Biking in Boston

[lainpimicaja]

How many linear feet of protected bike lanes have been installed since Mayor Wu's announcement 9 months ago?

The mayor announced 9 miles of bike lanes end of last year and there's been a lot of open houses and community walks for them but it sounds like they've been getting the same-old bikelash from Boston NIMBY's. They put in South Huntington earlier this spring, but hopefully the rest of them get striped soon.

 

[HenryAlan]

The West Roxbury Centre St. lanes (a side benefit of the road diet) are supposed to happen in August or September. I think the 9 miles will happen as quick build, after the community vetting venting process is completed.

 

[king_vibe]

The West Roxbury Centre St. lanes (a side benefit of the road diet) are supposed to happen in August or September. I think the 9 miles will happen as quick build, after the community vetting venting process is completed.

So, never?

 

[king_vibe]

Also I believe there already was a community review process called "voting." It happened awhile ago.

 

[HenryAlan]

@king_vibe,

Not sure if you're being glib or if that's a serious comment. On the chance of the latter, no, that's not at all what I meant. The Mayor has been pretty clear at the meetings I've attended that these things are happening. She has described the community input process as not one geared toward making a yes or no decision, but instead serves the purpose of refining the project and informing stakeholders. She has staked out the position that the engineers are experts and the city is going to follow through with these plans.

And to be clear, I support the way she has framed this question. That's why I used strike through text on the word vetting and replaced it with venting.

 

[king_vibe]

@king_vibe,

Not sure if you're being glib or if that's a serious comment. On the chance of the latter, no, that's not at all what I meant. The Mayor has been pretty clear at the meetings I've attended that these things are happening. She has described the community input process as not one geared toward making a yes or no decision, but instead serves the purpose of refining the project and informing stakeholders. She has staked out the position that the engineers are experts and the city is going to follow through with these plans.

And to be clear, I support the way she has framed this question. That's why I used strike through text on the word vetting and replaced it with venting.

I am being glib. I was blown away to see that Berkeley Street meetings were still going on. This work could have been done in a weekend 9 months ago.

 

[HenryAlan]

I am being glib. I was blown away to see that Berkeley Street meetings were still going on. This work could have been done in a weekend 9 months ago.

Yes and no. I asked Jascha Franklin-Hodge recently about the timing of projects, and he basically said they are moving as quickly as staffing resources allow. So, in theory, many of these projects are ready to go. But in reality, they can't be done because final planning tweeks, equipment scheduling, etc. aren't done and won't be for a while.

 

[hipster_garbage]

Majority of the painting is done for the new bike lanes in Medford on Mystic/South/Winthrop. Unfortunately I had to open a SeeClickFix ticket with the city because they painted the decals on backwards on the contraflow bike lane on South St. Mildly annoying but hopefully easy enough to fix.

 

[ritchiew]

The Hampshire St. repaving and redesign has started in Cambridge. Most of a mile of fully protected bike lanes should be there by the end of the month.
It's not part of my usual route but I went by yesterday at rush hour and it was wild to see just how many bikers use that route (even with the street now partially ripped up)

City of Cambridge Begins Hampshire Street Protected Bike Lane Installation - Streetsblog Massachusetts

The City of Cambridge will repave Hampshire Street between Inman and Kendall Squares this week in preparation for new protected bike lanes through of the region’s busiest bike-commuting corridors. The quick-build project will also connect several other bike infrastructure projects to provide a...

mass.streetsblog.org

https://www.cambridgema.gov/-/media/Files/Traffic/2023/hampshirest/openhouse2materials/hampshirerollplan_forwebsite.jpg

 

[HenryAlan]

Yeah, there is a ton of bike traffic on that route, this will be a huge improvement. Interestingly, I rode Hampshire from Columbia St. to Broadway on Monday, and saw no sign of any activity, but will definitely look for it next time I ride through there.

 

[ritchiew]

next time I ride through there.

Just be prepared to maybe walk your bike down the sidewalk most of the way. Some folks were still trying to bike down the ground-up, asphalt-less street, but it looked like a rough ride. At least there were no cars, I guess.

 

[hipster_garbage]

I went down Beacon/Hampshire to work this morning and the milled pavement looked a lot worse than it actually was. I didn't really notice riding over it on 32c gravel tires. But I was also only going 10 mph behind a construction truck.

 

[ceo]

I bike commuted on Beacon and Hampshire for several years. Pretty sure it's the busiest on-road bike route in the state. Those lanes will be a huge improvement, but I'm sure everyone who lives there will howl about the loss of parking, and not without some justification.

 

[RandomWalk]

I finally took my bike on the Community Path Extension. That bridge is a thigh burner.

 

[#bancars]

I finally took my bike on the Community Path Extension. That bridge is a thigh burner.

It is great with an e-bike! The CPX is so hilly that it's almost like a textbook example of where e-bikes come in handy.

 

[ritchiew]

That bridge is a thigh burner

Heck yeah. I like the community path, but some things like this are pretty bad flaws.
Is the grade so steep just because a shorter bridge is cheaper, and they took the cheap route? Or is there some other reason this has to be so steep?

 

[lexicon506]

Heck yeah. I like the community path, but some things like this are pretty bad flaws.
Is the grade so steep just because a shorter bridge is cheaper, and they took the cheap route? Or is there some other reason this has to be so steep?

Is this such a bad thing? The burn means you're not only getting to where you need to go but getting some *actual* exercise doing so. I've biked the bridge and a person of just average fitness at any age should be able to do it easily at their own speed. And if you do it enough times it'll only get easier.

 

[DAVE]

Is this such a bad thing? The burn means you're not only getting to where you need to go but getting some *actual* exercise doing so. I've biked the bridge and a person of just average fitness at any age should be able to do it easily at their own speed. And if you do it enough times it'll only get easier.

I think if its meant to be a route for people to use to commute or just do casual trips to places, then yeah its not a great thing. I'd rather not have to show up places covered in sweat lmao

 

[RandomWalk]

It’s at the maximum slope allowed by MCAB without landings, which made it cheaper to construct with the off-the-shelf truss bridge.

I’m waiting for the drains to clog in the middle of the winter and ice sheets to form from the run-off down the slopes.

 

[lexicon506]

Feels like we're blowing things way out of proportion... it's some minor elevation, not Boston's own Everest. Still falls squarely into the "casual/commuting" category, just not the "I don't even want to pedal" category.