By adamg on Wed., 1/24/2018 - 10:52 am
MassBike takes another look at the the 2015 crash at Massachusetts Avenue and Beacon Street that killed Dr. Anita Kurmann. The driver of the truck was not charged; the Globe reports authorities stand by their conclusion he did nothing wrong.
Ed. note: The video includes footage of Kurmann's death.
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:(
By frobot
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 11:00am
Heartbreaking and horrifying.
It is disgusting that the
By Kinopio
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 11:07am
It is disgusting that the driver wasn't charged with hit and run. If the excuse is, "someone driving that truck may not be able to tell if they kit and killed someone" then that means vehicles like that should immediately be banned on city streets. That driver is facing zero repercussions. In America a drivers license is essentially a license to kill.
alternate viewpoint: if your
By anon
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 11:22am
alternate viewpoint: if your vehicle cannot protect you in a low-speed collision, then that vehicle should be banned from city streets. in America, riding bicycles in traffic is essentially attempted suicide.
Let's try a study
By Michael
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 12:06pm
Ban private cars and trucks on city streets for a week, then ban bikes for a week, and we'll count up how many accidents there are each of the two weeks.
It needs to be at least 6
By anon
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 1:49pm
It needs to be at least 6 months of no cars/trucks. That way we can deplete all resources in/out of the city or hire you for pedal power.
Lets further that study by
By dm12
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 4:13pm
Lets further that study by evaluating the level of hunger faced by the average bostonian before and after the test is implemented.
You got me
By Michael
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 4:23pm
You spotted a flaw in the 400 page thesis-level policy statement that I actually submitted as an actual policy proposal; well done
How do you stock stores
By dm12
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 4:28pm
How do you stock stores without trucks?
Simple question.
Simple
By anon
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 4:40pm
You don't use giant vehicles to make deliveries to a handful of stores. You use vans and smaller box trucks.
You don't bring giant things into the city when they should have escort details.
You do your deliveries before 6am.
There's literally 3 pallets
By BH
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 5:13pm
There's literally 3 pallets worth of stuff on that truck. You can't really be saying that there's no other option for delivering it.
excellent question, lets ask
By pierce
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 9:38pm
excellent question, lets ask the continent that's full of cities with similar streets to Boston: http://c8.alamy.com/comp/FEEGC0/madrid-spain-europ...
Conley Terminal
By ElizaLeila
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 10:33pm
Gateway to MA and New England for container shipping.
Redesign and pay for said redesigns to Southie and the Seaport.
Rework how Conley does business.
Let us know how you want to make this happen.
Are you also going to ban
By anon
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 12:32pm
Are you also going to ban pedestrians?
Does no one mention the other
By anon
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 6:13pm
Does no one mention the other bike in between the two cars at the red light (making his own private third lane) and then swerves into the one car's lane once the light turns green? This is the sort of behavior I see by bikes daily. That and running red lights and swerving around pedestrians in crosswalks.
I don't see lane splitting as
By PLOP!
Thu, 01/25/2018 - 1:44pm
I don't see lane splitting as illegal and unsignaled lane merges are routine for motorists as well. At the same speed of traffic, it isn't a big deal.
Passing within the same lane as occupied by another vehicle is what drivers do when passing a bike, yet they aren't "making their own lane".
That behavior was safer and other than an unsignaled lane change, I don't believe it was illegal. In fact it was downright Boston driving, meaning should be anticipated by fellow Boston drivers. Which means driving assertively at best and as a total douchebag at worst.
You might note two things
By SwirlyGrrl
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 7:23pm
1. The risks of sedentary lifestyle diseases that plague Americans because they drive everywhere are far higher than injury risks of cycling.
2. The woman murdered here in this video was a doctor and would know this.
3. The risk of riding a
By anon
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 10:21pm
3. The risk of riding a bicycle alongside cars. If you genuinely care about cyclists' lives, then urge them to stay off the road. It's a dumb way to risk your life.
And how are they to get anywhere?
By lbb
Thu, 01/25/2018 - 8:44am
And how are they to get anywhere, if not by using the roads?
This has to be the stupidest comment in this thread.
Of course
By Roman
Thu, 01/25/2018 - 1:35am
Swirly knows what's best for everyone. Crown her God-King and grovel at her feet!
Or...
Take responsibility for your own damn health and safety by not sneaking around heavy machinery [b]and[/b] maintaining a good diet and exercise regimen. Shocking as it might be to a certain, shall we say "triggered" sort, the two are not mutually exclusive.
"Sneaking"
By lbb
Thu, 01/25/2018 - 8:46am
Operating a vehicle in a legal fashion, as the cyclist was doing, is not "sneaking".
Someone's triggered here, but it ain't the people calling an act of irresponsible and careless driving that resulted in vehicular homicide.
Famous last words
By anon
Thu, 01/25/2018 - 11:28am
"If it's legal, it MUST be safe!"
Act your age
By lbb
Thu, 01/25/2018 - 3:57pm
This has nothing to do with the post you're responding to, so why post it? Oh, yeah, to be an assshat.
This is hitting a raw nerve with you
By Roman
Thu, 01/25/2018 - 5:52pm
Maybe you're just pissed that people are calling cyclists out on unsafe behavior using actual video evidence prepared by your own side.
Agreed
By FootPad
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 11:37am
Agreed.
I narrowly avoided my own right-hook situation on Beacon St. Monday heading toward Kenmore square in the 'new protected bike lane' by a large SUV driver who overtook me to make a right turn - saved myself by biking up onto the sidewalk giving myself a little more braking room/time.
Not sure if you could charge someone with it but....
By Pete Nice
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 11:42am
The truck crosses the white line (illegal). By doing that he injures someone with that turn (reckless/negligent?)
I can can see somewhat how the the bike was along the truck the entire time so the cyclist should have been able to see the right turn signal (and probably wouldn't have had time to avoid it anyway so I don't even know if that matters)
On the other hand, the truck should have seen the cyclist in it's mirror. No doubt in my mind.
I think you might be right. If a truck can't make a turn without crossing that line (which is there for a reason), it should either be banned from that street, or 1000% careful that no one gets hurt when you do an illegal maneuver.
Large turning radius
By Tim Mc.
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 12:09pm
By "the white line" do you mean the solid white line separating the same-direction traffic lanes in the approach to the intersection? Trucks of that size pretty much *always* need to cross those in that manner; that's why they have those "makes wide right turns" signs on them. It can be counter-intuitive to the people around them, but it's the only way they can make it through an intersection like that. And yeah, that's a huge problem.
Dr. Kurmann almost certainly did not notice the turn signals, but you can see that she did stop short when she noticed the truck *was* turning across her path. She successfully avoids getting hit by the front of the truck. It's a little unclear, but I think I see her start to back up when she realizes that the *back* tires of the truck are coming towards her; there's a good chance she was looking towards the front of the truck (perhaps pissed off at the close right-hook) and did not notice in time. There wasn't time to bail. I've almost been caught by the back end of a truck myself.
Either way, the driver is completely negligent in not checking his right side. In a civil case, where blame is apportioned by percentage, I'd probably assign 5-10% of the blame to her (inattention to turn signal) and 90-95% to the driver (not confirming a clear turn path, inattention to passed vehicle on right side.) Once she missed the turn signal, there was actually very little she could do without above-average reflexes and athleticism.
Could she even make out the
By tofu
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 12:21pm
Could she even make out the turn signal? Is it visible from her vantage point or only from front/side of truck?
Without a closer look at the
By Rob
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 7:38pm
Without a closer look at the actual models of truck & trailer in the setup, I couldn't say how visible the front directional signal would have been from alongside the whole length of the vehicle or if a rear (or side) directional on the tractor unit was visible to her or if there was a side directional on the trailer unit.
She came up from behind, however, and would have seen his rear directional. So far as I've read, nobody has said the rear directional wasn't working.
This shows how to make the
By Steve Brady
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 12:31pm
This shows how to make the turn correctly:
http://photos.truckingtruth.com/pics/5067/14802612...
edit:
Christopher Weigl was killed after colliding with a truck pulling the same jug-handle maneuver:
http://www.bu.edu/today/2012/student-cyclist-kille...
Good point. But button hook
By Tim Mc.
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 12:25pm
Good point. But button hook works only if the oncoming lanes to the right aren't occupied by people waiting for the light. I suspect that that happens so commonly that truckers just get used to doing the jug handle turn. -.-
Button Hook Killed Phyo Kyaw
By anon
Thu, 01/25/2018 - 12:28am
as the truck turned from one truck route to another (Mass. Ave. to Vassar Street). Unfortunately, Cambridge and MIT narrowed Vassar Street at the intersection, making trucks have to cross over into the oncoming lane. Stupid change for the intersection of two roads they designated as truck routes, claiming a theoretical reduction in danger from a shorter pedestrian crossing distance.
How much wider would you make
By anon
Thu, 01/25/2018 - 1:48pm
How much wider would you make Vassar Street? https://goo.gl/maps/zeka1YQwt1H2
I don't think Vassar was much wider at the Mass Ave intersection before the 2003 reconstruction.
Fair points
By roadman
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 12:19pm
Except for one thing. Crossing a SINGLE white line is NOT illegal in state law, the Uniform Vehicle Code, or the MUTCD.
Without fail
By anon
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 12:24pm
You and your BIKE ALWAYS AT FAULT MAKES ME FEEL BAD BLAH BLAH TEENAGERS
For someone who thinks that he knows the laws, you sure as hell are afraid of actually being responsible for OBEYING them.
The Mass RMV driving manual
By Steve Brady
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 12:32pm
The Mass RMV driving manual seems to frown upon both making lane changes in intersections, and making right turns from any lane but the right one.
I think the term of art used
By Dot net
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 12:44pm
I think the term of art used is "unlawful". Somehow, this is different from "illegal", or prohibited.
That's because ...
By anon
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 1:29pm
Car drivers think they are special.
RMV manual uses the term "should not"
By roadman
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 1:54pm
Which does not imply "illegal" to do so.
I believe these are City violaitons?
By Pete Nice
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 12:48pm
Like one way violations are?
White line
By downtown-anon
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 1:42pm
According to the first paragraph of page 10 of this document, it is something "you should avoid". Doesn't say anything about it being illegal.
https://www.massrmv.com/Portals/30/docs/dmanual/ch...
Courts have interpreted the laws however....
By Pete Nice
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 1:58pm
MGL CH. 89 s.4A is your standard "marked lanes violation".
I'm having trouble looking up the case law on google, (comm vs Obrien 2013), (comm v Ferrell 2011) and (comm vs Ortolani 2011) basically all say that the police can pull you over for crossing these lines. One of them says that just "touching" the line isn't enough for the stop.
If you look at the statute it doesn't really say this but like most MA laws and statutes, courts tell us what they think the law means.
I think the RMV manual sums it up pretty well then
By Dot net
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 2:47pm
Source, top of page labeled 88, 10th page of PDF: https://www.massrmv.com/Portals/30/docs/dmanual/ch...
That might be the problem though...
By Pete Nice
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 2:54pm
just thinking from a legal standpoint.
"should not"
Not a great clear legal term
Sorry, but the bicyclist was
By wtf021
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 12:01pm
Sorry, but the bicyclist was clearly at fault. The truck passes her on the bridge then stopped at a red light. The bike then attempts to pass the truck on it's right hand side and out of the bike lane. His directional was on for 8 seconds. The bike should have been behind the truck, not next to it.
The real question is why do we think bikes and 18 wheelers can share the same space.
WRONG
By anon
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 12:24pm
Watch it again, honey.
Nice try.
It's a bike lane. The
By Dot net
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 12:29pm
It's a bike lane. The bicyclist has every legal right to pass on the right.
As a defensive biking issue, I would never pass a truck like that unless I was sure I could clearly beat the truck well before he would even consider start making his turn. For the safety of my fellow cyclists, I strongly recommend this guide: https://bicyclesafe.com/
That being said, the onus is on the operator of the heavy vehicle to ensure they aren't endangering other road users. The trucker saw and passed bicycles. It's on the trucker to safely turn only when the path is clear. They have a CDL for a reason. Larger vehicle, greater responsibility.
It was the bus lane
By whyaduck
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 1:00pm
at the time of this terrible accident. The dedicated bike lane came later.
"Using footage from traffic cameras, police investigators concluded Kurmann was at fault, adding that at the time she was riding in a bus lane, and not in the marked lane that cyclists can share with motor vehicle traffic."
https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/01/23/bicyc...
Yes, but can't fault her for
By Tim Mc.
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 1:11pm
Yes, but can't fault her for that. Cyclists get screamed at, honked at, and even swerved at for riding in anything but the farthest right lane, even when it's not the legal place for them to be.
Sure, I'll take the damn lane as is my right, but that's my decision, and I won't force it on others.
More entitlement, more incompetent driving
By anon
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 1:22pm
My car makes me a special somebody too!
Nope
By anon
Wed, 01/24/2018 - 1:28pm
Bike lane. Marked with a bike and bus stop signs.
Can't believe they let people like you drive with that sort of entitled ignorance.
Note the dashed lines across, note the bike markings in the lane, dear. Every bit of pavement isn't about your special car.
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