By adamg on Sun., 3/10/2013 - 6:24 pm
Our own Dvdoff spotted one fed-up person's bicycle outside the Apple Store on Boylston Street today.
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My car
By Anon
Sun, 03/10/2013 - 6:27pm
Has a sign, it say "if I have to stop at red light so don't you!"
grammar are fun!
By anon
Sun, 03/10/2013 - 8:10pm
grammar are fun!
Somehow
By anonTHEgreat
Mon, 03/11/2013 - 9:33am
the "UHub Bike Gang" is always attacking grammar errors when threatened! Maybe, just maybe this poor soul typed his/her comment on a cellphone. Guess that Single-gear crank in you heads don't allow you to think rationally when someone makes a valid attack/point.
"Guess that Single-gear crank
By BlooEyedDevil
Mon, 03/18/2013 - 12:32pm
"Guess that Single-gear crank in you heads don't..."
Grammar are STILL fun!
Indeed.
By Tim McCormack
Sun, 03/10/2013 - 9:27pm
As a bicycle commuter... this.
I'm pretty sure that if more cyclists followed laws pertaining to red lights, my commute would be safer and the drivers friendlier. It does me no good when drivers see cyclists as loose cannon(dale)s.
Unfortunately, the Somerville and Cambridge cops pretty much ignore cyclist infractions, and educational outreach only goes so far...
Why should it be
By Andy F
Sun, 03/10/2013 - 11:50pm
the cyclists' job to convince the drivers to be friendly. Shouldn't drivers be safe and friendly regardless of their conceptions of cyclists?
In a world built to accommodate cars, should we really be blaming cyclists for cars' behavior?
Lead by example
By anon²
Mon, 03/11/2013 - 9:29am
An aggressive sign meant to be confrontational isn’t exactly playing the lamb either.
You must not work downtown
By swirlygrrl at work
Mon, 03/11/2013 - 9:40am
Most motor vehicle drivers have the attitude of "bike lanes are my personal asshole parking zone" and "red light? Well, it isn't MY red light ... zoom".
Come down to the South Station area and count the box blocking, the "three go free on red", etc. I dare you to cross any street around here for an hour and not get whiffed by a vehicle just flat out blowing through a fully red light at speed.
Now, what was that about "but bike riders whahhhhhhh bike riders wahhhhh"? Its all massholes - just some massholes have multi-ton vehicles doing 30mph.
BS
By anon
Mon, 03/11/2013 - 9:51am
I work in the area and completely disagree!
Psst. Don't even bother...
By whyaduck
Mon, 03/11/2013 - 11:57am
She lives in a different reality than you or I.
(I work in Cambridge and find most folks that park in bike lanes have to do so to make deliveries and the like. I do not consider them asshats. I also commute to South Station every day and have to say the intersection in front (which I cross almost daily) of SS is pretty orderly and I have yet to be run down by a auto going through a red light. Can't say the same for a bike that almost took me down last year, though.)
Different Reality?
By anon
Mon, 03/11/2013 - 12:15pm
Only if you consider cars running red lights to be so normal that you don't see them.
I agree - can't go a day in that area with out cars running lights - some at speed, others thinking that they didn't get their turn yet because they had to wait for pedestrians to cross with the light and it is okay to cork the intersection.
Called rush hour, darling. People have posted photos here before with red lights and cars in motion. You have to get out of your car to actually see it - on repeat!
There are many
By rico
Mon, 03/11/2013 - 12:50pm
There are many bike-lane-blockers that are not making active deliveries. They're waiting to pick up friends, or going to the post office, or grabbing a coffee, or doing any host of tasks where they could park legally instead. If it's a task you can do from a legal parking spot and you're just too lazy/cheap/etc to find one? Asshat. I'd be willing to consider an exception for commercial deliveries, but really, that's why we have loading zones, off-peak hours, etc. It shouldn't be up to each individual driver to decide whether or not it's ok to park illegally. If you violate the law and create a safety hazard, that's erring much more on the side of asshat than not.
If you want to see the red-light running, box-blocking, pedestrian-unfriendly drivers near South Station, hang out over at Congress and High at about 5pm. You'll see plenty of cars parking and driving in the bike lane on Congress too. Another hot-spot? Watch the intersection of O'Brien Highway and Mem Drive/Edwin Land Blvd. People turn left well after the arrow is red, they turn left from lanes other than the leftmost lane, they go straight from right-turn-only lanes, they block the box at Museum Way. The whole infrastructure in front of MoS is a giant fail, so it's hard to blame them, but to say that it's hard to find rampant violations by drivers just means you're looking in the wrong places.
Every group of road users has its share of good and bad behavior. Denying these complexities is naive, and the sooner we can get away from this weird bike-car quid pro quo and think objectively about how to improve the safety and efficiency of our roads, the better.
Ya including
By anon
Mon, 03/11/2013 - 3:30pm
Bike messengers who run the light at Summer and High cutting across 3 lanes of travel. Soon they'll be back smoking weed and crushing PBR's at Winthrop Square! (Funny look at Google Maps street view, it even has the cliche biker with a PBR hat on).
Since when does making a
By anon
Mon, 03/18/2013 - 11:17am
Since when does making a delivery entitle someone to block a bike lane? The reason bike lanes exist is to keep cars and bikes separate, but one person blocking a bike lane changes all that.
They've been nabbing them in
By anon
Mon, 03/11/2013 - 10:31am
They've been nabbing them in Central Sq. lately.
That's a great point
By Michael
Mon, 03/11/2013 - 9:23am
I've never seen a car blow through a red light because, y'know, it's only been red for 2 or 3 seconds so it doesn't really count!
Love it
By SwirlyGrrl
Sun, 03/10/2013 - 6:30pm
I guess it is winter and handing out specially folded driver's manuals is less of an option.
Also, lanes are narrowed and there isn't any consensus over whether or not using bike lanes for parking is legal when the parking areas are snowed in.
Curb extensions worsen problems
By Markk02474
Mon, 03/11/2013 - 12:58am
Absolutely. Curb extensions on Somerville Ave keep plow drivers away from the curb, leaving snow in the parking lanes and parking in the bike lanes. The curb extension in Alston contributed to the cyclist death, with no room between it and the side of a MBTA bus.
Curb extensions show no safety positives and many negatives besides being a waste of money. MassDOT, stop using them please!
Now, now
By swirlygrrl at work
Mon, 03/11/2013 - 9:26am
You are getting into z...a...k territory with the tangential canned screeds here.
I love this! I want one for
By Chelsea
Sun, 03/10/2013 - 6:49pm
I love this! I want one for my bike.
Though, knowing Boston drivers, they'll be so annoyed by the sign that they'll just try harder to kill you.
Of course
By anon
Sun, 03/10/2013 - 7:44pm
he's outside the Apple store. It's like a mecca for the trendily self-righteous.
Get a T pass, two-wheeled terrorist.
get a username, anonymous
By pierce
Sun, 03/10/2013 - 8:12pm
get a username, anonymous internet troll
Get a Username
By BlackKat
Sun, 03/10/2013 - 8:13pm
Love the courage of the anti-bike posters.
Two Wheeled Terrorist
By SwirlyGrrl
Sun, 03/10/2013 - 8:57pm
Cites laws = TERRORIST
Asks others to obey rule of law = TERRORIST
mmmm ... okay. I'd hate to see what your definition of law abiding citizen is, anon!
Perhaps anontroll should look up "rule of law" on his fancy little google machine there and NOT while driving!
The irony is...
By anon
Sun, 03/10/2013 - 9:27pm
...that this cyclist wants respect on the road, but fails to respect the fact that the businesses surrounding the Apple store clearly ask that bikes are not locked there.
Guess they needed their unfair trade, slave labor iPhone fixed.
#trophygeneration
Really?
By Brian Riccio
Sun, 03/10/2013 - 10:37pm
Tell that to the other two people who had bikes locked up around the Apple Store that no one but you seemed to mind. Also, I wish I had taken a picture of the asshole who felt it was OK to park his BMW across the 4 small spaces that are clearly marked for motor bikes in front of the Apple Store.
#dipshit
No picture of the BMW needed
By new anon
Sun, 03/10/2013 - 11:19pm
You're preaching to the choir.
Everyone knows BMW drivers are the biggest d-bags on the road, hands down.
Oh I get it - because other people do it it's OK
By anon
Mon, 03/11/2013 - 1:00am
The other cyclists are wrong and so is the BMW driver. That doesn't preclude someone who is so seemingly adamant about laws to violate the property rights of those surrounding the Apple store.
Mind you I never said I disagree with sharing lanes.
What road laws?
By Anon
Mon, 03/11/2013 - 12:22am
I want to believe that there are road laws but experience leads me to believe that there are only suggestions and recommendations these days. The norm seems to be that yellow truly means speed up. At downtown lights around South Station the only time crossing is safe is when done in a herd.
Walk signal is on? Doesn't mean a thing. I see vehicles rushing through red lights if there is no one literally in the middle of the road. The few seconds available to pedestrians are now lessoned due to the assumption that red means stop only if a cop is in the intersection. Even then I've seen drivers break traffic laws without even a wagging finger from a cop.
To me the sign on the bike is just an indication that there are no more road laws. Driving for many (not all yet) simply follows a policy of odds. What are the odds that the consequences of driving according to personal rules will outweigh the inconvenience of limiting driving to laws designed to protect everyone? Driving in Boston's area seems to be based on either a MAD policy or some variant of Darwinian survival based on aggression and intimidation.
If only there was a way to make money out of insane driving. That would reduce property taxes.
Too easy to get a license
By anon²
Mon, 03/11/2013 - 9:41am
When I got my license, my test was 15 min and we never left the maze of parking lots around the Leominster DMV. Still, the Trooper had us go through quite a bit of maneuvering, parking, general knowledge, ect. My father told me when he went they took him on hills, the highway, ect. For my younger sis, they barely did anything and the test was now administered by a civilian (contractors?). Just having the the safety school admin with her meant pretty much passing without any actual road testing.
I’m with you. We really should be forced to take road tests every 10 years (every 5 for your first 10, and after age 80). Can police in this state even require you to be revaluated / retested?
Thanks for nothing, Crystal
By anon
Mon, 03/11/2013 - 4:49am
Thanks for nothing, Crystal Transport bus that swerved into my lane at 45 mph on Cambridge Street in Allston last night. You couldn't wait 5 seconds until you passed me to pass that tractor-trailer on the right?
I do a lot of biking around here, and it's a rare occasion that another driver really scares me. This was such an occasion.
"I rest on red."
By charles
Mon, 03/11/2013 - 6:17am
My favorite sign that I've seen on a bike is, "I rest on red." I hate getting pushed aside at red lights by other bikes coming up behind me.
Pay excises taxes , then get
By kvn
Mon, 03/11/2013 - 8:31am
Pay excises taxes , then get insurance. You want to be protected by the law, follow the law. No going down one ways the wrong way, hoping on and off sidewalks as you please. Observe crosswalks for pedestrians , weaving around them is not yielding.
A lot of bike riders already
By zetag
Mon, 03/11/2013 - 9:23am
A lot of bike riders already pay excise tax, not to mention my bike put almost no wear and tear on the road at all. I own a car, but its not practical for getting around within the city so I generally take my bike. Also I'm not going to do very much damage to others with my bike so why do I need insurance? If I were in an accident any property damage caused by me would be minimal as opposed to the damage caused by a 2000 pound car. And how many bike / pedestrian accidents do you hear about? If there is any bodily harm cause by a bike 90% of the time its to the operator and I already have health insurance, so I'm not sure what you're argument is
Dude , your excise tax on
By kvn
Mon, 03/11/2013 - 9:38am
Dude , your excise tax on your car has nothing to do with your bike. It is a form of a use tax, one size does not fit all.Have two cars , pay two excise taxes.
Its nice that you have health insurance, but if you strike a person with your bike, how would you like to pay that medical bill out of your pocket. Also , how many ride by scrape jobs happen that go unreported? Do that in a motorcar and its leaving the scene ect ect. The bikes want the use but no responsibilities beyond getting to where they want to get ot, unimpeded by the rights of everyone else. So dont sheet a sheeter with this free the bike crap taking up a travel lane in an already congested city. The bikers are a cash cow for the authorities, they just dont know how to get it done yet. keep making noise , get your righteous selves noticed, and be careful what you get.
Rolls Eyes
By swirlygrrl at work
Mon, 03/11/2013 - 9:46am
Seeing as many pedestrian strikes are the fault of jaywalking ... I don't see any rush to pay cyclist's medical bills.
The pedestrian also has to be insured in MA.
Pedestrians dont need,
By kvn
Mon, 03/11/2013 - 1:47pm
Pedestrians dont need liability insurance , and almost always have the right of way over a vehicle of any type. You would loose that court case in a blink of an eye.
wrong
By swirlygrrl at work
Mon, 03/11/2013 - 2:07pm
I suggest you look it up for yourself in the mass general laws.
Pedestrians are not allowed to just step into a bike lane from between cars, or against the light.
I know cyclists who have recovered money from suing pedestrians who broke the law and cause accidents. Difficult given the anti-cyclist legal climate, but still possible.
Can't you log in using your smartphone?
By Brian Riccio
Mon, 03/11/2013 - 3:24pm
Just curious..or am making an ass of myself in assuming you have one?
I am not going to argue with
By kvn
Mon, 03/11/2013 - 3:58pm
I am not going to argue with you but if a bike hits me, first call is to police for assault , second to ambulance , third to ambulance chaser. That is as a pedestrian. As a former truck driver , I have had the rear of my trailer ran into twice, and the car fled. One person i had arrested for leaving the scene of an accident , the trailer got its rust scratched. The second time, the person filed a fraudulent insurance claim, even though she fled the scene without identifying herself. I reported it to an officer . A bike is no different vs a person, a person will always win.
Assault?
By swirlygrrl at work
Mon, 03/11/2013 - 4:26pm
If you step in front of my bike, legally operating in the bike lane, while jaywalking, I'd be happy to ask that police press that charge against you.
I'd be happy for you to get a jaywalking ticket, however, because even that makes it easier to sue you for damage to my bike.
kvn, you sound like a really
By zetag
Mon, 03/11/2013 - 4:39pm
kvn, you sound like a really good person.
Swirls , and Z , I have been
By kvn
Mon, 03/11/2013 - 8:40pm
Swirls , and Z , I have been around the block a few more times than you I bet . I am sure you are decent people, and Swirls, I am sure you arent a mad commanche on the bike and observe the most important law there is , the one of common sense.I think this thread is all about that,thats all anybody really wants. Can you dig it?
excise tax is $25 per $1000
By zetag
Mon, 03/11/2013 - 10:35am
excise tax is $25 per $1000 in value on my car, so I'd owe like $2.50 on the beater bike that I ride around the city on.
How many bike / pedestrian accidents are there really? Especially ones that are the fault of the cyclist and not jaywalkers? How many cars are involved with scraping cars and driving off?
And the fact that you think "The bikers are a cash cow for the authorities" only highlights the bigger problem with traffic enforcement being a revenue source and having nothing to do with making the roadways safer.
I wish someone would pay me
By anon
Mon, 03/11/2013 - 4:30pm
I wish someone would pay me $100 for my bike.
Should pedestrians have to pay excise tax on the value of their sneakers? Plenty of shoes cost more than my bike.
What about dogs that wear snow boots? They have twice as many feet, but they're getting a free ride.
Excise Tax? Seriously?
By swirlygrrl at work
Mon, 03/11/2013 - 9:24am
I only have one car, and on that car I barely pay shit for excise tax.
Should I put a quarter in a box at city hall for each bike in the garage? I'll go drop off $2.50. There.
I'm so sorry that you can't be bothered to pay attention to the laws of the commonwealth - perhaps that Shroud of Entitlement is blocking your vision/reading, no? Buck up, grow up, or get off the road.
I just saw this , Swirls ,
By kvn
Mon, 03/11/2013 - 8:57pm
I just saw this , Swirls , off the road, be nice. I probably have more miles in reverse than you have. Faneuil Hall was a meat market once , did you know that? I got more licenses than i can afford I know more rules and regulations that I have survived , aw the humanity of it. Be nice, stay safe , you dont always win even when you win!
That's a good idea. So is this....
By Passwide.com
Mon, 03/11/2013 - 9:05am
Some people just really want to get to the next red light as soon as possible. This little device really works. When the flag is in the horizontal position passing vehicles go around it. Like a matador and a bull!
http://www.passwide.com/
The sign is correct; but
By anon
Mon, 03/11/2013 - 9:21am
The sign is correct; but really incomplete. Cars, unlike bicycles, do not have use of the full lane. This is because bicycles by law always may pass a car on the right(even when there is no bike lane); and this is true even when the car or truck is making a right hand turn.
Also bicyclists may legally ride on the sidewalk, if they want to.
Bicycles may *always* pass a car on the right?...
By Sarcastic Sam
Mon, 03/11/2013 - 4:51pm
....even at an intersection? I thought all vehicles in the right lane had to merge at the intersection. This would help prevent a bicycle from colliding with a car making a right turn.
And honestly, I own a car, a bicycle, AND take I the T so I don't have a dog in this race-just wondering.
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