Biking in Boston

[MBTAddict]

Boylston Street in the Back Bay will be dropping a travel lane for a cycle-track, some dedicated loading zones, and curb extensions in the near future. The current and projected traffic volume doesn't warrant maintaining three travel lanes.

Will it be for two-way bike traffic or just eastbound? if they are dropping a whole lane they should have room for east- and westbound bike traffic.

 

[bbfen]

West-bound cycle traffic on Boylston? No way. Isn't the point to make things better? It's already done illegally and is very unsafe. Idiot drivers can't share the road so the lawyers dream up nanny state spray-painted dedicated zones that make the pedestrian experience even worse. Ride your bike with the flow of traffic on Newbury or even better Comm Ave. Removing the dedicated loading zones is also a stupid idea.

Is there a source on this?

 

[MBTAddict]

If it was a two way cycle track, then the west bound bikers would only be going against the traffic of the east bound bikers, separating them from the vehicle traffic heading east bound.

 

[ant8904]

Until then, I will continue to take the lane so I don't get pushed into a parked car when the lincoln navigator riding my ass decides they HAVE to race to the red light 200 feet ahead even though there is a schoolbus bearing down in the opposite lane a foot over the yellow line.

I think MassMotorist point was in situations when there is no parked car on the right side and the biker still takes the whole lane scenario. It is not necessarily 2 lanes wide, but there is plenty of space to be on the right side safe and reasonably. That does happen and happen quite a bit.

 

[davem]

A two way cycle track on Boylston would be AMAZING. They would just have to make sure to do it right, with dedicated bike signals. I'm suprized there hasn't been a stronger push for such devices recently.

I think MassMotorist point was in situations when there is no parked car on the right side and the biker still takes the whole lane scenario. It is not necessarily 2 lanes wide, but there is plenty of space to be on the right side safe and reasonably. That does happen and happen quite a bit.

There is always the potential for this:

And of course this:

I almost had a crushed water bottle kill me while braking one day because my front wheel locked up and skid on it... into traffic. BUTTTTTTT for the most part its just a biker being an idiot. I for one (especially the rare occasion I break the law and go the wrong way down a one-way) will coast with one pedal up over the curb to let traffic pass if need be as long as it is safe to do so.

As a side note, here are I believe the rules that should be followed when going the wrong way:
1) Only do so if the legal path is long, convoluted, or far more dangerous than the illegal route.
2) Only do so on lightly trafficked one-ways.
3) Ride on the RIGHT, and stay as close to the side as possible.
4) Slow and yield to everything. No one expects you to be coming the wrong way, remember that.
5) Never obstruct traffic. You're already breaking the law, don't block traffic to boot. Take the sidewalk if oncoming traffic seems to be nervous, or stop and wait.

Rant: I got into a screaming match with some spandex $2000 bike guy while driving the other day because he felt that being on the left side of a one way, making a left, and not stopping at the intersection was perfectly okay to do. Its the same as the assholes riding BMX bikes the wrong way in the bike lane down Harvard Ave, how does this ever occur to be a good idea to anyone?

 

[bbfen]

As a side note, here are I believe the rules that should be followed when going the wrong way:
... Take the sidewalk if oncoming traffic seems to be nervous, or stop and wait.

Pedestrians everywhere thank you. For riding. On the sidewalk.

 

[davem]

Pedestrians everywhere thank you. For riding. On the sidewalk.

I meant for the length of time it takes for a car to pass. And if there are pedestrians on the sidewalk you GTFO your bike.

 

[omaja]

Does Boylston (or Beacon, for that matter) really need to be one-way, anyway? Seems like converting the part at least west of Tremont to a two-lane two-way street with bike lanes and parking/loading zones would function just fine.

 

[Kahta]

Perhaps cyclists should stop ignoring crosswalks-- I've had many to hold myself back many times to not to shoulder check them when they almost run me over as they drive through a red light.

 

[massmotorist]

Does Boylston (or Beacon, for that matter) really need to be one-way, anyway? Seems like converting the part at least west of Tremont to a two-lane two-way street with bike lanes and parking/loading zones would function just fine.

Municipalities are issued blanket authority by MassDOT to set up one-way restrictions on roads even if there's plenty of room for two-way traffic. They should put a permit requirement in place. It wouldn't be difficult to get a permit, but you'd have to show some kind of justification.

 

[underground]

Perhaps cyclists should stop ignoring crosswalks.

Yeah! Why can't they be more like pedestrians and drivers who've never broken a rule once!

 

[Matthew]

Sometimes I also wonder if I could handle a collision with a cyclist and come out well. So far hasn't happened, thankfully! Closest was in NYC actually, with one of those crazy bicycle delivery assholes.

On a side note, speaking of rule breaking, I was standing on the corner of Harvard and Brighton the other evening when a BMW made a left turn and pulled up in front of me to pick up some girl standing next to me. The strange part was that I was standing on the left side of Harvard. And I noticed that the light was green on Harvard, meaning the driver went through the red. Furthermore, there was a police car just pulling up on Brighton Avenue. I think the cop paused in astonishment before putting on his lights. The BMW even attempted to innocently creep away, driving on the wrong side of the road, until the sirens blared.

That is the first time I've seen someone get pulled over there, and it took two infractions directly in the front of a traffic cop. I guess it's good to know that Massholes can only get away with so much.

 

[Ron Newman]

As a side note, here are I believe the rules that should be followed when going the wrong way:

You left out the most important one. USE A HEADLIGHT if doing this at night.

 

[Kahta]

Yeah! Why can't they be more like pedestrians and drivers who've never broken a rule once!

I dont regularly ignore traffic control devices, drive on sidewalks, or almost hit pedestrians.

Unless I'm in my BMW.

 

[omaja]

That is the first time I've seen someone get pulled over there, and it took two infractions directly in the front of a traffic cop. I guess it's good to know that Massholes can only get away with so much.

Brighton police are atrociously lax most of the time. There should be a hell of a lot more ticketing all around the area - way, way, way too much jaywalking, horrific biking, and awful driving habits. Throw a trolley or bus into the mix and it's a truly unpleasant place to navigate regardless of your mode of transportation.

 

[Matthew]

Yea.. jaywalking... that's the problem. Right.

Remember that time when the guy totally walked through the light and nearly crushed me?

 

[gooseberry]

Jaywalking is the right of every Bostonian because the crossing lights almost never work. You would be standing at some intersections for the rest of your life waiting your turn. Also in places like the Back Bay with it's long ass blocks, it makes no sense to go all the way to the corner to cross. I however refuse to run across the street in front of cars like I see some people do. I wait until there's plenty of time to cross without making a car with the right of way stop. I'm not a squirrel.

Is this thread about biking? Oh yeah... Boston needs more bike racks. Since they replaced the meters with those pay boxes in a lot of places, there's nowhere to lock your bike. You end up riding around the block looking for a place to park. You might as well be in a car.

 

[massmotorist]

Jaywalking is something, like speeding, that is usually harmless and rarely understood.

For example, did you know if there isn't a marked crosswalk within 300 feet, it's perfectly legal to cross - it just means the pedestrian has to yield the right of way to vehicles rather than vice versa? And since cops aren't going to crack out a measuring tape, in the real world the threshold is much less than 300.

And if you're at a light that doesn't have a crosswalk, you can cross when there's a green light in the direction you're traveling, again, as long as you yield the right of way to motorists.

A good rule of thumb is, if crossing won't make a motorist brake, you're fine to cross.

 

[davem]

Boston needs more bike racks. Since they replaced the meters with those pay boxes in a lot of places, there's nowhere to lock your bike. You end up riding around the block looking for a place to park. You might as well be in a car.

Something like this could be cool:
http://www.bikepark.auto-mart.hr/

 

[Ron Newman]

Removal of parking meters is a big problem for cyclists. I've done my best on the Bicycle Committee to persuade Somerville not to go in this direction for street meters. (They have removed meters in municipal parking lots, replacing them with central pay stations.)