Biking in Boston

NIMBYs on Chestnut Hill Ave are not backing down.

brookline.news

What to know about the town's plan for bike lanes on Chestnut Hill Avenue - Brookline.News

After the recent controversy over a proposed plan to add protected bicycle lanes to a redesigned Washington Street, the town is continuing its mission to improve bike safety on highly-traveled roads. Next up for improvement – and debate? Chestnut Hill Avenue. A plan in the works would remake a...
brookline.news brookline.news
 
cubbe8 said:
NIMBYs on Chestnut Hill Ave are not backing down.
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That article is packed full with some NIMBY greatest hits.

FTA said:
“It essentially says to some residents, people who have been here for decades, that you’re not going to be able to park in front of your house anymore,” Hefter said. (Both residents and town staff have acknowledged that though parking is not legal on the street, the ban is not enforced and parking is allowed in practice).
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So they are grounding their opposition in a desire to continue doing something illegal. There is no greater statement of privilege than this: I'm used to getting my way, whether it's legal, whether it puts other lives at risk, my convenience is paramount!

FTA said:
“I’m not sure why for one of the largest thoroughfares in the town, we’re hiding this public hearing inside the depths of a committee meeting that almost no one knows about,” Hefter said.
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And yet, somehow he and others who attended to complain knew about it? The process NIMBYs are so terrible. I can't speak for Brookline, but I'm very familiar with this tactic in Boston, and it's a lie. The city bends over backwards to hold meetings and publicize them. To not know about it means you are either seriously disengaged, or too busy to be involved anyway.

FTA said:
David Eisenberg, who signed Hefter’s petition, said at the meeting in March that as a frequent cyclist, he supports the speed control elements of the proposed plan, but thinks the expanded bike lanes would impact the neighborhood in a “careless way.”

“I think that our numbers can never, on this artery, justify taking away space from the residents,” he said.
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And now we have the weekend warrior cyclist, who is just fine with it and doesn't see any other types of bike riders. His just fine with it, even though it may prevent older, younger, utility/commute riders from accessing this road. But they seem to not exist in his world.
 
UGH! We've got three different green line branches in this direct vicinity of the northern portion of this primary north/south street. While there isn't a ton of commercial at the southern terminus of CHA, it is infuriating that people think they can always have it "the way it has always been" when presented with logical data that shows improvement of the corridor.
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Looking at this section just north of Route 9 really shows just how much extra space is built into this ROW. I know the article says 10' travel lanes, but this does appear to be a bus route so I would say 11' wide lane is a bit more appropriate via the NACTO design guidelines.
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If you do a google street view exploration (I know, super scientific study method) up the corridor you will see 3 vehicles parked along the street and all three of the cars have mounted the curb showing that even those car owners know that the ROW is not a safe place even for their large, inanimate objects. Doesn't really seem like losing the "parking in front of their house" is a big loss. Maybe on days where people host parties and tell folks to just park on the street, but you can't do that in these denser settings.
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I’m default pro traffic calming and bike infrastructure, and biking is both my primary mode of transportation and my livelihood, so I don’t want to come off as anything other than pro-bike and just trying to learn and gather information.

Do a lot of people currently bike on Chestnut Hill Ave? I use Hammond, Washington, or Harvard as my north-south routes through Brookline, and even after this project, you’d still have to deal with the Route 9 crossing to the south if using Chestnut Hill Ave as a corridor for anything more than just neighborhood trips.

Does anyone have data on counts by mode on this corridor? My gut reaction is that every dollar spent on traffic calming and bike infrastructure on Chestnut Hill Ave would be better spent on Beacon St, unless I’m shown some data that supports prioritizing Chestnut Hill Ave, when Beacon St has many stretches with absolutely no bike infrastructure whatsoever.
 
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bigeman312 said:
I’m default pro traffic calming and bike infrastructure, and biking is both my primary mode of transportation and my livelihood, so I don’t want to come off as anything other than pro-bike and just trying to learn and gather information.

Do a lot of people currently bike on Chestnut Hill Ave? I use Hammond, Washington, or Harvard as my north-south routes through Brookline, and even after this project, you’d still have to deal with the Route 9 crossing to the south if using Chestnut Hill Ave as a corridor for anything more than just neighborhood trips.

Does anyone have data on counts by mode on this corridor? My gut reaction is that every dollar spent on traffic calming and bike infrastructure on Chestnut Hill Ave would be better spent on Beacon St, unless I’m shown some data that supports prioritizing Chestnut Hill Ave, when Beacon St has many stretches with absolutely no bike infrastructure whatsoever.
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Since the street is being repaved there is no reason to not add better bike lanes.
 
bigeman312 said:
Does anyone have data on counts by mode on this corridor?
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I do not see any counts in MassDOT's database. I have some old MPO counts from Sept. 2016 for CHA @ Chiswick Road that indicates about 45 people per day riding bikes if that's worth anything.
 
First step in recovery is admitting there is a problem. At least Mayor Wu admitted and acknowledged the mistake. Now hopefully she follows through and for the love whatever deity you believe in stops regurgitating incorrect talking points.
 
bigeman312 said:
Do a lot of people currently bike on Chestnut Hill Ave?
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I don't know how many people do, but I use it when I bike to areas in Brighton. I definitely see other bike riders on it, but it might not have the same use density as Harvard St. I don't think I've ever ridden on Hamond, so not sure how that one compares. But as is always the case, build it and they will come. It's my go to for Brighton Center and the more western reaches of the Western Ave corridor. Maybe others would like to use it, too.
 
CBCArch61 said:
First step in recovery is admitting there is a problem. At least Mayor Wu admitted and acknowledged the mistake. Now hopefully she follows through and for the love whatever deity you believe in stops regurgitating incorrect talking points.
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The problem with her answer is that she didn't address any of the other locations where flex posts have been removed (eg Arlington St, Summer St). She spoke about a planning process to determine where upgrades to more permanent fixtures should happen. That's great, but why remove the flex posts before any plan is in place for construction of the upgrade? She still isn't even acknowledging that it happened.
 
KCasiglio said:
I think one can hold these opinions simultaneously (as I believe you do) with an understanding that safety should take precedence over aesthetics, particularly in the short term. Removing the flex posts without clear communication and planning is a misstep.
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Yeah, I agree with that. I think the better approach would be to say 1) perhaps we need a more consistent plan 2) the city will review and do this and 3) not rip up anything that’s there in the meantime. It’s the lack of #3 that is concerning and makes #1 and #2 seem at least partly like cover to just mollify angry drivers for votes.
 
HenryAlan said:
I don't know how many people do, but I use it when I bike to areas in Brighton. I definitely see other bike riders on it, but it might not have the same use density as Harvard St. I don't think I've ever ridden on Hamond, so not sure how that one compares. But as is always the case, build it and they will come. It's my go to for Brighton Center and the more western reaches of the Western Ave corridor. Maybe others would like to use it, too.
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Back in the day it was a crucial link for me biking to and from work between the W Rox-Brookline border and Allston. Corey-Dean-Chestnut Hill Ave-Lee-Grove every day. I think it’s a pretty crucial link, honestly.

Edit. However, I have to say, I always thought it was fine as is, other than at night, when there is not a lot of NB traffic at Rt 9, that last approach to the intersection is dangerous. Other than that, there rarely are cars parked on this road and it's always felt pretty safe to me to bike on. I used to have friends who lived on this stretch. That was a while ago, but I have spent a ton of time on this street and hardly ever see parked cars. The plan seems unnecessary to me, the more I look at it. They should definitely narrow the driving lanes, since they're way too wide and promote speeding, but it's enough room if they do that to leave alone the occasional parked car here and not endanger cyclists. I think a lot of the steam being blown on here about the complaints comes from knee-jerk reactions from people not intimately familiar with Chestnut Hill Ave. And as someone said, there are many other corridors that are in much greater need of safety improvements than this.
 
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HenryAlan said:
I don't know how many people do, but I use it when I bike to areas in Brighton. I definitely see other bike riders on it, but it might not have the same use density as Harvard St. I don't think I've ever ridden on Hamond, so not sure how that one compares. But as is always the case, build it and they will come. It's my go to for Brighton Center and the more western reaches of the Western Ave corridor. Maybe others would like to use it, too.
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Interesting! I'm more inclined to take, depending on where I'm coming from:
  • Hammond -> Reservoir -> Beacon -> CHA, Brighton
  • Emerald Necklace -> Washington St
I avoid CHA Brookline due to the poorly designed zigzag on Route 9 that it requires, and this proposal does nothing to mitigate that. So, I don't think this is a "build it and they will come" for anything more than neighborhood trips, which are of course still a part of the transportation infrastructure landscape.

I'm interested to hear why you choose CHA Brookline over Washington or Hammond, despite the awful Route 9 approach. Are you coming from north of Route 9 in Brookline, but near CHA, and therefore it is your neighborhood's artery? Are you coming from south of Route 9 in Brookline, but near Lee St, so Hammond or the Emerald Necklace would be a big detour compared to CHA? Apologies if I'm prying, I just can't imagine opting for the Route 9 approach that CHA Brookline necessitates when biking to Brighton.
 
bigeman312 said:
Interesting! I'm more inclined to take, depending on where I'm coming from:
  • Hammond -> Reservoir -> Beacon -> CHA, Brighton
  • Emerald Necklace -> Washington St
I avoid CHA Brookline due to the poorly designed zigzag on Route 9 that it requires, and this proposal does nothing to mitigate that. So, I don't think this is a "build it and they will come" for anything more than neighborhood trips, which are of course still a part of the transportation infrastructure landscape.

I'm interested to hear why you choose CHA Brookline over Washington or Hammond, despite the awful Route 9 approach. Are you coming from north of Route 9 in Brookline, but near CHA, and therefore it is your neighborhood's artery? Are you coming from south of Route 9 in Brookline, but near Lee St, so Hammond or the Emerald Necklace would be a big detour compared to CHA? Apologies if I'm prying, I just can't imagine opting for the Route 9 approach that CHA Brookline necessitates when biking to Brighton.
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I think it's pretty important to be flexible if biking anywhere in Boston. There are plenty of intersections that are incredibly dangerous ... if you follow what the bikes are supposed to do. For that intersection and similar intersections, I usually just hop on the sidewalk and use crosswalks. There's no point in taking your life in your hands when you have two lanes of cars, one of which is usually jockeying from the left lane to cut everyone off and get into the left, to turn left. However, Hammond is way worse. Much scarier street, and in worse condition. Feels like a highway cuz there aren't houses packed right up against it. Also lacks that planned, late 19th century vibe that Lee Street at least has. Hammond feels like a highway and people treat it like one, despite the fact that it's also one of the most notorious speed traps in Brookline, or used to be until they stopped ticketing in the last couple of years. If the road "feels like a highway" I avoid it, or ride on the sidewalk of said road. I dont feel that way about Lee or CHA.
 
FK4 said:
I think it's pretty important to be flexible if biking anywhere in Boston. There are plenty of intersections that are incredibly dangerous ... if you follow what the bikes are supposed to do. For that intersection and similar intersections, I usually just hop on the sidewalk and use crosswalks. There's no point in taking your life in your hands when you have two lanes of cars, one of which is usually jockeying from the left lane to cut everyone off and get into the left, to turn left. However, Hammond is way worse. Much scarier street, and in worse condition. Feels like a highway cuz there aren't houses packed right up against it. Also lacks that planned, late 19th century vibe that Lee Street at least has. Hammond feels like a highway and people treat it like one, despite the fact that it's also one of the most notorious speed traps in Brookline, or used to be until they stopped ticketing in the last couple of years. If the road "feels like a highway" I avoid it, or ride on the sidewalk of said road. I dont feel that way about Lee or CHA.
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Thanks for the feedback. I'll have to put this on my mental map. With the crosswalk approach, that does make CHA much more palatable.

Personally, I don't have quite as negative of an outlook as you for biking on roads like Hammond, where traffic volume isn't crazy and I can fully take a lane (or the shoulder) and drivers have a full open lane(s) to pass. Not ideal, but not in my "avoid" category. I do, on the other hand, put Hammond Pond Parkway in the "avoid because it's a highway" category you describe.

Any which way, it will always be good to have more safe options.
 
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bigeman312 said:
I'm interested to hear why you choose CHA Brookline over Washington or Hammond, despite the awful Route 9 approach. Are you coming from north of Route 9 in Brookline, but near CHA, and therefore it is your neighborhood's artery? Are you coming from south of Route 9 in Brookline, but near Lee St, so Hammond or the Emerald Necklace would be a big detour compared to CHA? Apologies if I'm prying, I just can't imagine opting for the Route 9 approach that CHA Brookline necessitates when biking to Brighton.
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I use it when coming from Roslindale Square. I honestly don't find the jog from Lee St to be problematic, but I am also somebody who is very comfortable taking the lane. Doing that is pretty effective there, but @FK4's sidewalk approach also sounds like a great solution. As for why I tend to go that way, it's mainly about avoiding the hill on Washington St. I also like to mix things up a bit, so if there are multiple routes, I take them all. I'll have to try out Hammond at some point.
 
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