Free-helmet day at the BU Bridge

Rode by here and you wouldn't believe the number of cars that were texting/driving, blocking the bike lane, blocking intersections, driving in two lanes, etc. No really, you won't believe it!

wouldn't believe how many cyclist almost hit pedestrians there.

By turlach
Thu, 09/17/2015 - 2:37pm

just remember it cuts both ways.

How is an anecdote of a cyclist almost hitting a pedestrian equivalent to cars actually hitting and killing pedestrians and cyclists? It doesn't cut both ways because Boston cyclists aren't killing anyone.

So it's okay to hit someone

By Lmo
Thu, 09/17/2015 - 3:50pm

So it's okay to hit someone while operating a bike because "Boston cyclists aren't killing anyone"? Everyone should be paying attention and avoid collisions; regardless of the mode of transportation, EVERYONE!

In theory, no

By SwirlyGrrl
Thu, 09/17/2015 - 5:36pm

Then again "bikes hitting people" or "bikes ALMOST hitting people (who are often jaywalking)" is all theory because there are very few incidents reported. It simply isn't actually happening.

Motorists running people down happens just about every week in our area, and nearly every day in NYC.

Exactly, because if it isn't

By Lmo
Thu, 09/17/2015 - 5:56pm

Exactly, because if it isn't reported or I can't find a stat about it on the Internet, it simply isn't happening!
Give me a break!
So you disagree that everyone should be paying attention? I'm a pedestrian, I'm not gonna kill anyone while walking, so I can be as careless as is like, that's the logic being used here.

It isn't reported

By SwirlyGrrl
Thu, 09/17/2015 - 6:06pm

Because it isn't happening. In my experience "bike almost hit me", it is usually the perception of a dumbphone user suddenly realizing a cyclist just passed them.

Actual collisions are rare and are reported. They are just ... rare!

Why do you think the

By Lmo
Thu, 09/17/2015 - 6:23pm

Why do you think the collisions are rare?
It obvious that one of the parties was paying attention, thankfully. (More than likely not the bicycle, because they won't kill anyone.)
I'm not into the us vs. them thing (because it's really about the individual's behavior and not about his/ her mode of transport) but I am nearly t-boned by cyclists at the end of my street at least 3x a week, the cyclists blow right through stop sign. I anticipate it though; which is why there are not been any collisions.

Almost, nearly, just missed, blah blah blah

By spin o rama
Thu, 09/17/2015 - 6:44pm

You and everyone elses uncle has a story about ALMOST being hit by a cyclist.

So I've actually been HIT by 4 different cars but those stats don't get report either. 2 left the scene. None of them were paying attention.

(It obvious that one of the parties was paying attention, thankfully. (More than likely not the bicycle, because they won't kill anyone.)

Right because when I'm riding, I'm not paying attention. No need to worry about killing myself or anything, nope just carefree riding with no consequences. Its like you've never ridden a bike before to know just how much attention needs to be maintained.

A bicycle hit is pretty painful.

By anon
Thu, 09/17/2015 - 10:34pm

My boss got whacked by some jackass while crossing Mount Auburn St in Harvard Square. Jaywalking doesn't matter. Bike pests are supposed to observe the same road rules as cars including doing everything in your power to not hit pedestrians.

While it may not be lethal,it can be surprisingly injurious.

The worst culprits are the males. Women are a bit more careful on the things.

Guys are often Lance Armstrong Action Heroes and will flip out if anything curtails their mighty momentum. To cut em slack, they always seem to be fraught and at the edge of panic over dealing with the motor monsters.

People are not perfect and around here there is a fairly high pushy asshole density. The hand wringing, deflection and middle school "nuh uh ..no no no nonsense that wafts from the bike lifestyle fanatics is about as much childish bullshit as anything Markkk coughs up. You are like two sides of a coin.

I treat urban streets like a stream traverse in hiking. I look for the shallow spots with slack current. Twilight seems to be a big hazard time with visibility issues so the greater proliferation of lights is probably a valuable suggestion.

I'm retired and the main thing I care about is chronic stress. Riding shanks mare is about as low stress as it gets and it's more interesting to see the details of the world at 5 mph than at 20.

Bicycle commuting in this lazy half assed mess of a masshole culture is very high stress. I did it for years. I'm done now. I have 4 bikes in various condition in my basement. A Schwinn 3 speed, a couple of high end Bianchi things, and a Columbia frame I need to put on the sidewalk.

I never, ever use any of em.

Where did I say its ok for a

By Kinopio
Fri, 09/18/2015 - 8:57am

Where did I say its ok for a bike to hit someone? I was just pointing out that a cyclist almost hitting a pedestrian and a driver actually hitting and killing someone doesn't fall under "it cuts both ways" since the two aren't remotely equal.

Let's just say it's not a good thing

By merlinmurph
Thu, 09/17/2015 - 4:25pm

It doesn't cut both ways because Boston cyclists aren't killing anyone.

Cyclists can be their own worst enemies. Any time a cyclist is being a dickhead, it doesn't help, even if the cyclist doesn't kill anybody. Really. All it does is piss someone off, and I pray that I'm not the next cyclist that person encounters and decides to get a little retribution.

Get a grip, will ya.

You're Blaming All Cyclists For The Actions Of The Very Worst

By Elmer
Thu, 09/17/2015 - 5:21pm

It sounds like you're saying that because some people who ride bicycles are reckless, drivers are justified in taking it out on those who do their best to ride safely.

Following that logic; because some drivers are reckless and fail to follow the rules of the road, then all drivers should be considered homicidal maniacs. On other words, people cannot be trusted to operate motor vehicles.

Exactly

By ElizaLeila
Thu, 09/17/2015 - 5:38pm

Following that logic; because some drivers are reckless and fail to follow the rules of the road, then all drivers should be considered homicidal maniacs. On other words, people cannot be trusted to operate motor vehicles.

IS what the majority of the cyclists on here think and write.\

Holy Hand grenade of Hyperbole, Batman!

The lack of self-awareness here is palpable

By spin o rama
Thu, 09/17/2015 - 6:19pm

Please re-read that.

Really.

By ElizaLeila
Fri, 09/18/2015 - 9:54am

I'm picking and choosing to respond to what I want, just like everyone else.

settle down.

Actually, I'm not

By merlinmurph
Thu, 09/17/2015 - 5:40pm

Actually, I'm not doing that, but I understand why you would see it that way. Let me try it another way.

Kinopio seemed to minimizing the actions of the bad cyclists, even accepting of it. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's the feeling I got. S/he's pretty antagonistic here with respect to the car vs. bike thing and it comes off pretty bad after awhile.

I am a firm believer that cyclists are their worst enemies. I see some of the stuff some cyclists (not even close to all cyclists) pull, and it's embarrassing and maddening at the same time.

FWIW, I ride my bike regularly.

Needs an asterisk

By SwirlyGrrl
Thu, 09/17/2015 - 6:03pm

FWIW, I ride my bike regularly.*

* ... in exurbia and the dirt roads of Western MA.

Biking in the city, where self-righteous jaywalkers like to scream at you about "running red lights" when you have the GREEN light and have simply jolted them from their dumb phones when they stepped off the curb without looking, is a very different experience. And then they come here to complain about "bikes almost hitting me".

Asterisk taken

By merlinmurph
Thu, 09/17/2015 - 6:39pm

Yup, absolutely. I live in I-495 land and never ride in the city, so my experience with pedestrians is non-existent. Cyclists still pull stupid stuff out here, though it tends to be not as blatant - more clueless.

I Long To Ride My Bike In The City, But I'm Too Afraid

By Elmer
Thu, 09/17/2015 - 6:05pm

I ride every day from my home to Wonderland, but my route consists of only very quiet streets and broad walkways. In that sense, I'm spoiled because it's quite a different environment in the city.

Once in a while, I'll bring a bike in on the â“‰, but I usually find it too scary to ride amongst traffic. Only when there are completely separate facilities for bicycles, will riding become safe for everyone. So, I see it as a matter of fairness â€” too much real estate has been ceded to motor vehicles and not enough to non-motorized passage.

I would say cyclists "worst

By Kinopio
Fri, 09/18/2015 - 9:01am

I would say cyclists "worst enemies" are the drivers who hit and kill them and then drive away, but that's just me. And of course I don't think its ok for cyclists to act in a way that puts pedestrians in danger. Safety is paramount so that is why I focus on drivers, since they are the ones actually killing people.

...and it's not just

By anon
Thu, 09/17/2015 - 4:53pm

...and it's not just pedestrians that red light running cyclists almost hit. Noticing a definite uptick in bike on bike near misses at intersections. Cyclists aren't looking out for one another like they used to. It's a shame.

You really will not believe it...

By whyaduck
Thu, 09/17/2015 - 3:47pm

but today, during my walk up Summer St in Boston, I saw one cyclist weaving in and out of traffic with headphones on and one cyclist obscuring traffic by riding smack down the middle lane even though there is plenty of room to move over. Oh, yes, let me not forget the two bikes locked to an handicapped sign in Kendall Square (yesterday's walk) even though a sign at eye level said do not lock your bikes to the pole. Oh, and then there was the two cyclists riding down Charles Street the wrong way the other day and all the cyclists that ride down Winter Street even though it is considered a pedestrian walk way (no vehicles allowed sign) and they should really dismount and walk and....

Cool Story

By spin o rama
Thu, 09/17/2015 - 4:33pm

[youtube=320x180]sjPcNg9Qzrk[/youtube]

[youtube=320x180]63kgQKgdEyo[/youtube]

[youtube=320x180]Rbu_affxlVc[/youtube]

[youtube=320x180]nbc9OTVnjmw[/youtube]

Critical Mass=Dickhead cyclists

By Markk02474
Thu, 09/17/2015 - 11:16pm

[youtube=400x300]DYAapAQ1urI[/youtube]Fortunately arrested this month: http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Critical-Mass-e...
$90,000 bail set for assault with a deadly weapon (U-lock) and 3 other felony charges: http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/S-F-district-at...

Critical Mass = Rush hour

By SwirlyGrrl
Thu, 09/17/2015 - 9:12pm

Dickhead motorists, cramming up the roads! Twice a day!

Your hero, using a ulock on a car!

By Markk02474
Thu, 09/17/2015 - 11:07pm

Blocking traffic, harassing drivers, "salmoning", ignoring traffic lights. Most dickhead cyclist checkboxes!

Yawn

By SwirlyGrrl
Thu, 09/17/2015 - 11:42pm

Get back to me when some asshole cyclist murders someone with a bike and then gets away with that murder by claiming "but I didn't knowwwwwww I hit anything!"

Actually, get back to us when it happens FOR THE UMPTEENTH TIME IN A FEW YEARS.

Perhaps you should check with these guys to help with that paranoia, obsessive behavior, and lacking sense of proportion: http://www.massgeneral.org/geriatrics/services/ser...

I don't think this was rush hour

By merlinmurph
Fri, 09/18/2015 - 8:18am

Dickhead motorists, cramming up the roads! Twice a day!

Slight thread drift....

I saw this video about a month ago, and it's pretty bad. Critical Mass at its worst. These aren't people trying to change the world, these are people looking to cause trouble. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't even think this is rush hour. The cyclists are riding up a street against traffic, essentially begging people to give them a hard time so they can give it back. Unfortunately, this is what Critical Mass has become in a lot of places and the reason a lot of people no longer ride in it.

Again, one of those things that definitely don't help cyclists' public image.

August Critical Mass ride in SF

By Markk02474
Fri, 09/18/2015 - 12:33pm

The video was shot on the most recent Critical Mass ride in San Francisco which took place on August 28, 2015. The incident happened at about 8:15 PM.

Boston Bike Party is much better than CM, but not perfect. State law allows cyclists to ride in a vehicular lane and to lane split, however, on multi-lane roads, cyclists must choose only ONE vehicular lane to occupy. They don't get them all as BBP advocates in their rides.

MarkK= Dickhead

By The Beer Guy
Fri, 09/18/2015 - 9:35am

eom

Impersonating a Traffic Officer =Dickhead

By Markk02474
Fri, 09/18/2015 - 12:35pm

Douchebag, Critical Mass rider, or criminal. Take your pick. I would not listen to some douche on a bike blocking traffic. He needs a badge, not a bicycle or even Cracker Jack decoder ring. If it were a critical tits ride, I'd be more patient, however. Something for them to consider if they want more cooperation from motorists.

Don't blame the messenger.

What is "obscuring traffic"?

By Kinopio
Fri, 09/18/2015 - 9:04am

What is "obscuring traffic"? Cyclists have every right to be in the middle of a lane. And I see cars on Winter Street all the time, unfortunately.

Tinted windows

By Sock_Puppet
Fri, 09/18/2015 - 9:13am

must be

You mean drivers of cars?

By SwirlyGrrl
Thu, 09/17/2015 - 1:46pm

Yeah, see them run stop signs all the time. Only their vehicles can kill people.

Massholes all the way down.

Boston drivers are literally

By Kinopio
Thu, 09/17/2015 - 2:37pm

Boston drivers are literally the worst in the country*. Stop killing people before you start criticizing others.

*source
http://www.boston.com/cars/news-and-reviews/2015/0...

for drivers too

By Ekkm
Thu, 09/17/2015 - 3:06pm

They should also provide free eye exam for drivers. That way, they will see that pedestrians are in a crosswalk and have the right of way. Bikes are guilty too, but bikes don't weigh 6000 lbs.

They should also give drivers a psych exam. Maybe then we can figure out why so many think it is OK to talk on a cell phone while operating a dangerous machine.

Yeah, maybe...

By MatthewC
Fri, 09/18/2015 - 4:42pm

But then you'd cry and get all ragey because you'd be stuck behind a cyclist instead of them getting blocks ahead of you. So go suck down another iced coffee, send some texts while driving, and have a meltdown everytime a bike dares to ride in the street. It's what we've all come to expect from people like you .

Free-helmet day at the BU Bridge

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