not working.
 
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