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Dueling petitions: Get rid of Eastie's bicycle lanes / Expand Eastie's bicycle lanes
By adamg on Thu, 09/24/2015 - 1:30pm
An East Boston resident has started an online petition demanding her elected officials do everything they can to rid the neighborhood of the horror that are bicycle lanes - and they better not forget she votes.
We are asking for all bicycle lanes to be removed, especially on the most narrow and busiest streets, i.e. Route 145, (aka Bennington St.), These lanes were slapped down anywhere and everywhere giving bicyclists a false sense of ownership, safety and protection. We have the Bremen Street Greenway which offers off street bicycle lanes to travel from one end of East Boston to the other.
That petition was matched today by a competing petition demanding those same elected officials make the neighborhood's bike lanes safer for users:
Countless studies have shown that bicycle infrastructure adds a measure of traffic calming to our public streets because narrower motor vehicle lanes encourage slower speeds. So rather than remove the sporadic bike lanes & intermittent sharrows, lets build continuous & protected bicycle infrastructure that will contribute to slower vehicle speeds which improves the safety for people who walk, bike, & drive.
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Comments
I don't think
the first lady realizes how bike laws work in MA. No bike lane? 2 abreast down the middle of the road, and sidewalks in residential areas it is.
I would not dare ride a bike
I would not dare ride a bike on Eastie streets, bremen st park yes, but congested streets no, I see so many people texting while driving everywhere in Eastie. The city can make a boat load of money by setting up traps and issue tickets to people who text while driving.
Well that's beside the point
We're talking about a petition to remove bike lanes, and how those opposed to them may not like the results they'd get.
And the park isn't much better, Massport likes to patrol it with their SUVs, ironically instead of by bike (which would make a lot more sense). I can't tell you how many times I've turned around and been startled to see one right behind me when running through that park. But I digress.
There's also a major problem with traffic yielding the right of way to pedestrians in the crosswalk at Putnam and Bennington, and while they occasionally do hide out next to Oliviera's and nab people for that, it doesn't seem to do much in the big picture. Same goes for Chelsea and Putnam, but that is NEVER patrolled and I even once had a police cruiser almost take me out in the crosswalk.
Maybe these things need a petition...
I ride in Eastie without problems
I prefer less-travelled Saratoga Street (one block over) instead of Bennington, but I find it no worse or better than any other Boston neighborhood or suburb.
Eastie streets aren't any
Eastie streets aren't any worse than other areas. I feel much safer riding a bicycle in Eastie than I do in the Back Bay, South End, Cambridge/Somerville, etc.
I've ridden from Eagle Hill to Revere Beach dozens of times over the last few months and the ride is fine. Going up Bennington, the intersection right before Orient Heights can be a hassle, and maybe the intersection at Beachmont if you catch it at a green light, but that's about it.
The biggest hazard is the cars that idle/park in the bike lane. Too many drivers in East Boston seem to think that the extra room created by the bicycle lane makes it okay to sit there and double-park (especially in front of Canton Eatery or the stretch of Bennington between Central Square and Day Square).
Why is a stopped car a hazard
Why is a stopped car a hazard? I'd check over my shoulder and merge left ahead of time.
Because a bike lane is a lane
Because a bike lane is a lane of travel and not a parking spot?
Because
It forces you into traffic.
Does this lady understand Eastie topo?
The Bremen St greenway takes you from one very select part of Eastie to another. It does not even remotely go near Eagle Hill, nor does it make any friggan' sense for most of the area. If you don't want bike lanes on Bennington, then propose that, but to propse that ALL lanes should be removed is just.........moronic.
You obviously don't
You obviously don't understand car driver logic. If there's a greenway or bike path anywhere in your town, then all bicycles are required to take it everywhere they go. See also: Arlington.
YES!
I promise to only use bike paths if drivers promise to only use major highways. They can park their car at the side of the road next the exit and walk the rest of the way.
Bike paths are great when they go near where I'm going. Otherwise I'll use the street just like everyone else.
Rip out the center concrete
Rip out the center concrete island on Bennington st from wood island to Orient heights station, bike lane should be smack dab in the middle of Bennington street (where the island is , rip the island out!) Room for cars, buses and bikes, everybody will be happy.
If you are looking for a well
If you are looking for a well written and thought out petition I'll provide a hint: its not the one written by the anti-bike person.
I'm stumped
"A false sense of ownership"? What does that even mean?
It means
"I can't run over those uppity bike riders because they actually know the laws and their rights!!!!!"
Man
Next thing you know they'll be asserting their rights to use those streets they can already legally use. Where are my pearls? I need to clutch them!
I'm pretty sure it means "I
I'm pretty sure it means "I want less space devoted to lanes used by 1000's of cars a day, and that space devoted to lanes to be used by dozens of bicycles a day, seven months of the year."
Who would do that?
Who in their right mind would *not bike* for 5 months of the year? I broke my arm this summer and had to drive or take the bus. Both suck so bad that it lasted only 3 weeks, I rode the next 7 weeks in a cast.
Driving just plain sucks, people need a safe place to ride so that people with no alternative and must drive have fewer 'discretionary drivers' creating traffic and grid lock in their way
Hard to proofread and drive at the same time
...
...
Especially without spilling your tall boy.
oh please
nips of mcgillicuddy's dont spill, dummy
The real problem with the
The real problem with the anti-bike petition is that it also includes a second petition for greater street safety in general (more stop signs, better enforcement, etc.), that most reasonable people would support. If they ever present this petition to the city council, it should be returned immediately to split it out into two separate petitions.
More stop signs
that are not justified by traffic conditions, but are merely intended to artifically slow traffic down, do not improve safety. Sadly, most people (including politicans who should know better) fail to grasp that concept.
Bike lane advocates not residents
of east Boston from my quick glance. One in Washington D.C. even!
So tell us
What is your vision for Eastie, given your extensive tenure in the neighborhood?
"Once I missed the turn for the Sumner Tunnel
And had to white-knuckle it over to Chelsea to get onto Route 1"
No more my business as nearly all pro bike signers
I don't have a vision for Eastie and neither should they. I pretty much only go through Eastie going to/from the airport, and that's about it. I could see many non-residents signing the anti-bike lane petition, especially cab drivers and truck drivers.
I'm not going to tell you how to live your life, don't tell me how to live mine.
I'm not going to tell you how
Now you're just straight-up trolling.
My vision for Eastie is to
My vision for Eastie is to install a giant ferris wheel 40 stories high , most fittingly right at Piers Park, the type of Ferris wheel (Same as the London Ferris Wheel) where each car is enclosed and heated and has enough room for 10 people, a charge of $20 to get on, $10 for Eastie residents, just think of all the tourists who would like to go on it during all seasons, a Boston tourist attraction, if you will, all profits go to local causes, that's only if Massport approves and pays for it as a gift to Eastie.
A
All I want is a tall arched pedestrian/bike way from the downtown waterfront to Eastie's. That so much?
OK
I take it you don't care about roads outside of Arlington?
I take it you're strongly opposed to AAA? They spend a lot of money on DC lobbyists, after all.
Citation Please!
What does AAA spend money lobbying for? They don't even represent motorists! They now offer road service to bicyclists and now support them! The League of American Bicyclists is the lobby to worry about.
History, Dude
Try reading up on your history. It was the League of American Wheelmen (who became the LAB) who advocated for good roads that would help motorists such as yourself, not the other way around.
You're welcome.
Didn't answer my question
What is AAA lobbying for? BTW, I have no problem with Belgian blocks or paving stones. They do a great job of traffic calming to slow traffic. That 1890's bicycling boom was short lived, btw. It was the glory times for the League, with its greatest membership numbers. Today's membership is far less, despite the US population being about 315 million now and only about 70 million in 1895.
Because google is so farking difficult!
Just a few legislative updates by state association, for starters.
Reading more difficult?
He claimed AAA was spending a lot lobbying in DC. Your results had some state results for educational scholarships.
There is more
http://www.nrdc.org/media/pressReleases/001116.asp
And I'm betting you do know about it. Like AAAs past efforts to lobby against transit funding in DC. You know about that, I'm sure, and I'm not going to bother doing your work for you this time.
Got anything newer than 15 years ago?
Pretty lame.
Yeah, about that reading
Well, you could always read AAA's own website if you'd like a confirmation they engage in national lobbying activities.
Note, I don't really care if they do -- a car group lobbying for things which helps car drivers isn't surprising. But you can't be horribly offended at the fact bike groups spend money lobbying when car groups do too. (As well as just about every other national organization.)
I quit AAA when I realized
I quit AAA when I realized how much they were lobbying on my behalf by saying stuff like, "We represent our X million members."
Most people, including myself, joined for the roadside assistance and insurance discount. They don't tell you about the lobbying stuff when you join. Nor do they ever send out surveys asking if their members would support their causes such as mandatory child safety seats up to age 10, and lawsuits to eliminate HOV lanes.
Resident here
that drives to work every day and sold my bike.
Still signed.
There also may be people in other parts of the city, state, or country that have a stake in this as well. Maybe they have relatives here that ride. Or maybe they grew up here and still care about the neighborhood.
By your logic, unless you live in the neighborhood, SHHHHH.
Both petitioners
need to update the recipients of the petitions. Carlo Basile is no longer Eastie's State Rep.
I'd say this is a battle between "I've lived here all my life and things were never this bad" Eastie and the Hipster Invastion Eastie.
Let the Hunger Games begin!!
So in other words..
So in other words people who drive cars want bike lanes gone, and people who ride bikes want them expanded? That's not a surprise. People want what satisfies their own utility, all others be darned.
Bennington St??
Correct me if I'm wrong, but does Bennington St have actual demarcated bike lanes?? I thought it just had those sharrows which really don't designate a lane.
FWIW, even as a bike rider (but not in the city), I find the sharrows totally useless. It's not clear at all what one is supposed to do other than look for cyclists, which hopefully people are doing anyway. I've always thought the sharrows were Menino's way of saying he accomplished something, even though nothing really got accomplished.
Sharrows
Some people need to be reminded that bicyclists are allowed (i.e. required by law) to ride in the streets. So yes, reminding people to look out for bicycles is not a bad thing.
Nope
From the Federal MUTCD:
I find them quite helpful
If only to point to them when some hat of ass motorist is impatient to join the traffic jam or red light queue 50 yards ahead.
I belong here. See? The street even says so!
That said, they are not a substitute for a lane or track. Best used sparingly on connector roads.
Bikelanes
Ride on the sidewalks u dumb yuppies
Hint:
Sidewalk