The day after local bicyclists celebrated the opening of bike lanes on the BU Bridge, an irate citizen forwarded this photo of lane-hogging cabs just a few blocks away outside BU's Warren Towers:
Apparently the bike lane on Comm. Ave. is now a cab stand. 8 cabs in a row were parked there this morning around 8:40.
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Comments
Kenmore Square in front of
By Anon
Thu, 12/22/2011 - 1:36pm
Kenmore Square in front of Eastern Standard is the worst. Always cars double or triple parked across the bike lane and then drivers and pissed when they have to change lanes to pass a bicyclist unable to use the bike lane.
Why the crying poor city isn't turning the extra $100 bike lane parking fine on top the regular parking violation fine into a massive revenue generating machine through actual enforcement is beyond me.
"irate"? Really, Adam?
By Brett
Thu, 12/22/2011 - 2:00pm
Would you mind justifying why a pretty straightforward, accurate description of the issue with a hint of sarcasm earned this person the label "irate"?
Ah, right. Any time we bikers point out something wrong, or ask people to follow the law for our safety - we're being unreasonable, irate, or...my personal favorite: "entitled."
Your grape smugglers are on too tight..
By Sarcastic Sam
Thu, 12/22/2011 - 2:08pm
I think you're over-reacting and being just a tad over defensive.....I didn't read any unfavorable connotation in Adam's post. I think it would be certainly be justifiable to be irate in this instance.
Irate simply means 'very angry' as I understand it. It could be Very Angry as in Marvin the Martian's disposition in those old Warner Brothers cartoons, and that guy certainly doesn't lose HIS cool.
Any sensible cyclist, motorist, and pedestrian is completely justified in being irate over this. I'll bet Adam meant no disrespect.
awesome
By anon
Thu, 12/22/2011 - 2:12pm
"I think you're over-reacting and being just a tad over defensive"
Way to prove the point.
Really, just some la-di-da?
By adamg
Thu, 12/22/2011 - 2:25pm
So this is nothing different than a broken-streetlight report? You bicyclists are just too mellow for me.
In any case, if you do a search on "citizen complaint of the day," you'll see bicyclists aren't the only Citizen Connect complainets to whom I impute emotions I don't absolutely know they have.
Bang Bang
By anon
Thu, 12/22/2011 - 2:40pm
Maxwell's silver hammer swung down onto the cab!
Bang bang maxwell's silver hammer made sure the mirror's cracked!
Touchy touchy touchy!
By Bluto
Thu, 12/22/2011 - 2:51pm
Overcompensate much?
Irate?
By Mick T.
Fri, 12/23/2011 - 12:38pm
I'd bet all the students leaving Warren Towers to go home for the holidays would be irate if taxis can't stop outside the building to pick them and their luggage up.
Yes it's potentially dangerous for cyclists, but what's the alternative?
I don't know why there isn't
By JCK
Thu, 12/22/2011 - 2:28pm
I don't know why there isn't more double-parking enforcement in this city, bike lanes or no.
Bike lines don't cause double parking; see Cambridge Street in Beacon Hill if you don't believe me.
Not to mention Southie...
By anon
Thu, 12/22/2011 - 4:03pm
The double parking capitol of the known Universe.
Check out Broadway in South
By Nigel Bruce
Thu, 12/22/2011 - 5:49pm
Check out Broadway in South Boston
Or Cambridge Street in East
By Ron Mexico
Thu, 12/22/2011 - 9:13pm
Or Cambridge Street in East Cambridge. Must be something to do with that name! Cambridge = entitlement? =) Just kidding, y'all.
What's the point of lining up and blocking the lane anyway?
By Will LaTulippe
Thu, 12/22/2011 - 3:03pm
If somebody wants to hire a cab badly enough, they'll flag you down, at which point, you turn onto a side street and pick them up. How lazy can you be?
From my memory, it's usually
By RhoninFire
Thu, 12/22/2011 - 6:55pm
From my memory, it's usually not 8 cars. Still, I think it is that many cabs because finals week just ended so I guess they are betting people are leaving at a rate like it's an airport.
You know...
By Wally Brown
Thu, 12/22/2011 - 3:08pm
This wouldn't be a problem if they still had those handy parking spots there. :)
Are you kidding, you are
By anon
Thu, 12/22/2011 - 3:22pm
Are you kidding, you are saying cabs don't idle along side parked cars? Have you ever been to Boston, say Kenmore Sq, anywhere in the financial district or outside any of the more expensive hotels.
So?
By anon
Thu, 12/22/2011 - 3:29pm
The fact that they do NOT have spots does not mean that you get to make them up.
Oh, but cyclists are scofflawas blah blah ...
I think the city should start yanking licenses, medalions, etc. for failure to follow basic rules of the road - including making up cab stands where they do not exist.
Yanking medallions?
By Mark-
Fri, 12/23/2011 - 1:13am
You do know how much medallions are worth, don't you? That would be like burning down the cabbie's house because he double parked in a bike lane.
Not that I think a medallion should be worth as much as a house, but for all the wrong reasons they are, so you can't treat them like a peddler's license.
not the cabbie's to lose
By neuroboy
Fri, 12/23/2011 - 9:36am
the fact of the matter is that the cabbies rent the use of the medallion from some richer guy who has bought it, and if that medallion owner is getting dinged on his bottom line you can damn well be sure his drivers aren't costing him money.
case in point: crosswalks. . . yes, taxi driving is crap, but I'll be damned if they don't reliably show courtesy to pedestrians on a crosswalk. I never understood that until it occurred to me that there's no quicker way for a driver to get in hot water than endangering a pedestrian. If they started pressing citations and medallion endangerment for creating impromptu cab stands I suspect it would be much less common.
Not Always
By Suldog
Fri, 12/23/2011 - 10:41am
Some cabbies own their own medallions. And some worked many years to be able to buy them. That doesn't negate your point concerning how much of a deterrent it would be to lose one, but please don't paint it as though it would always be some faceless rich guy getting dinged.
Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com
Turn down a sidestreet?
By anon
Thu, 12/22/2011 - 3:41pm
That's really not an option. If you're on Comm ave and hail a cab, they should be able to pull over and pick someone up/drop someone off. Yes it's a bike lane, but a bike should wait behind the cab just like a car would. If you're the passenger or the fare he's picking up, you don't want to walk to the next side street and pay to go around the block just so a biker doesn't have to slow down/stop.
You must be lazy too
By Will LaTulippe
Thu, 12/22/2011 - 5:43pm
Wahh, the world revolves around me! I want that travel lane blocked!
I'm ready to skate in Hades!
By SwirlyGrrl
Thu, 12/22/2011 - 8:24pm
Hell must be freezing over. I'm applauding Will all the way on this one!
Cabs wouldn't idle in metered
By Anon
Thu, 12/22/2011 - 4:01pm
Cabs wouldn't idle in metered parking, they'd be double parking and blocking half of Commonwealth Avenue. That's what they used to do!
Then replace a few of the
By anon
Thu, 12/22/2011 - 5:08pm
Then replace a few of the metered spots with a taxi stand or loading zone.
I totally agree. A major
By anon
Thu, 12/22/2011 - 4:32pm
I totally agree. A major purpose of streets in a walkable city is to provide access to the area, not just to let vehicles pass through on the way to someplace else. Forbidding stopping at the curb makes this difficult.
Why do there need to be
By anon
Thu, 12/22/2011 - 4:06pm
Why do there need to be so many cabs in front of Warren Towers anyway?
Question Worth Asking
By Suldog
Thu, 12/22/2011 - 4:51pm
Is it, in fact, a cab stand?
Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com
No
By BlackKat
Thu, 12/22/2011 - 5:07pm
If it was a cab stand the bike lane would go around it not through it.
But one can see the practice even pre-dates the bike lane as this lonely cab sits in a no parking zone (one knows it is idling by the progression of street view images)
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Warren+Towers,+U.S.+...
Speaking of Street View
By anon
Thu, 12/22/2011 - 5:11pm
I followed a Google Street View car on my way to work today. He was driving around Cambridgeport.
For My Future Reference...
By Suldog
Fri, 12/23/2011 - 9:05am
I just found this list of Boston cab stands, according to Boston.com
Back Bay
Lennox Hotel (710 Boylston St.)
Sheriton Hotel (39 Dalton St.)
Copley Hotel (47 Huntington Ave)
Prudential Center (Ring Rd. and Boylston St.)
Westin Hotel (10 Huntington Ave.)
Elliot Hotel (370 Commonwealth Ave)
Beacon Hill
100 Charles River Rd.
Mass General Hospital main entrance
One Beacon St.
Faneuil Hall
60 State St.
State St. & Broad St.
North St.
Fenway
Gainsborough St. & Huntington Ave.
Hotel Commonwealth (500 Commonwealth Ave.)
Financial District
South Station (200 Summer St)
225 Franklin St.
South Boston
World Trade Center (200 Seaport Blvd.)
Seaport Hotel (1 Seaport Lane)
Broadway T-Stop
D St. & Broadway St.
Andrew Square T-Stop
South End
Berkley Street and Tremont Street
Massachusetts Avenue and Tremont Street
720 Harrison St.
Theater District
Park Plaza
Waterfront
Marriot Longwharf (296 State St.)
Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com
Doesn't really bother me now. But...
By Craiggles
Thu, 12/22/2011 - 10:02pm
I remember when I was first getting used to riding in the city, and the Comm Ave bike lane was essentially the only place I felt even remotely safe. Legal or not, it's more inconsiderate of the cabbies than anything. (then again, that's kind of par for the course on the Boston cabbie circuit)
My favorite way to blow off steam is to ride by and punch the windows of every single cab.
Wow... you might want to seek
By anon
Fri, 12/23/2011 - 8:19am
Wow... you might want to seek counseling. Not all cab drivers are out to get you!
I need an opinion here...
By Doug
Thu, 12/22/2011 - 10:28pm
I don't understand if the bike lane is supposed to be 100% sacrosanct to bikers or what. I was in kenmore, in front of eastern standard just last week - a location mentioned above: I pulled over with my signal on to back up/parallel park into the (drop off zone) spot. A biker went around me and yelled "stay out of the bike lane!!!". Huh? Should i have stayed in the car travel lane to paralel park? What if i was waiting for someone else to pull out - same question? i mean, we have to cross the bike lane to park - why shouldn't bikes have to wait for me to parallel park just like any vehicle would? Any serious bikers have an opinion?
Most people, driver or
By J
Thu, 12/22/2011 - 11:40pm
Most people, driver or cyclist, dont know the laws.
Bikes lanes are never bike exclusive.
Cars MUST enter (legally) for right turns, parking, and yes, even loading/unloading (but not idling). Buses of course can as well.
I find it quite sad to see cyclists rage against cars "blocking" the bike lane when theyre doing what the law required (ie, be as far right as possible when turning right)
Including you
By anon
Fri, 12/23/2011 - 9:41am
Yes, you do have to cross a bike lane to turn.
You must yield to cyclists using the lane when you do so. You don't get to just plow across it in a fit of automotive entitlement.
You have to wait - and stop it you have to - and yield the right of way.
Menino needs to issue
By anon
Fri, 12/23/2011 - 6:15am
Menino needs to issue guidelines to cyclists and drivers to make the rules clear with regard to bike lanes. Clearly in the situation you experienced, the cyclist was an inexperienced idiot who is a danger to himself on the road.
Menino?
By anon
Fri, 12/23/2011 - 9:43am
How about just having the RMV test people on the actual rules of driving, rather than a one time quiz about junior operator laws.
There are some city variations, but laws are state and federal - like, outside of Boston people drive and, like, the rules are the same.
Drivers test
By anon
Fri, 12/23/2011 - 10:31am
I just moved to California from Cambridge and when converting an out of state drivers license, you have to take the written test. it was long and not completely straightforward. I had two questions about bike laws and bike lane usage. I'm not sure it's the test, but people drive much better out here. And even better, they're putting down bike lanes in my neighborhood.
I moved here from Michigan
By Katia
Tue, 05/08/2012 - 12:31pm
I moved here from Michigan and didn't have to take any kind of driving test to get my license. Just for contrast.
You are definitely allowed to
By anon
Fri, 12/23/2011 - 10:52pm
You are definitely allowed to pass through a bike lane while parking. However, the fact that this person was close enough to have to go around (and felt the need to yell at you) might mean that you cut them off to some degree. I don't mean to attack you, because you asked the question very reasonably, but it is possible you cut him/her off (or you're a real slow parker?) A lot of the time, drivers don't accurately evaluate the speed a bike is traveling - so you might pull over "past" a cyclist, when in reality, you're on an intercept course that requires them to slow or stop - and takes right of way when it's not yours. Or maybe it was a college student who thinks that he/she is being a rebel by yelling at people, who knows.
what the what?
By daveF
Sat, 12/24/2011 - 10:37am
wow - think about what you just said - a driver should not cause a biker to need to slow down? or stop? or that parking slowly is an offense? what if he was waiting for a car to pull out? why does that matter? what a perfect example of why people think bikers have a false sense of entitlement. you are a vehicle - act like one.
it is not remotely "cutting them off" if you pass someone (bike or car, doesn't matter) that is moving slowly (as is their right) and then decide to park. think about it what you imply - should the driver have a) followed the biker slowly, so as to not 'intercept' their course or b) driven their normal speed, found the spot, then stopped in the car travel lane to wait for the cyclist to have passed? why on earth do you think that drivers should worry about your momentum?
again, you are a vehicle like all others... act like one. that means slowing, stopping (and perhaps even obeying red lights)
It is cutting off
By Matthew
Sat, 12/24/2011 - 2:20pm
If you force someone to brake abruptly in order to avoid an accident. That applies whether the victim is riding in another car or a bicycle.
Similarly, if you move your car into the middle lane to pass another car in the right lane, you cannot simply then decide to "park" without observing traffic on your right.
The bicycle lane is no different than the right lane in that situation.
Also, a really common source of (sometimes fatal) accidents is from cars making right turns and cutting off bicyclists. I think this is probably one of the most dangerous situations because drivers are trained to think that "right turns are free" and don't require checking to see if anyone is in your blind spot.
Op
By Dm
Sun, 12/25/2011 - 8:50am
Fair question but no. I actually have Jedi-like parallel parking skills. Did not cut them off either, This was a case of someone being an idiot and wearing his critical-mass-esque chip on his shoulder. Reminds me of the woman - mid jaywalk across boylston - that screamed at me for doing a legal left on red turn. Clueless to laws but they love to yell
The gall, as if roads were
By anon
Fri, 12/23/2011 - 9:15am
The gall, as if roads were built for cars!!
I'm sure you think you are being witty
By anon
Fri, 12/23/2011 - 9:38am
but you are just being totally historically ignorant.
The roads were built for everything but cars, and paved for cyclists.
Yes, and you know what else
By anon
Fri, 12/23/2011 - 2:54pm
Yes, and you know what else is in the past? Women and African Americans not having the right to vote and not having the right to own property. Is that okay with you, dumplings?
Furthermore, I'm sure you wouldn't be annoyed that paved roads make it possible for automobiles such as ambulances and fire engines to speedily arrive to emergencies. Get a grip on reality. It's 2011 and I think autos are here to stay.
Here to stay, yes
By SwirlyGrrl
Fri, 12/23/2011 - 5:34pm
Worthy of extra privilege, no.
Besides, the original attempt at snark was to say that roads were built for cars - nothing you just said changes the simple fact that they were not. Demonstrating that cars were not what roads were designed for was, therefore, an appropriate response.
Let's see
By Kaz
Fri, 12/23/2011 - 10:05am
They have dated stone and log paved roads back to 4000 BC. There was a brick lined road in India in 3000 BC.
Oh, you meant asphalt...Iraq had tar coated roads in the 700s AD.
League of American Wheelmen
By BlackKat
Fri, 12/23/2011 - 11:37am
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Roads_Movement
Almost every road today was
By anon
Sat, 12/24/2011 - 9:38am
Almost every road today was in fact built for cars.
A few were built for bikes as well but most were designed and built to facilitate the flow of auto traffic.
Of course they weren't invented for cars but that's not what the poster claimed.
roads are for cars. if i
By bikeridersarean...
Sat, 12/24/2011 - 11:12am
roads are for cars. if i felt unsafe on comm ave, i would bike through brookline or cross the bu bridge and bike down memorial or whatever. but ive never felt unsafe on comm ave, never had a near miss or a problem, and am always looking to see if someone is in a car that im approaching so i dont get doored.
i dont see why its a huge deal to have to dodge a small line of cabs one week out of the year. its impractical to make a cab stand there because they were probably just there for the post-exam exodus to take rich kids to the airport (as others mentioned).
the situation at eastern standard is a little bit more annoying. they have a valet stand with 2 spots, but they often understaff the valets (and only pay them 6/hr) so one person has to go park behind hotel comm, run back and park the other car. and people start to double park, and every 20 minutes someone invariably double parks and says "i just have to go to 7eleven/dunkins!" which is pretty annoying for the people coming from brookline ave who have to suddenly merge over into another lane in a busy, curved intersection. bikers and cars alike.
The hotel itself also doesnt have enough spots, the doormen always overfill the spots and essentially force guests to double park until a valet can take their car. on red sox game days all of these problems are magnified tenfold
despite all of this, after driving in this city for a while ive learned to avoid most of these problems (or at least anticipate them). Yeah, New York has a grid-like traffic system with well timed lights but I've also sat at the mouth of the Lincoln Tunnel for 3 hours on the way back from Jersey. San Francisco has good bike and bus lanes but I've been cut off and threatened with violence multiple times having done absolutely nothing wrong. This is just anecdotal evidence but my point is you'll run into problems in every city... it's a city. move to the suburbs with the rest of the whiny white people who have nothing real to complain about if you cant handle even a minor annoyance on your commute the the cafe in cambridge you supplement your weekly allowance with.
Almost all roads here were built before cars existed
By Ron Newman
Sat, 12/24/2011 - 12:46pm
The few exceptions include I-93, Route 128, Route 2, the Tobin Bridge, the Turnpike, Storrow Drive, and the harbor tunnels. Just about every other road was here before 1900.
Semantics as almost all roads
By anon
Sat, 12/24/2011 - 2:14pm
Semantics as almost all roads have been redesigned and rebuilt since they were first laid out. The Traffic lights and signage, surface, width, crosswalks, etc have all been designed and built with auto traffic flow and control as the prime concern.
I would argue that the old paths or post roads weren't built at al but merely laid out. But the roads as they are now were certainly built for cars.
They can be redesigned and rebuilt again
By SwirlyGrrl
Sat, 12/24/2011 - 10:15pm
Remember: this is about moving people, not moving cars. The two things are not the same.
Most roadways in the Boston area are not large enough for the number of cars that want to traverse them, and cannot be made any larger. The only way to add capacity is to accomodate other modes and make them more attractive.
Look at Hampshire Street in Cambridge - at rush hour, a lot more cyclists get through that road than motorists. I've counted it. That's because bike lanes and bicycles take up far less room.
One thing Boston hasn't done much of, but European and some American cities do extensively: bus-only lanes, strictly enforced. That's another way to get more people through an area.
Single person motor vehicles are a very poor use of urban space - and that is why we get such nasty congestion at rush hours.
You're preaching to the
By anon
Sun, 12/25/2011 - 12:47am
You're preaching to the choir.
Personally, I've had one job where I had to commute by car during rush hour. I'd rather stick a fork in my eye than do it again. I choose where I live based on proximity to public transportation.
My point wasn't *should* roads be designed for cars. It was that they currently are, for the most part.
Implying cowpaths, wagon trails or ancient roads is disingenuous.