Biking in Boston

Anyone else waiting for Menino to use this truck-vs-bike accident to further his anti-trucking agenda?
 
I get the feeling the truck driver saw a break in rush hour traffic and floored the accelerator to quickly make the turn. A cyclist going downhill, not expecting to have a tractor trailer turn from the left lane in front of them wouldn't have much time to brake. Either that or the cyclists was close enough to think he couldn't stop in time and thought it best to try to beat the truck through the intersection.

Either way at 200lbs vs. 20,000 someone is going to lose badly.
 
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Not necessarily related to Biking in Boston but if the US can somehow change their perspective of bikes to be the same as those in China, bikes may become the new hip thing.

What wealthy Chinese want for Christmas: a bike

HONG KONG - Rich Chinese are buying bicycles that cost more than the average citizen makes in three years, motivated by nostalgia for the days when two wheels were the primary means of transport.

China is now the world's biggest auto market, but high-end bike sales are expected to grow by 10 percent a year as they become a status symbol for wealthy executives.

Yu Yiqun, the creative director at an advertising company in the Chinese capital, cycles to work on his favorite bike - a 100,000 yuan ($16,000) hand-made Alex Moulton.

"It might be the only one in Beijing. It's like the Rolls-Royce of bicycles. Very classical, purely hand-made," said the 40-year-old Yu, who has about 35 high-end bikes.

"I remember my father used to ride me to the city in the winter - about 40 km and minus 30 degrees centigrade. Back then, it was a means of transport that fulfilled your dream of travelling afar, which was relatively cheap but required brawn."

Yu symbolizes a new bike culture in China, where wealthy, health-conscious executives are upgrading their lifestyle, in some cases abandoning flashy cars and taking to the road on high-end bicycles that can cost more than a car.

"Demand for mainstream luxury items such as premium cars, watches has come to a point of saturation. High-income groups now turn to high-end bikes to show off the uniqueness in taste and healthy lifestyle," said Zhou Jiannong, general manager of Rbike Networks Ltd in China.

Analysts estimate about 10 percent annual growth in the Chinese bicycle market over the next few years, with the high-end segment forecast to grow by as much as 15 percent a year.

Companies are also getting in on the act, with a Hong Kong-based supplier taking an order for 1,000 pricey bikes from a Chinese financial firm as a year-end bonus for employees.

"People are sick of conventional gifts such as wines and tobacco. For mainlanders, a bike is a great gift that shows your unique lifestyle," said Adam Wong, managing director at Hong Kong's Komda Bicycles.

Wong declined to name the bank that had ordered the bikes, but he said they had an average price tag of 3,000 yuan ($480).

Fashion statement
Fashion label Shanghai Tang, eager for a slice of this growing pie, teamed up with Dutch bike maker Colossi Cycling to make bicycles aimed specifically at China, where bike demand is estimated at about 28 million units a year

"The high-end sector is going to be the major source of growth in the Chinese market. In China, bikes are more than just a means of transportation. It has become a fashion," said Terry Liu, an analyst at Fubon Research in Taiwan.

It can cost up to HK$300,000 ($38,700) for an imported limited edition of expensive brands such as Italy's Colnago or France's Look, nearly 100 times the price of a Flying Pigeon, China's official bike since it was born in 1950.

But the cost as no object for many high-income Chinese looking for the best two-wheeled vehicle.

"For businessmen, they are not looking at the price. They are looking at the quality. They assemble their bike with import components in accordance to their taste and needs," said Zhang Lei, a director of a Zhuhai paper products supplier, who plans to spend 10,000 yuan to upgrade his current bike.

Yu, the advertising executive in Beijing, has orders in for four more hand-made bikes, expanding his vast collection which includes brands such as Trek, Bianchi and Colnago.

He and his wife have two cars but he says he doesn't drive.

"I always bring my bike when I go on a business trip," Yu said. "When I go to Harbin, I bring a small, folding bicycle since it's easier for me to get around the city. When I go to Dalian, I bring a bigger bike since it's a mountainous city."
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http://www.nbcnews.com/business/wha...wealthy-chinese-want-christmas-bike-1C7660218
 
Planet Southie hears plan for cycle track along West and East Broadway

Members of the neighborhood group Planet Southie discussed ways to foster friendlier roadways in South Boston.

Mike Tremblay, a transportation engineer, appeared before the group Thursday night to present an idea he developed while studying at Northeastern University.

The plan calls for creating a cycle track on East and West Broadway, the reengineering of parking along the thoroughfare, and expanded sidewalks.

While many of those in attendance were interested in the project, the plan it is not currently being reviewed by the city, it is not funded, nor has it been formally proposed.

“This is food for thought, to continue the conversation on safe transit in South Boston,” said Stefanie Valovic, a founding member of Planet Southie.

Thursday’s conversation is especially timely; a cyclist was killed on West Broadway last year.

Tremblay’s plan would create a two-way cycle track (an enclosed bike lane) from L Street all the way to Broadway Station on one side of West and East Broadway.

The track would have a lane for each direction of bike traffic and would be separated from the cars with some sort of physical barrier.

Cycle tracks have been popular for years in Europe because they take bikes out of the traffic and encourage ridership. They have recently been popping up across the United States and in Boston.

In addition to adding the cycle track to the roadway, East Broadway would be cut down to one lane on either side, crosswalk lengths would be reduced, and back-in diagonal parking would replace parallel spaces.

All this would reduce double-parking on the roadway, create a safer biking environment, and stimulate a more “downtown” feeling along West and East Broadway, according to Tremblay.

“We wanted to make it [East and West Broadway] into more of a destination design and not just a highway,” Tremblay said. “We found that two [driving] lanes on East Broadway is enough. Essentially, you have a double-parking lane along East Broadway now.”

While the cycle track is a benefit to bikers, Tremblay said that it would also prompt other changes in the neighborhood.

With the reduction of the driving lanes on East Broadway, Tremblay said the sidewalks could be expanded to allow restaurants to have more space for cafes and encourage more pedestrians in the neighborhood.

“We’d be able to widen the sidewalk quite a bit, which would help make it feel more pedestrian friendly,” he said. “With that kind of atmosphere it becomes a destination.”

The cycle track could also be a benefit to those driving in the neighborhood. Not only would it physically separate bikes and cars, but light signals for bikes would be installed at intersections to further reinforce existing bike traffic laws.

”Were there any solutions for solving the Boston to South Boston connection?” asked Dan Ferraro, a South Boston resident.

While a connection to Boston for bikes from the neighborhood was not directly addressed both Tremblay and Valovic saw any work on safer biking in the neighborhood would lead to better connections.

“This is just the beginning of a conversation and it’s nice to know there are some solutions to our road issues,” said Valovic.

Valovic after the meeting that with all the development in South Boston from construction near Broadway Station to East Second Street and H Street, conversations about transit are especially relevant.

“How do we anticipate the incoming development and how do we ensure it’s built with transit common sense?” said Valovic. “This is an exploration of creative use, opens up the conversation, and connects interested people.”

Planet Southie meets on the fourth Thursday of every month from 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. at The Distillery Building offices located at 516 East Second St.
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http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/south_boston/2013/01/hold_planet_southie_talks_west.html
 
Interesting use of diagonal parking to reduce the incidence of double parking... But Im curious if that really works? Cleveland Circle on the westbound side of Beacon is a biking disaster because of it although admittedly there's no separate cycle track/lane there.
 
He's proposing back-in diagonal parking which is supposed to be safer.
 
Bow Street in Union Square, Somerville, has back-in diagonal parking. Adding it made room for a bike lane.
 
Shepard said:
Interesting use of diagonal parking to reduce the incidence of double parking... But Im curious if that really works? Cleveland Circle on the westbound side of Beacon is a biking disaster because of it although admittedly there's no separate cycle track/lane there.
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Even with my backup camera, it's virtually impossible to see cars or bicyclists there, I really despise the way that parking area is set up.
 
DC has begun yet another round of bike share expansion, adding three new stations to welcome February.

Meanwhile, Hubway was taken out on account of all these blizzards we keep get----oh, right.
 
DC's typical February weather is warmer than Boston's. In any event, Hubway made statements last year that they'd like to stay open next winter in Boston.
 
Ron Newman said:
DC's typical February weather is warmer than Boston's. In any event, Hubway made statements last year that they'd like to stay open next winter in Boston.
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Temperature has nothing to do with it Ron. Even when its 20 degrees, youll see many people in Boston on bikes (although not me, Ill tale the bus). Incidentally, while its 31 in Boston right now, its 29 in DC. The temperature isnt that different.

The only issue involves snow and snow plows which is why I argue that they should only remove the stations where that is an issue....and only when its clear there will be considerable snow. There hasnt been this year, nor was there last year in December/January.

Most stations should be off the street anyway.
 
I noticed today that the Minuteman Bikeway isn't lit at all at night. Seems like it should be at least between Arlington Center and Alewife Station. Is this a funding/NIMBY issue, or is this common with urban-ish bike paths?
 
Ron Newman said:
In any event, Hubway made statements last year that they'd like to stay open next winter in Boston.
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Yes, they were gauging public interest in winter operation via the end-of-year polls they sent out to the members.
 
I agree, it would be a travesty if they couldn't find a way to stay open, at least at partial capacity, through the winter. The issue is that many stations are on the street and that fucks with the plows during plowable events. No we haven't had much snow, but there still have been times when issues may have been posed. There were plowable storms on December 29, January 16, January 26, and chances are Sunday will be another plowable event. No these were not major storms, but the stations that are in the street can not be there during those events.

What I think should happen is that any station that is in the street should either
a) be moved to a nearby, off street alternative permanently if possible
b) be moved to a nearby, off street alternative temporarily either seasonally or when there is an impending storm
or c) IF no alternative exists (unlikely) be taken away either seasonally or when a storm is due

And any station that is not in the street should STAY OPEN YEAR ROUND.

EDIT: For the record, I define a "plowable event" as a storm that produces over 2 inches of snow in a day according to accuweather.com in either Boston, Cambridge, Somerville or Brookline.

Washington, DC has had no plowable events this winter and on average has much wider sidewalks/streets than Boston, and less snow.
 
Hubway is renting the parking meters, right? Doesn't that mean the city can plow around them like they would any curb bump and making clearing the station Hubway's responsibility?
 
bbfen said:
Hubway is renting the parking meters, right? Doesn't that mean the city can plow around them like they would any curb bump and making clearing the station Hubway's responsibility?
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It's not a problem of someone/the city clearing out the stations. It's the matter of when the city cleans out the road, the plows will undoubtedly smash into the Hubway docks and signage by accident.
 
From my time in D.C., I'm pretty certain all of the Capital Bikeshare stations are on sidewalks, and not on streets.
 
BussesAin'tTrains said:
I noticed today that the Minuteman Bikeway isn't lit at all at night. Seems like it should be at least between Arlington Center and Alewife Station. Is this a funding/NIMBY issue, or is this common with urban-ish bike paths?
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Id assume its a bit of both. Its a public safety issue, it should be lit.

bbfen said:
Hubway is renting the parking meters, right? Doesn't that mean the city can plow around them like they would any curb bump and making clearing the station Hubway's responsibility?
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While the original RFP required the operator to pay for lost meter revenue, Im unsure if the final contract required that or gave the space for free. The initial RFP had no public money - what was eventually signed was moslty public money.

datadyne007 said:
It's not a problem of someone/the city clearing out the stations. It's the matter of when the city cleans out the road, the plows will undoubtedly smash into the Hubway docks and signage by accident.
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Yes, the plows would destroy or at the very least bury them unless strong bollards were installed.

wicked said:
From my time in D.C., I'm pretty certain all of the Capital Bikeshare stations are on sidewalks, and not on streets.
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The majority are. There are exceptions, like Georgetown.
 
2011-12 winter in Boston was largely snowless, and 2012-13 so far seems similar, but think back to 2010-11. This is fundamentally unpredictable.
 
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