The Globe reports on the plans for rebuilding Comm. Ave. between the BU Bridge and Packards Corner with "cycle tracks" that would use barriers to keep motorists out of the bike lanes.
The Herald froths about the goddamn tree-hugging dirty hippie socialists in Spandex destroying America thanks Obama.
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Comments
This is
By anon
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 7:41am
Retarded! All for 0.0005% of the population.
Ah, yes
By Scratchie
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 9:22am
I see the anti-bike crowd is up early today, and displaying their unique combination of intelligence, thoughtfulness and factual accuracy.
Say whatever you want but
By Doc Holliday
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 8:59am
Say whatever you want but leave outdated and insulting terms for a segment of the population out of it.
Western Ave, Brighton.
By dmcboston
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 10:49am
There's a section of Western Ave, at the Harvard end that has a curb/bike/parking/traffic setup. After about three seconds it sunk in just how bike-friendly the setup was. No reduction of MV lanes, bike protected, more or less. Win/win.
Protected from what?
By anon
Fri, 03/27/2015 - 3:19pm
Protected from what?
Rear-ending accidents are very rare. And bike lanes on the wrong side of parked cars increase intersection and driveway accidents. And make it harder for the elderly and young children to get out of the parked cars.
Fear...
By KillMoto
Sun, 03/29/2015 - 2:12pm
If you're that afraid of getting hit by a big bad bicycle when exiting the left side of the car (even considering the 3' curb), you can always exit the right... I hear rear-ending collisions from a car are very rare...
so, say whatever you want,
By bractune
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 8:31pm
so, say whatever you want, except for what I don't want you to say?
say whatever you want
By Whurlz
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 9:54pm
Obviously, you can say whatever you want. But if you insist on using offensive terms like "retarded," you might get some pushback. Is that really so unreasonable?
Herald & Flaherty - Misinformed & Misleading
By anon
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 10:35am
Bike lanes are not the reason for the changes mentioned. Almost all of these changes were going to take place regardless of the bike lanes- many of the 73 spots were going to go away for more than 1 reason & the left turn lanes were being shortened- they're not eliminated. It would help if people understood an entire plan prior to bashing a couple of small pieces of a grander plan. The grander plan will have a positive impact on the city.
Similar to you, the reporter and councilman did not take the time and effort to involve themselves in the process. If they cared this much they should have. They just freaked out when the final plan was presented following years of planning and various designs. The public rose up and spoke out to ask for things they wanted. Mostly to make Comm Ave safer for people including drivers. As a result the design was impacted. It should be noted that accidents are expensive for the city. Reducing accidents will save the city money. Also, study after study have shown that business revenue increases in areas where pedestrians and cyclists are more comfortable (ie: safer) moving through an area.
Plus wouldn't it be less "retarded" for more than ".0005%" to get on bikes to move around the city. How many people do you know that would get on a bike more if they didn't fear for their lives when doing so? This is a dense city with a traffic problem. It's not going to get any better if we don't reduce the number of cars. We need more options.
Not on Comm Ave. Bike:car
By TiO2
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 11:59am
Not on Comm Ave. Bike:car ratio is at least 1:10 there, considering the sheer magnitude of BU students biking through West Campus and between Allston and West Campus.
Duh...
By tcf098
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 12:28pm
It's spelled "retahded".
I was 10 feet from crossing
By Walker
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 7:47am
I was 10 feet from crossing Clarendon St yesterday morning. I had a walk signal and the cars had the red light. A biker decided to disregard the red right and went up on the sidewalk (to avoid traffic backup) and almost mowed me down. Bikers like this give the good ones a bad name.
I agree.
By Sally
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 7:59am
I also can't tell you the number of times a pedestrian has stepped out from in between two parked cars in front of my bike (usually with a cellphone clapped to their ear) almost causing an accident. And don't get me started on drivers who give drivers a bad name. So can we start with the premise that there are idiots on foot, on bikes, and in cars? This smart redesign will make this area safer for everyone.
Why do
By anon
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 8:49am
Cyclist ALWAYS try and play the victim. From my office window in a matter of 1 min i could see a cyclist run a red light, cant say that about cars.
PS Pedestrians ALWAYS have the right of way jerk!
It's awesome you went caps
By anon
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 9:05am
It's awesome you went caps lock when you are entirely wrong.
Entitled you sounds like you
By tofu
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 9:21am
Entitled you sounds like you step out into the roadway a lot, while blabbing on your phone and expect the traffic to come to a halt no matter what. Also, you sound like you don't drive, otherwise you'd shut your mouth about drivers.
Why do
By Scratchie
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 9:26am
Anti bike posters always have an extremely limited grasp of spelling and English grammar?
It makes them see red,
By Dot net
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 3:22pm
The topic makes them see red, literally. Spell checkers and grammar suggestions then blend in to the background, ignored.
Really?
By Colin.
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 9:31am
I see cars blow through red lights all the time! Not stopping for yellow lights, illegal turns on red where signs are clearly posted forbidding it, not stopping at a red light before making a right turn when the light is red, and just straight up running a red light. I see people doing this literally multiple times a day. You must be near a pretty nice intersection!
PS Pedestrians have the right of way when in a crosswalk where there is no light controlling traffic. Not just whenever they're walking in the street. And I say this as a pedestrian. We need to obey traffic laws too!
Wrong Wrong Wrong
By roadman
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 9:45am
Pedestrians only have the right of way when they're already within a marked crosswalk that is not at a signalized intersection.
They do NOT have the right of way if they are disregarding a red light or don't walk signal, nor do they have the right of way if they blindly walk into the street (blind persons with canes excepted).
Not always
By eddiil
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 9:47am
Pedestrians do not have the right of way when crossing against a "don't walk" sign or within 300' (I think that's the number) of a marked crosswalk. That of course doesn't absolve others from doing all they can to prevent a collision.
Ya, those wimpy cyclists
By Kinopio
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 9:52am
Ya, those wimpy cyclists should like getting brutally killed by drivers. How dare they question the car drivers of America who kill 35000 people per year!
Nope
By The Pettiest Officer
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 10:09am
Pedestrians have to obey lights, too. Only in a crosswalk without a signal do you have the right of way.
Red hand means don't walk. So don't walk. When you do, don't yell at that cyclist riding on the green light - that cyclist and the cars have the right of way.
Please watch Barney and Sesame Street reruns until you get that straight.
From my office window in a
By tape
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 11:37am
Interesting. If I looked out my office window right now, I would definitely see at least 1 car run a red light in the next minute.
Agreed. I don't ride a
By Doc Holliday
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 9:02am
Agreed. I don't ride a bicycle on city roads. And I have seen all manner of people - drivers, cyclists, pedestrians - disobeying basic laws and creating dangerous situations. But most people just tend to notice and remember more the actions by those with whom they do not identify and cannot relate, hence these blanket statements made all the time on all sides. It's exhausting, time to move towards solutions. This one on Comm Ave seems like a good one to me for all parties involved.
Yes and no Sally
By anon
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 11:40am
Yes there are idiots everywhere, on foot, using bicycles and cars, or even texting while driving a trolley. But in my humble opinion, and based on what I have seen every day living in this city since 1975, bicyclists are the worst.
Yes, cars run red lights sometimes. But bicyclists in this city run red lights very close to all the time.
Last fall, on this same subject, I posted here that bicyclists run red lights 99% of the time. Of course I was attacked by all the Uhubbers. But since that posting, last fall, I have been paying very close attention seen exactly one bicyclist stop at a red light. All the rest, and there have been plenty, run the red light. If it makes a difference to all you critics, most of my encounters with bikes are in Dorchester, South Boston, and the South End. Maybe bicyclists behave differently in other parts of the city.
On the separate subject of any attempt to fix that totally screwed up part of Comm Ave, I am in favor of trying anything, including a dedicated bike lane.
Ok all you Uhubbers, commence the attack about how my 99% figure is wrong.
Um...
By Sally
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 12:13pm
I'm not going to "attack" a premise that, as a lifelong resident of Boston, a pedestrian, cyclist and even occasional driver, I know to be factually, provably, ridiculously untrue. It's like if I said 99% of drivers were texting while they drive--sometimes it seems like that but uh--it's just not the case.
If you want to go hang out on Comm. Ave. and Babcock St. for a few hours with a camera and try to prove your case, feel free. You might want to note the number of drivers who don't slow down or stop when people are in a crosswalk (as a mom this was always my personal favorite) and the number of jaywalkers and dangerous pedestrians. As I said, fools and scofflaws travel in every mode. But stats will show that it's mostly cars that kill people when they transgress.
Nah. Sally and anon are both wrong
By anon
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 1:08pm
Anon said 99% of bicyclists blow through red lights. Sally said this is ridiculously untrue.
The fact is that 100% of bicyclists blow through red lights. Anyone who says this is untrue is just plain dishonest. Seriously , when's the last time any of you saw a cyclist waiting at a red light?
Seriously?
And Sally , you're apparently a cyclist. Have you ever blown through a red light? Of course you have.
Sorry, you're wrong
By adamg
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 1:41pm
I have seen bicyclists stop for red lights. Granted, it's relatively rare, but please don't throw absolutes around without actual data.
No, I'm not a bicyclist.
My favorite
By SwirlyGrrl
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 2:42pm
I'm stopped with five other cyclists at a red light on Broadway in Cambridge.
I've got my bottle in hand. Guys next to me have their coffee, and two other people are checking their phones.
Car pulls into the intersection from the side street with the green, taking a right, and yells loudly at all of us about "cyclists have to stop for red lights, too".
Five cyclists, all five with feet down, all doing things while we wait at the red light and have been since well before he comes by ... okay. We all look up and just laugh at him.
He proceeds down Broadway, as we get the green light and close in on him. There is a trash truck in the travel lane. Mr. Rules R. Rules swerves abruptly around the truck onto the wrong side of the road, without looking, and nearly goes head on with a motoscooter coming the other way.
Of course I have!! I'm a cyclist!!
By Sally
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 3:44pm
Red lights don't slow me down! I bust through intersections on my sick brakeless fixie, stopping only to tweak my gauges and adjust my spandex bodysuit. Then I pick up a copy of the Daily Worker, grab a triple mocha-choka-latte, pick up my welfare check, and head home, stopping momentarily to run over your Great-Aunt Millie and dent your rear bumper.
Thank God!
By Scratchie
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 4:07pm
I was getting sick of that broad anyway.
I thought skinsuits were only
By Middle Age Male...
Thu, 03/26/2015 - 2:11pm
I thought skinsuits were only for cyclocrossers and maybe team time-trialists.
So you were really out-of-uniform for a brakeless fixie, and a few years past trend.
Wise up!
Got honked at today, waiting at a red
By spin o rama
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 4:17pm
Driver wanted to make an illegal right on red but I was stopped. So.......
A few years back
By SwirlyGrrl
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 4:38pm
I'm in a bike lane on Hampshire St., waiting at a red light that I barely missed. The side street has a construction detail.
Mr. Bigass NH Trucknuts pulls into the bike lane behind me, lays on the horn. "NO TURN ON RED" sign right in front of us.
I look back, point at the bike lane symbol, point at the sign. Trucknuts revvs his engine and lays on the horn even more, using that special entitled driver sign language as he raves in his truck.
Cop on detail comes up to the corner, but not visible to NH Trucknuts due to all the construction stuff. Asks me to read him the plate number. Then directs me to proceed against the light.
Trucknuts bangs a right ... on the still red light ... right into the waiting arms of the cop.
Yeah. No.
By whyaduck
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 1:32pm
I don't think all (or even the majority of) cyclists run red lights 99 percent of the time or even close to all the time.
I walk near Kendall Square on a regular basis and there are many, many cyclists (you know, MIT and all that). Most (the majority) that I encounter, either as a bike rider or pedestrian, stop at red lights.
So I think you need to do some stronger statistical analysis to justify the 99 percent figure you cite.
That was me stopping!
By Middle Age Male...
Thu, 03/26/2015 - 2:07pm
Yep. I stop for reds then pass the scofflaw riders 75% of the time.
If they stop and go, I'm okay with that as long as they don't cause anybody to have to hit the brakes, even out of mere caution, the those that just blow through are not going to get much of my sympathy should things go wrong.
Last night I saw cyclist blow
By tofu
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 9:13am
Last night I saw cyclist blow a red light at about 15mph well after the light turned. He was almost hit by an Audi driver who actually seemed to speed up to try and hit the cyclist. We need to educate people. Sociopath cyclists like that should be ticketed and forced to take a safety class. Drivers need to get it drilled into their heads that they are driving 2-ton death machines and that in no circumstances should they make contact with a cyclist or a pedestrian.
I see plenty of cyclists driving safely, using hand signals, and trying to stay way the hell out of the way of the cars. They are the least of my problems here in Boston, there are plenty of stupid, aggressive drivers on the road to make me hate driving.
Would you rather the Audi
By roadman
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 9:52am
driver stop suddenly and get rear ended? The cyclist ran the red light and rode into the path of somebody who legally had the right of way. So save your sympathy for someone more deserving.
Calling him a "sociopath cyclist"
By Sally
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 10:05am
isn't exactly sympathy. Just pointing out though that yes--the car is going to "win" here and drivers still have responsibility to drive carefully and not play chicken or speed up.
Can't read, can you?
By lbb
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 11:16am
Emphasis mine. You're an idiot.
Yes, I'd rather see a car get
By anon
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 11:37am
Yes, I'd rather see a car get rear-ended, than a car hit a cyclist.
Rear-ended versus striking
By Middle Age Male...
Thu, 03/26/2015 - 2:17pm
Rear-ended versus striking someone? Yes.
If I were just an insurance adjuster and didn't make a differentiation between injuring a human and damaging a machine, I'd go for the rear-ending as it would likely cost my insurance company less.
Even if the cyclist were at fault, it's still much better to dent a car than smash a person.
interesting that you referred
By tape
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 11:42am
interesting that you referred to the cyclist as a "sociopath" immediately after not describing the "driver who actually seemed to speed up to try and hit the cyclist" as a sociopath.
Yesterday morning you saw one cyclist break a traffic rule?
By lbb
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 11:20am
Try this: tomorrow, when you're out and about, count the number of motor vehicles that you see violating traffic laws. This includes, but is not limited to:
Try it. Really. Then go back and look at your little anecdote of the scofflaw cyclist, and see how it compares. The pot is calling the kettle black.
You got it wrong
By anon
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 7:50am
The barriers are to keep the bikes off the streets and out of the vehicular traffic lanes.
you only got it like 5% right
By tape
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 11:45am
well, bikes are vehicles, so it makes sense that they would be in vehicular traffic lanes.
the bigger reason for bike lanes isn't so much to keep bikes out of the way of oh-so-precious cars, but rather to keep cars from killing people who are travelling via a non-car method.
Protected lanes are for
By Harpie Beagle
Sat, 03/28/2015 - 10:40pm
Protected lanes are for people to FEEL safer, especially those who cannot manage safe cycling behavior due to ignorance, primarily, and irrational fear.
It is similar to security theatre.
Expensive, barely effective, but has the effect of making people think something that is a genuine safety improvement is occurring.
All you need to be is...
By KillMoto
Sun, 03/29/2015 - 2:26pm
So you're saying... All a cyclists needs in order to simply ride in the traffic lane on Comm Ave (or Storrow Drive, for that matter) is to be Strong and Fearless?
Curb extensions also only to FEEL safer
By Markk02474
Sun, 03/29/2015 - 3:05pm
There is no data showing bulb outs and curb extensions reduce pedestrian accidents. This is in stark contrast to very effective raised medians and extremely effective pedestrian activated, high intensity crossing signals installed at crosswalks where no signals previously existed.
Bump outs do make it LOOK like money is being spent on making roads safer, so good for politicians, road designers, and road (re)constructors. That's considered valuable enough for government endorsement, even if they are sometimes dangerous for cyclists. I'm thinking of the helmetless cyclist killed in 2012 who got squeezed between a MBTA bus and a bulb out .
Your data here is a little
By Eric
Mon, 03/30/2015 - 4:04am
Your data here is a little skewed. The bump-outs do not directly impact pedestrian safety, what they do is make the road feel more "crowded" for the drivers, which encourages them to drive more cautiously (read: slowly). Slower drivers are less likely to kill someone that they hit. THAT is the safety impact of curb bump-outs.
Actual accident reduction, though?
By Markk02474
Mon, 03/30/2015 - 4:54pm
Yes speeds may drop a couple mph for a few feet near a bump out, but that has not seemed to translate into fewer accidents.
The problem is that bump out advocates are stretching really deep into indirect effects to try and justify something with little to no actual benefit, yet real cost. Again, the biggest benefit is looking like something is being done.
Read the NYC data
By SwirlyGrrl
Mon, 03/30/2015 - 4:58pm
You know, the stuff that has been added to this discussion numerous times now, but drew only a "OMG TERRORISTS" response from you.
If you can't argue in good faith, don't pretend by asking stupid questions.
Gross
By Nahbro
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 7:51am
I'll be at every meeting to denounce this crap. I'm still annoyed at the changes made to Cambridge Street in Allston. The city needs to stop pandering to a school that doesn't want to be in a city. Make the cycle tracks part of the sidewalk so they don't need road space.
boy
By cybah
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 8:04am
you didn't even read the article or look at the pictures did ya.
This has nothing to do with any school except its near one.
Secondly, it's going to run between cars and the sidewalk (and probably take up part of the sidewalk)
I'm far from a cheer leader for bikers, but I saw pictures of the presentation last night (via TransitMatters) and I think it's actually pretty nifty. Makes me want to get a bike and use it. (and I may just do that)
Skills Classes
By SwirlyGrrl
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 11:43am
Check out http://massbike.org/education/bike-safety-education/ for their regular classes on riding in the city and other courses intended to build basic skills and confidence on the roads.
oh good
By cybah
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 1:51pm
I was gonna ask ya (or the bikers on here.. or have adam make a post for me) for bike tips.
Just waiting for more snow to melt and I think I'm gonna get a bike in April for my bday..
Thank ya, Swirls.
April, cybah?
By SwirlyGrrl
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 2:48pm
What day?
MMMM
By cybah
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 2:54pm
rather not say.. but its coming up next week :) (that should narrow it down to one of three days)
BU was against the bike lanes
By anon
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 8:35am
BU was against the bike lanes, so you got your wish: Boston is ignoring the wishes of that school that doesn't even want to be in the city.
Great
By Scratchie
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 9:57am
If we could get rid of BU, it would truly be win-win.
Indeed and also go a lot
By gotdatwmd
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 10:14am
Indeed and also go a lot further to improve the image of cyclists, that we're not just dumbass college kids
As a BU Kid, Fuck you.
By RhoninFire
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 11:04am
As a BU Kid, Fuck you.
Edit: Adam can the remove the expletives if he needs to, I'm not going to edit that.
The reason why Comm Ave was one of the first to get bike lanes and now cycle tracks is because of BU. The first Comm Ave project did not include any bike stuff until BU push for the modifications with all the dealing behind it. BU has stuff you or anyone can criticize, but that's entirely different than just blindly hating.
And BTW, your "not want to be in the city" that you're likely referring to. BU likely has it own ideas and plans for decades. I recognize that's the greater good is not BU. But it is still understandable that no faction wants to give up its own plans. And why should BU give money to give up on top of that?
Aw, poor baby.
By Scratchie
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 11:04am
Do you need a hanky to cry into?
Sure, I'll take 5.
By RhoninFire
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 11:06am
Sure, I'll take 5.
very nice.
By tape
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 11:46am
spoken like a true BU student or grad!
Sometimes being diplomatic
By RhoninFire
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 1:52pm
Sometimes being diplomatic just won't do anything anyways. It's one thing when there's an actual topic like West Station. Another when it's just a "let's hate BU" pot shot to get high fives. I could go write some multiparagraph essay listing BU's actions with bikes have been positive. But not today, no one's is listening anyways.
Who said anything about bikes
By Scratchie
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 3:07pm
Who said anything about bikes?
Ummm because this entire
By RhoninFire
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 3:58pm
Ummm because this entire thread's context have been about bikes?
I'm just sick of BU in
By Scratchie
Wed, 03/25/2015 - 4:04pm
I'm just sick of BU in general, and I moved out of Allston 15 years ago.
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