Biking in Boston

[34f34f]

The South Massachusetts Avenue Corridor Safety Improvements Project is beginning in Cambridge:
https://www.cambridgema.gov/news/de...cial&utm_source=sprout&utm_content=1540333807

The surface between Sidney and Albany is already being tilled, and construction should take about 2 weeks.

 

[FK4]

^Nice. It was actually reading about this project, and the comments of residents leading up to this, that led to my tirade.

 

[cden4]

To the best of my knowledge, Mayor Walsh trashed the Boston Bike Network Plan.

 

[Randomgear]

To the best of my knowledge, Mayor Walsh trashed the Boston Bike Network Plan.

Vineet Gupta, senior planner at BTD, announced its demise during the BTD Budget Hearing two years ago.
The new plan is the Better Bike Corridors plan on pages 152/153 in the GoBoston 2030 full report.
Can't seem to figure out how to post just the plan.

Here's the link to the entire 158mb report, at the bottom of the page where it says "Download the Action Plan": https://www.boston.gov/departments/transportation/go-boston-2030

 

[FK4]

Interesting document. I see they’re still preserving a lot of the routes... and “extension of the SWC” to MGH is much needed.... but I think the main bike route should be on Columbus starting at Ruggles since the SWC is basically unusable after that for biking other than slow leisure rides.

 

[JeffDowntown]

Interesting document. I see they’re still preserving a lot of the routes... and “extension of the SWC” to MGH is much needed.... but I think the main bike route should be on Columbus starting at Ruggles since the SWC is basically unusable after that for biking other than slow leisure rides.

Yes, I am not sure I get the SWC to MGH extension. Don't you get that connection by making Mass Ave in Boston a decent bike corridor? SWC to Mass Ave to Charles River Bike Paths?

SWC, Back Bay/South End line is really not designed with any bike space.

 

[FK4]

Yes, I am not sure I get the SWC to MGH extension. Don't you get that connection by making Mass Ave in Boston a decent bike corridor? SWC to Mass Ave to Charles River Bike Paths?

SWC, Back Bay/South End line is really not designed with any bike space.

Technically, yes, but it's not a good connection for a couple of reasons:

First, no matter what you do for safety, Mass Ave is always going to be busy, with lots of lights, start-stop, tons of pedestrians and lots of turning cars. If I can avoid Mass Ave, I will always avoid Mass Ave. But don't get me wrong: it definitely needs safety improvements and should also be a major and safe N-S conduit for bikes, ASAP. Second, the ramp from Mass to the river path is annoying and the river path itself, although, very beautiful, is not my preferred route if Im trying to be efficient. And the city shouldn't be telling people coming from the southwest that the river, way up north, is the sole east-west conduit for people who are really trying to go SW-NE. I spent many years biking to MGH from JP and the quickest route is SWC->Columbus, then left on Charles and yes, I just biked against traffic on the main portion of Charles St.

Lastly, Charles St is ridiculously wide for its entire length, both sides of Boylston, and the city has long had a plan to put cycle tracks on it, at least from Boylston to Charles/MGH Station. Factoring in that Columbus is a generally less-used roadway (lots of redundancy with Tremont, Harrison, Washington etc) and a direct continuation, direction-wise, of SWC, makes this a roadway screaming for being made into a major bike route from the SW urban suburbs into downtown.

 

[JeffDowntown]

Technically, yes, but it's not a good connection for a couple of reasons:

First, no matter what you do for safety, Mass Ave is always going to be busy, with lots of lights, start-stop, tons of pedestrians and lots of turning cars. If I can avoid Mass Ave, I will always avoid Mass Ave. But don't get me wrong: it definitely needs safety improvements and should also be a major and safe N-S conduit for bikes, ASAP. Second, the ramp from Mass to the river path is annoying and the river path itself, although, very beautiful, is not my preferred route if Im trying to be efficient. And the city shouldn't be telling people coming from the southwest that the river, way up north, is the sole east-west conduit for people who are really trying to go SW-NE. I spent many years biking to MGH from JP and the quickest route is SWC->Columbus, then left on Charles and yes, I just biked against traffic on the main portion of Charles St.

Lastly, Charles St is ridiculously wide for its entire length, both sides of Boylston, and the city has long had a plan to put cycle tracks on it, at least from Boylston to Charles/MGH Station. Factoring in that Columbus is a generally less-used roadway (lots of redundancy with Tremont, Harrison, Washington etc) and a direct continuation, direction-wise, of SWC, makes this a roadway screaming for being made into a major bike route from the SW urban suburbs into downtown.

Great explanation.

The City is going to have to do some serious bike infrastructure on Columbus and Charles to keep double parked cars out of the bike lane (for all its width, Charles really only drives as one lane in the middle through Beacon Hill). I assume it would have to be a real, separated cycle track (which would be nice!).

 

[FK4]

Great explanation.

The City is going to have to do some serious bike infrastructure on Columbus and Charles to keep double parked cars out of the bike lane (for all its width, Charles really only drives as one lane in the middle through Beacon Hill). I assume it would have to be a real, separated cycle track (which would be nice!).

Columbus, yes. But I would guess that it wont be too far in the future that the cobbled median will be removed and we'll have a flexpost-protected system there.

As for Charles, I think it's Connect Historic Boston that's advocating for a full cycletrack around the entire Public Garden, so don't worry, the more tourism-driver prone area of this route is going to be fully separated.

 

[HenryAlan]

There is more detail on the SWC to MGH project on page 174. They aren't talking about the park with the same name, just a route that largely passes through the park. It looks like the plan is extending protected lanes on Columbus to Park Square, then down Charles to Cambridge St. I don't know whether that means a contra flow lane or an anticipated re-designation of directions on Cambridge St. Either way, that is indeed the ideal route, just as FK4 lays it out above. It's straight, direct, and on roads wide enough to support good bike infrastructure.

 

[FK4]

Henry, thanks - I had looked at that page, but on my phone so I didn’t see the map in any great detail. Since I think you are in Roslindale, where I recently moved to, I would add that I was excited to see on this city document references to the Arboretum path into Roslindale Sq.

Re contraflow, I think you meant Charles not Cambridge... and, yes, that has always been the plan for the long term. I get mixed up between the various proposals by nonprofits and the city itself, but a two way cycle track on Charles is definitely going to be the plan, from what I remember.

 

[greenlinetobrooklyn]

I rode down Boylston this morning between Mass Ave and Ring after it was set up for the parade, and boy was it nice being on a two lane road rather than the four+ clusterfutz it is usually. When is the city actually going to do something about Boylston?

 

[shmessy]

Horrible news this morning of a fatality in an area well-known to be difficult for bicyclists:

https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2...eum-science/RO8nIZod95n7WOSEqybClK/story.html

 

[stevebikes]

I can't quite believe we are getting a "woonerf"!

From the website:

"Joy Street

Though a small roadway, Joy Street represents the only direct connection across Beacon Hill from the Boston Common to Cambridge Street. This project rebuilds Joy Street as a shared roadway without curbs, (in Dutch, a woonerf), which slows vehicular traffic and improves the environment for pedestrians. A particular focus of this part of the job is to ease walking access to the Boston African-American National Historic Site which hosts a half million visitors each year."

Marvel at the Joy Street woonerf:

The raising/repaving stopped there.

 

[stevebikes]

For your "no one bikes in winter" files:

 

[Shepard]

Winter, so you say... Next time we're going to need to see a newspaper in the shot to confirm the date ;>

 

[fattony]

Winter, so you say... Next time we're going to need to see a newspaper in the shot to confirm the date ;>

It would have to be one from the future as winter doesn't start for a few more days...

 

[jass]

Marvel at the Joy Street woonerf:
.

Jesus.

"Bob, we're going to get sued, this sidewalk isnt ADA compliant"
"Just put up a sign that the street is ok"
"Genius!"

 

[stefal]

Jesus.

"Bob, we're going to get sued, this sidewalk isnt ADA compliant"
"Just put up a sign that the street is ok"
"Genius!"

Yeah, they really didn't follow through here. Every woonerf I've seen has no asphalt anywhere. The "roadway" is either the same material as the sidewalk or a similar pedestrian friendly walkway material. This street still reads as if pedestrians must keep to the sidewalks and cars have the full road, no matter what that sign says...

 

[HenryAlan]

For your "no one bikes in winter" files:

Yep, the SW corridor path was even fairly crowded around 8:30 this morning, despite the cold and blustery winds. No reason not to bike year round.