Sidewalks in Beantown

What amazes me is that the Silver Line Washington St still sees the highest intensity of use of any bus in the system. The demand is really there. It's criminal that true and proper signal priority hasn't been installed.

I wouldn't be envious of Hubway for its money. It was funded primarily through a federal grant, and there's evidence from other bike-share programs that they are remarkably self-sustaining. I think the Washington D.C. one was recovering 98% of its costs. Plus it fills in gaps nicely.

Buying a few buses might help a little, but it won't pay for the real heavy costs of running buses: labor.
 
Commuting Boston Student said:
I think it sucks that our political leadership has picked Copenhagen as our 'how-to' model, and every time we lose out on transit improvements because of bikes, it burns me just as bad as when those transit improvements are precluded by road improvements. In fact, it just might burn me more. If that's blaming 'bicyclists,' so be it.
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I'm a bicyclist, transit rider, and pedestrian. I've got to say I don't think it's productive to pit any of these other modes against cycling when the real competition is auto infrastructure. Most cycling-related expenditures are peanuts when compared to transit or auto infrastructure anyway. There's no reason we shouldn't have all of these improved.
 
I WISH we were more like Copenhagen. Their commuter lines go straight through the city! The operator-less line is pretty sweet too. Nothing like a night out in Christiania followed by sitting up front in one of those cars. I'm flying!!!!
 
Commuting Boston Student said:
And I would love to see the demographics on Hubway users. I'm betting most of them are not, in fact, locals.

I'm not looking to eradicate biking in Boston, but I want some equity, and I want initiatives to improve the transit experience for everyone, not just one group.

So, yes, I've got a huge problem with the 'Boston Bikes Program' on a conceptual level, and on an execution level. I think it sucks that our political leadership has picked Copenhagen as our 'how-to' model, and every time we lose out on transit improvements because of bikes, it burns me just as bad as when those transit improvements are precluded by road improvements. In fact, it just might burn me more. If that's blaming 'bicyclists,' so be it.
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This sounds like you fell for the classic where the rich guy tells the middle class that the poor are taking his things. In reality, bikes are not taking away from transit. Cars still get everything, even as a huge portion of people in the metro area take transit, walk, or bike, and all get less spending combined. There should be more spending on all transit infrastructure. It's not like we had been spending money on the T until 3 years ago when we decided to paint some lines.

Bikes and Trains go together pretty well. I commute buy taking the T then getting the hubway for the final ride- 20 min walk becomes 4 min bike.
 
I don't bike much either, but I think that the interests of people who walk and people who bike very strongly overlap and I'm glad to see it improved. Hubway and bike share systems can really help complement public transportation. It can fill gaps and do so very cost effectively. It's not for everyone, but it's not intended to replace anything.
 
Matthew said:
There's a lot of places where the sidewalks could be widened and the roadways be narrowed. But then you have to deal with the screaming suburbanites who feel entitled to speed at 50mph on our city streets.
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Mathew -- come come -- have you ever tried to drive in a suburb?

We sedate suburbanites never carreen in our motors at those city-like speeds which are unsafe for a pleasant trot, or perhaps an invigorating canter

When I drive from near the Arlington line to Lexington Center, I'm invariably behind someone who thinks that to be safe you must drive at least 10 MPH under the 30 mile per hour speed limit on Massachuesets Avenue
 
choo said:
This sounds like you fell for the classic where the rich guy tells the middle class that the poor are taking his things. In reality, bikes are not taking away from transit. Cars still get everything, even as a huge portion of people in the metro area take transit, walk, or bike, and all get less spending combined. There should be more spending on all transit infrastructure. It's not like we had been spending money on the T until 3 years ago when we decided to paint some lines.

Bikes and Trains go together pretty well. I commute buy taking the T then getting the hubway for the final ride- 20 min walk becomes 4 min bike.
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Choo -- you are falling for a falacious argument promoted by people like Mathew who don't seem to realize that things as well as people use the streets for tranportation

Try carrying a refrigerator on a Bike, Train, or your back -- that's why things called trucks were invented and they use the same streets and highways as CARS
 
At the end of the day, I suppose I'm just bitter that there's a lot of advocacy and 'getting shit done'-ness for the Bikes Program that doesn't seem to be at all present for the MBTA.

It feels like bike infrastructure faces a lot less resistance than mass transit infrastructure does.

whighlander said:
Choo -- you are falling for a falacious argument promoted by people like Mathew who don't seem to realize that things as well as people use the streets for tranportation

Try carrying a refrigerator on a Bike, Train, or your back -- that's why things called trucks were invented and they use the same streets and highways as CARS
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Actually, carrying a refrigerator on a train is not that difficult. There's plenty of space to hold it. Moving it off the train is the difficult part, but if you live in the residential tower of the future (built on top of the station!) that's not too difficult either.

Otherwise, commercial vehicles have never been in the same class as the passenger car. You can have roads like in DTX where only commercial vehicles - trucks - can go. You can allow commercial vehicles to use your bus lanes, since it's much easier to add them into some kind of dispatching system so that you can just radio ahead for bus lane use approval and not mess up the bus flows.

Most trucks are also bound for destinations where on street parking is not required.
 
Commuting Boston Student said:
At the end of the day, I suppose I'm just bitter that there's a lot of advocacy and 'getting shit done'-ness for the Bikes Program that doesn't seem to be at all present for the MBTA.

It feels like bike infrastructure faces a lot less resistance than mass transit infrastructure does.



Actually, carrying a refrigerator on a train is not that difficult. There's plenty of space to hold it. Moving it off the train is the difficult part, but if you live in the residential tower of the future (built on top of the station!) that's not too difficult either.

Otherwise, commercial vehicles have never been in the same class as the passenger car. You can have roads like in DTX where only commercial vehicles - trucks - can go. You can allow commercial vehicles to use your bus lanes, since it's much easier to add them into some kind of dispatching system so that you can just radio ahead for bus lane use approval and not mess up the bus flows.

Most trucks are also bound for destinations where on street parking is not required.
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Commute -- its called $

1) Bikes cost less than buses and buses less than rail vehicles
2) Bike racks cost less than bus stops and bus stops less than integrated multi-modal superstations
3) paint for a bike lane costs less than wires on poles and wires on poles cost less than rails

Thus the hieracrchy of probability of it happening given about the same amount of advocacy:
1) bikes
2) BRT
3) LRV / Heavy Rail or Comuter Rail
 
whighlander said:
Try carrying a refrigerator on a Bike, Train, or your back -- that's why things called trucks were invented and they use the same streets and highways as CARS
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Cargo bicycles like the Xtracycle can actually carry most heavy objects people need to transport. Obviously, that's not practical, but that's what delivery trucks are for and those aren't the things causing congestion at rush hour.
 
Commuting Boston Student said:
Menino is fond of saying "the era of the car as king is over in Boston."

Unfortunately, what he really means is "welcome to the era of bicycle as king." He has no vision beyond catering to a select group of people at the expense of everyone else. Expect a lot more bicycle infrastructure.

What's that? You're a pedestrian or transit user who doesn't WANT to ride a bike everywhere? Too bad, prepare to take it again - this time for bikes instead of cars!
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Don't be silly. Bike infrastructure is far less expensive in terms of money and space than car infrastructure. And since you've complained in an earlier comment about bikes on sidewalks, how do you propose we address this safety issue? The reason some cyclists ride on sidewalks is they don't feel safe on the roads. An experienced cyclist knows that the road is safer than the sidewalk, but it takes a bit for somebody to get there. Bike infrastructure is the key to getting cyclists off of the sidewalks.
 
HenryAlan said:
Don't be silly. Bike infrastructure is far less expensive in terms of money and space than car infrastructure. And since you've complained in an earlier comment about bikes on sidewalks, how do you propose we address this safety issue? The reason some cyclists ride on sidewalks is they don't feel safe on the roads. An experienced cyclist knows that the road is safer than the sidewalk, but it takes a bit for somebody to get there. Bike infrastructure is the key to getting cyclists off of the sidewalks.
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Places I would like to see bikes, in order:
1) Bus lanes
2) On a section of sidewalk reserved for bikes
3) On the sidewalk moving opposite pedestrian traffic
4) "Bike reservation" narrow lanes dividing a bus lane from general traffic
5) "Bike reservation" between the bus lane and the curb
6) "Bike reservation" between parking/traffic and the curb
20,000) "Bike reservation" between parking and general traffic.

I complain about bicycles on the sidewalk, yes. That's mostly irritation from having to jump out of the way of bikes a few times too many - a problem which can also be solved to the benefit of everyone with wider sidewalks.

Of course, the bus lane is still the optimal solution.
 
The bus lane isn't necessarily a good solution. I like it for the sake of buses, but for an inexperienced cyclist, that will feel a lot like riding in traffic, and they will feel pressed to keep their speed up. The best option is a protected bike lane, which is also the most expensive option. Any really good solution requires narrowing the rest of the road in some fashion. In my view, arterial roads in Boston should have parking eliminated, making room for protected bike lanes, better bus stops, and ultimately wider sidewalks.

To be honest, though, I haven't really noticed an issue with sidewalk width except on smaller side streets.
 
HenryAlan said:
The bus lane isn't necessarily a good solution. I like it for the sake of buses, but for an inexperienced cyclist, that will feel a lot like riding in traffic, and they will feel pressed to keep their speed up. The best option is a protected bike lane, which is also the most expensive option. Any really good solution requires narrowing the rest of the road in some fashion. In my view, arterial roads in Boston should have parking eliminated, making room for protected bike lanes, better bus stops, and ultimately wider sidewalks.

To be honest, though, I haven't really noticed an issue with sidewalk width except on smaller side streets.
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Absolutely, the parking lane is an abomination that needs to be gotten rid of, and the roads should be narrowed. I'm not arguing to keep the roads nice and wide for high speed traffic.

I think the best arrangement for traffic is one where slower moving objects say to the right and the general speed of movement picks up the closer you get to the center lane.

There's no room for "stopped vehicles" in that.
 
whighlander said:
Choo -- you are falling for a falacious argument promoted by people like Mathew who don't seem to realize that things as well as people use the streets for tranportation

Try carrying a refrigerator on a Bike, Train, or your back -- that's why things called trucks were invented and they use the same streets and highways as CARS
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WTF? I am hoping you don't think i was saying because i am able to bike to work that is how i get my appliances. But could you speak more on these 'trucks' because i just biked home with 3 yards of stone dust for a patio and it's taken about 6 months and thousands of trips- these trucks may come in handy for my next project.
 
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