Publicly shame bike-lane blockers

It's tough to shame a guy wearing a skin-tight bib with a sewn-in maxipad. You'll just have to stew in your own impotent rage I guess!

Kelly, cyclists who ride in the middle of the road are not idiots. They are wisely avoiding running into suddenly opening car doors, getting knocked off their bikes by jaywalkers, and getting run over by the distressingly large number of drivers who can't be bothered to notice what's happening in the periphery of their vision.

And as it happens, riding a bike in the middle of the lane is perfectly legal. There's no law that says cyclists have to yield right-of-way to cars behind them.

As for cyclists who ignore red lights and one-way street signs, most of them eventually end up learning their lesson the hard way.

they should obey traffic laws, no argument there, but cyclists have every right to be in the road [most roads, anyway] as a car

Many non-cyclists and beginning cyclists think that the safest place for a bike is as far to the right as possible. This seems intuitive to them- further over means further away from the path of bigger and faster cars. When driving behind a cyclist who is further out into the lane, drivers get frustrated and often honk, follow too closely, or yell at a biker who is "in their way" which further pressures many cyclists to the right. Very few people (we call them sociopaths) actually want to cause harm or even serious inconvenience to others without some important reason.

Unfortunately there are several conditions which actually make it less safe for a biker to be riding along the right, many of which exist (often in combination) on the streets of Boston.

Firstly: parked cars. In a perfect world, before exiting a vehicle, the driver would always check for oncoming traffic. In Europe many beginning drivers are taught to open the car door with their right hand instead of their left, causing them to turn their bodies so that it's easier to see oncoming traffic. The reality here, is that most drivers fling their doors open, right into the path of a biker hugging the right. If it were just about hitting a door (ouch) that would be dangerous enough, but doorings can quickly turn tragic if the impact throws or pushes the cyclist into the travel lane, and under the wheels of oncoming vehicles. For safety, cyclists should ride at least 3' from parked cars, or if they ride closer should proceed slowly enough to stop on a dime.

Secondly: narrow lanes. This is the rule in Boston instead of the exception. It's a dense city without room to expand lanes, unlike a newer city like Dallas. To safely pass a bicyclist, a car needs to allow at least three feet between handlebars and passenger mirror. Since bikes have only 2 wheels, they're more vulnerable to potholes and other bumps in the road, and 3' give some insurance for any wobbles. Plus it's only polite to give a bit or breathing room so that the person on the bike doesn't feel that they're like a bullfighter being passed closely by a dangerous beast. In most narrow lanes (less than 14') there is not enough space for a parked car door buffer (3') a bike (2') and then three feet of space for passing. Unfortunately if the biker is riding close to the right, many cars, look at the space and judge that they can "squeeze through" leading to uncomfortably close passing, and the potential for tragedy if a door opens suddenly. If a cyclist rides closer to the center of the lane, it reinforces the need for the driver to change lanes, either partially or completely to pass safely, checking for oncoming traffic. In almost all cases this only results in a momentary delay (20-30 seconds) Imagine that the cyclist is a horsedrawn carriage or a backhoe- most drivers wouldn't get steamed up, but would merely take a second, check for oncoming traffic and pass.

Thirdly, right turning traffic. On streets with lots of intersections or driveways, drivers can turn right unexpectedly, often without signaling, and sometimes at speed. Because they are generally not expecting traffic on their right hand side they often do not check their blindspot, this can cause a cyclist hugging the right hand side to be cut off, and either have to execute an emergency turn with the car, or slam into the side of the car. This is especially dangerous with big trucks and busses which have both larger blindspots and larger wheels, creating the potential for the vehicle to completely run over a bicyclist.

I feel that the best solution whenever possible is to provide bikers with their own space on the road- a bike lane or cycletrack, and I will happily ride in them when they exist (looking out for right turning traffic, and sometimes doors). However there are only so many bike lanes, and a few places where it's not possible to fit them in to our narrow streets. In those cases, for the reasons above, the safest place is actually to be in the center of the right most lane of traffic. This is why the law allows bicycles to use the full lane. I think that most cyclists try be polite (see sociopath above), and if there's no passing lane, or there are no breaks in oncoming traffic, and they are going much slower than traffic, they are happy to pull over to allow people to pass. In Boston city traffic though, this happens surprisingly infrequently. Either traffic is so congested, or slowed by lights that I can ride at traffic speed, even on my heavy old three speed, or it is open enough that it's only a matter of seconds before a gap opens to allow safe passing.

I hope that this explanation of the rational reasons why a bicyclist might be "in the middle of the road" may help you understand that this is often a safe choice, and respond, not with aggression, but with rational and safe driving in return. See you out on the roads!

Those cars are in the bike lanes for the same reason as the passenger cars -- laziness. Find somewhere else to park, even if it means you have to walk another 20 feet to make your delivery.

Not just annoying. Potentially fatal.
Someone on Mass Ave blocked the lane with their car door and that was it for Dana Laird who got killed by a MBTA bus when she tried to "go around them and get on with life".

You have the right attitude. Bike lanes are a nice convenience, just as loading zones and alleys are a nice convenience. In a perfect world, every delivery vehicle would have a place to park, every bike would have an open lane, and nobody would interfere with anybody else. But since that world doesn't exist, I try to make do. It's not hard to move into the car lane now and then. And for you drivers who think we aren't supposed to do that, not only are you wrong, but I suggest that it isn't hard to slow down briefly for the slower vehicle.

Sometimes cops, EMTS, firefighters, BTD workers park illegally and get lunch which they shouldn't be doing.

But many times you will find Cab drivers and other people helping out elderly coming out of places and there simply is no where to park. So bikes can just go around if there is a special circumstance. Hopefully you can ruin someone like Brett's day in the process.

to report a vehicle blocking a bike lane is severely fined by the police for inappropriate use of the 911 system.

A person parked in a bike lane - breaking the law, yes. Life threatening emergency requiring immediate attention - not by a long shot.

That was great!! I hadn't seen it before. Amazing that he was doing all that without a helmet or any other sort of protection. It's like Jackass as filmed by bike freaks! Tremendously educational, thoroughly funny (in that Horowitz Brothers sort of way) and yet still embodying the necessary snarky sarcasm! Two Thumbs Up!