Boston’s first annual Bay State Bike Week kicked off with quite the ruckus yesterday. First Mayor Menino struggled to bike the ceremonial half-mile from City Hall Plaza to Post Office Square in very windy conditions. I’ll admit it was quite windy and a struggle at times to pedal yesterday. Plus, I’m getting over a cold so that did not help matters. In either case, Mayor Menino’s ride launched Bay State Bike Week and brought some positive news to the Boston biking scene. The Boston Globe story also points out:
In July, the city plans to unveil its first designated bike lanes, on Commonwealth Avenue between the Boston University Bridge and Kenmore Square. The city may also add bike lanes to Massachusetts Avenue between Albany Street and Huntington Avenue, Tremont Street along Boston Common, and on American Legion Highway, which runs past Franklin Park.
The bike lanes are good news for Boston bikers but unfortunately some ugly news concerning bike lanes comes from the Republic of Cambridge where two bicyclists beat up two car drivers for swerving into the bike lane. One of the car travelers was beaten so badly they fell into unconsciousness. The Cambridge police further described the events by citing that the bicyclists where also swerving into the car lanes as they pedaled in a group of ten bikers. Some of the bikers were also allegedly popping wheelies in front of the car as they pedaled down highly used Massachusetts avenue.
Yesterday I was biking through Cambridge and Somerville, via Hampshire and Beacon Street and noticed a new feature on the Beacon Street/Somerville side of the trip. Bike lanes!
I’m not sure how new these are but the Somerville side did not have these bike lanes a week or two ago.
In some spots the lanes look quickly painted which leads me to think the Republic of Cambridge invaded Somerville in the middle of the night and quickly painted these lanes. That or Somerville decided to act fast and paint their part of the street after a Boston Globe article last month publicized the difference between the two sides of the same street:
I’m biking down Beacon Street in Somerville toward Inman Square. This stretch of road has no bike lane, so I’m extra wary of turning cars and doors suddenly flinging open. I feel like a guerrilla cyclist.
But when I hit the Cambridge city line, it’s like crossing from the dark side of the moon to the light. A bike lane suddenly appears.
The MBTA is getting in on the increasing attention paid to bikers by installing a 50 bike cage at the Alewife T station. The cage will be accessed via CharlieCard and monitored by surveillance cameras to prevent theft. Good idea but if it was me I’d just continue the ride into town rather than taking the unreliable T.
Finally, gas prices rose to a record $3.73 today on the heels of a report that Iran might cut crude oil production. With rising gas prices, the coming emergence of bike lanes in Boston, and it being Bay State Bike Week, now is as good a time as any to buy a used bike, and get off the oil addiction and get some exercise, if you physically can pedal (consult your doctor if you’re not sure).
Based on your reaction to my blog post about my first time biking to work, I would have been afraid to admit to you that I don’t bike to work already and need a used bike!
Great news, though, about the bike lanes. When I am in my pollution-mobile I try to give bikers a wide berth, especially when there are no bike lanes.
Yeah, I was a bit tough on you Casey! I know the T sucks from years of riding it and I certainly know that two miles can be quite the long walk/bike ride so I can emphasize with driving especially in the rain.
Bike lanes seem to work more to alert the driver than to give the biker more room so it works (from my personal driver and biker experiences). Usually when I’m biking I’ll take up as much of the lane as I need but wider berths help in cause of potholes etc. Studies done on bike lanes show it can go either way but it seems they help.
At least someone’s reading what I write.
Two miles is a breeze of a commute – during ideal conditions. I bet with enough biking I’ll become hardcore enough to get one of those crazy commuter bikes without gears! One can dream…
Emphasis on the ideal conditions Casey! Seems those ideal condition days are few and far between around here!
I wish we had bike lanes here. I get nervous that I am going to hit somebody on accident. It is like on of my worst fears. I admire bikers and think it would be great to have those around here.
Though I agree with you Heidi, and for sure feel that bike lanes serve to caution the driver, wouldn’t you still fear hitting a biker even if there were bike lanes? It’s not like bike lanes add more area to the roads, in fact they make the roads smaller for cars so there’s a smaller margin for error. Personally, I feel the bike lanes are best for aggressive drivers who don’t fear hitting a bicyclist. Those drivers then see the bike lanes and it hits a trigger for them to slow down unless they want their insurance rates to skyrocket. In other words, I don’t think you’re the kind of driver who honks at me to move over when I’m already practically grinding the curb. The bike lanes serve to show those drivers that there’s plenty of road for all of us to share. Just my personal take on the matter. I also think some drivers might avoid roads with bike lanes, which would make those roads safer for everyone involved if true.
So the only reason cars avoid bikers is because they’re afraid of insurance rates skyrocketing? That sucks. I would hope that they wouldn’t want to injure or kill someone.
Bike lines are a helpful reminder for drivers. Sometimes towns do make roads wider in order to put bike lanes in.
It’s not the only reason Casey, but for a certain segment of the driver population, yes, their insurance rates are the number one reason for driving cautiously. Of course, we could assume that no one wants to seriously injure or kill someone, but I bet there are some (immature?) drivers who could care less about other people.
I’ve been a passenger in vehicles where the driver seems to almost want to hit someone thinking it wouldn’t be there fault. Almost a “that’ll teach them a lesson to bike on the road” mentality. It’s a minority, I hope, but the mentality does exist.
It’s a helpful reminder and it does make the roads at least seem friendlier for bikers.