Biking in Boston

[HenryAlan]

No photo, but I observed (last evening) some of the new implementation of parking protected bike lanes on Columbus Avenue between Arlington and Clarendon. The implementation process is a mess!

Painting of new parking spaces in the former right travel lanes are in place, but they overlap previous markings on the road (that were not blacked out). Signage is minimal so far (as far as I could see in the evening conditions). Hence Boston drivers, being Boston drivers, were parking in both the new parking spaces and at the curb, somewhat at random along the blocks, sometimes both at the same time (stacked parking, blocking the curb cars in, what driver thinks that is intended ). Cyclists were weaving through a maze of parked and moving cars. Intention gets a B, implementation gets a D- at best.

I don't think it's fair to criticize a work in progress as though it should already be complete. This tweet has several pictures showing what you describe, but it's very unlikely it will still look that way once the construction is complete.

https://x.com/PetruSofio/status/1725294632651612288?s=20

 

[cburns]

Avid rider as I've mentioned before and Berkeley is part of my daily route; thrilled about this change and this stretch is a drag strip most mornings.

One thing I've wondered about is why they couldn't move the signposts into the hashed area with something more substantial of a divider/ barrier. I don't know if signage relocation would require the hardscape treatment that Tremont St got between Mass Ave and Arlington, but it seems like it would help with the confusion, no?

 

[JeffDowntown]

I don't think it's fair to criticize a work in progress as though it should already be complete. This tweet has several pictures showing what you describe, but it's very unlikely it will still look that way once the construction is complete.

https://x.com/PetruSofio/status/1725294632651612288?s=20

That picture of Berkeley Street is way more orderly than the clusterfuck I saw on Columbus last evening.

Work in progress including some barrels and temporary signage on the barrels would be in order. It is how construction zones are typically managed (this was not being managed at all).

 

[cden4]

CONES. Just put cones in the buffer until flex posts arrive. They FINALLY did this on Tremont St after people complained for months and months.

 

[ritchiew]

CONES. Just put cones in the buffer until flex posts arrive. They FINALLY did this on Tremont St after people complained for months and months.

Yeah, I went biking down Tremont in the South End yesterday and it was great. All the paint is down, including green, plus the cones. I biked from Mass Ave to the Pike and back. the lanes are clear the whole way... except for the very last half block where they forgot to put cones up, I guess.

One problem though is this was after the rain and there were a few big puddles in the bike lane that didn't look like they'd drain anywhere. This is a totally newly paved street, and in parts it still just drains into pools in the bike lane. That could have been better.

 

[sneijder]

I don't think it's fair to criticize a work in progress as though it should already be complete. This tweet has several pictures showing what you describe, but it's very unlikely it will still look that way once the construction is complete.

https://x.com/PetruSofio/status/1725294632651612288?s=20

This is awesome progress, and shows how much work there still is to do across Back Bay. Seems like every street is 3 lanes of cars mixed with parking on both sides. Dartmouth and/or Clarendon needs the same treatment, Newbury should be closed to delivery vehicles only, and Boylston needs a bi-direcitonal lane. And for the love of christ please get that Beacon St separated lane resurfaced so it's actually usable for bikes without a full suspension.

On the positive side, it's great to see them giving extra width to the bike lane & buffer when the space is available. That allows for easy and safe passing and future-proofing for higher bike volumes.

 

[lainpimicaja]

Looks like those Berkeley St lanes and part of Columbus Ave lanes are shaping up well: https://mass.streetsblog.org/2023/11/20/eyes-on-the-street-back-bays-new-bikeways

 

[bigpicture7]

Looks like I missed this by a couple of weeks, but I don't think it's been posted here:
Looks like City of Cambridge will be redesigning Cambridge Street from Inman Square all the way to 2nd Street:

Safety Improvement Project on Cambridge Street

We are installing separated bike lanes and making improvements to pedestrian safety on Cambridge Street between Inman Square and Lechmere.

www.cambridgema.gov

...that's a substantial length of a key corridor.
There have been a couple of engagements already (Nov 29 and Dec 2), but there is an online community meeting next week on Dec 12th for anyone who is interested. Link is within above.

 

[sneijder]

Looks like I missed this by a couple of weeks, but I don't think it's been posted here:
Looks like City of Cambridge will be redesigning Cambridge Street from Inman Square all the way to 2nd Street:

Safety Improvement Project on Cambridge Street

We are installing separated bike lanes and making improvements to pedestrian safety on Cambridge Street between Inman Square and Lechmere.

www.cambridgema.gov

...that's a substantial length of a key corridor.
There have been a couple of engagements already (Nov 29 and Dec 2), but there is an online community meeting next week on Dec 12th for anyone who is interested. Link is within above.

As a resident I love the pace that they are progressing with these projects. 3 months of design and outreach, collect feedback, and build the damn thing within a year or less. Then quickly onto the next one (main st, river st, and eventually broadway). Fortunately generally at these engagements people tend to be supportive, though we always need more bodies in the room to fight against the car-people.

 

[RandomWalk]

I assume the new members of the City Council are going to do their best to slow walk this.

 

[HenryAlan]

As a resident I love the pace that they are progressing with these projects. 3 months of design and outreach, collect feedback, and build the damn thing within a year or less. Then quickly onto the next one (main st, river st, and eventually broadway). Fortunately generally at these engagements people tend to be supportive, though we always need more bodies in the room to fight against the car-people.

I get so jealous when I look across the river at the speed and determination in Cambridge. It seems to just be done, with matter of fact efficiency, while it takes years for almost every piece of bike infrastructure in Boston.*

* admittedly, this is starting to change, with some quick build projects happening in short order after a final decision is made (ie Centre St in West Roxbury). But quick build is usually less than ideal, and more hardened infrastructure takes a few years (see Tremont St).

 

[lainpimicaja]

I get so jealous when I look across the river at the speed and determination in Cambridge. It seems to just be done, with matter of fact efficiency, while it takes years for almost every piece of bike infrastructure in Boston.*

* admittedly, this is starting to change, with some quick build projects happening in short order after a final decision is made (ie Centre St in West Roxbury). But quick build is usually less than ideal, and more hardened infrastructure takes a few years (see Tremont St).

Agreed, but I think the key thing to keep in mind for Cambridge is that there's a plan, there's good policy standards for the design, and the Cycling Safety Ordinance mandates a schedule.

Boston (and virtually every other US city) could learn from this. Boston's planning and policy is much less rigorous (which gives political flexibility) and there are lofty dates for achieving improvements (like by 2030) but nowhere near the clarity as in Cambridge.

 

[#bancars]

Looks like I missed this by a couple of weeks, but I don't think it's been posted here:
Looks like City of Cambridge will be redesigning Cambridge Street from Inman Square all the way to 2nd Street:

Safety Improvement Project on Cambridge Street

We are installing separated bike lanes and making improvements to pedestrian safety on Cambridge Street between Inman Square and Lechmere.

www.cambridgema.gov

...that's a substantial length of a key corridor.
There have been a couple of engagements already (Nov 29 and Dec 2), but there is an online community meeting next week on Dec 12th for anyone who is interested. Link is within above.

I went to the first community meeting on this at the Valente Library and there was fairly good turnout--room was packed. Definitely a lot of supporters but also a fair number of nearby residents and (purported) business owners complaining about not being heard, there being no process, fear of loss of parking, etc.

 

[#bancars]

I get so jealous when I look across the river at the speed and determination in Cambridge. It seems to just be done, with matter of fact efficiency, while it takes years for almost every piece of bike infrastructure in Boston.*

* admittedly, this is starting to change, with some quick build projects happening in short order after a final decision is made (ie Centre St in West Roxbury). But quick build is usually less than ideal, and more hardened infrastructure takes a few years (see Tremont St).

Living here and biking everywhere is so much less stressful than when I lived in Boston. I periodically bike in neighborhoods I used to bike in all the time when I lived in Boston that I considered "good" for cycling (e.g. JP, Allston) and am shocked at how much more dangerous and unpleasant it feels. I had really gotten used to it but Cambridge (and Somerville, to a lesser extent) has definitely spoiled me.

In addition to the bike infrastructure itself, the traffic calming measures are also sooo much better in Camberville and as a result drivers are forced to drive much more safely.

 

[bigpicture7]

I went to the first community meeting on this at the Valente Library and there was fairly good turnout--room was packed. Definitely a lot of supporters but also a fair number of nearby residents and (purported) business owners complaining about not being heard, there being no process, fear of loss of parking, etc.

Yeah Cambridge is definitely pro-bike (at least comparably to most/all U.S. cities) and has the policies and plans to back it up. However, there is definitely a (small) thorn-in-its-side local contingent of small business owners who complain loudly of loss of streetside parking spots associated with these builds. They have very interesting stories about how a net loss of 3 parking spots, and/or the spots moving around the corner will send their LLC to bankruptcy. This exact dialogue has become par for the course in the Cambridge streets improvement world; the supporters usually overwhelm it though. Fact of the matter is that the city has a right and obligation to prioritize safety, and there's no guaranteed number of public spots the city owes a given small business.

 

[StreetsblogMASS]

DCR Breaks Ground On Major Road Diet in Newton - Streetsblog Massachusetts

The Commonwealth’s Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) has started construction on a $11.3 million road-narrowing project for Hammond Pond Parkway in Newton. Hammond Pond Parkway is currently a four-lane highway running between Beacon Street in Newton to Horace James Circle in...

mass.streetsblog.org

 

[thepixelnation]

DCR Breaks Ground On Major Road Diet in Newton - Streetsblog Massachusetts

The Commonwealth’s Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) has started construction on a $11.3 million road-narrowing project for Hammond Pond Parkway in Newton. Hammond Pond Parkway is currently a four-lane highway running between Beacon Street in Newton to Horace James Circle in...

mass.streetsblog.org

excited to see this completed! currently that stretch is either just people flooring it or BC Football parking, so i'm glad there will be more use outside of just that .

 

[FK4]

excited to see this completed! currently that stretch is either just people flooring it or BC Football parking, so i'm glad there will be more use outside of just that .

It’s funny, the final stretch approaching beacon used to be a near constant speed trap, but I haven’t seen a cop staking it out for many years at this point. In general, all the old speed trap spots in Brookline and newton are no longer used (and speed traps generally have ceased), but mostly that happened with the general stepping back of police we’ve seen since Floyd. However, the Hammond spot stopped being used much longer ago than that, wonder why.

 

[millerm277]

It’s funny, the final stretch approaching beacon used to be a near constant speed trap, but I haven’t seen a cop staking it out for many years at this point. In general, all the old speed trap spots in Brookline and newton are no longer used (and speed traps generally have ceased), but mostly that happened with the general stepping back of police we’ve seen since Floyd. However, the Hammond spot stopped being used much longer ago than that, wonder why.

DCR road, so that would be MSP whereas the others would be the local police.

 

[bigeman312]

DCR Breaks Ground On Major Road Diet in Newton - Streetsblog Massachusetts

The Commonwealth’s Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) has started construction on a $11.3 million road-narrowing project for Hammond Pond Parkway in Newton. Hammond Pond Parkway is currently a four-lane highway running between Beacon Street in Newton to Horace James Circle in...

mass.streetsblog.org

This is a godsend. Personally, I'll use this to cycle for transportation regularly.

Prior to construction, that stretch is a no-go zone on a bicycle, to be avoided like the plague, and I have a very (VERY) high risk-tolerance compared to most cyclists. Due to Hammond Pond Parkway's status as a no-go zone, the alternative has been:

• Hammond <-> Beacon

For those who have ridden on Hammond St, it isn't great. It's simply the lesser of two evils with Hammond Pond Parkway. Now, there will actually be a good north-south route to traverse this part of Brookline and Newton without having to take the still pretty death-trappy Hammond St or a super long detour east to Lee St or west to Parker St.

Amazing.