Dedicated bike lane on track in the North End

I walk a trail daily (Strand) with my dog but am very mindful of joggers and cyclists. We pull off to the side to let them pass and I always make sure I've got two hands on the shortened leash - just in case. It comes naturally to my dog now to stop and pull to the side when someone approaches, but she is a dog and a strange noise may startle her causing her to dart out.

I can't believe how many "thank you"s I get from passing cyclists. I can only imagine what they think when they see a dog out on a flexi and if the owner doesn't restrain the dog. A little common courtesy goes a long way.

I think trails are fine to share but would never go in an urban bike lane unless I was on a bike.

I don't have a "should" stand on this one, just an observation that bicycles don't mix well with pedestrians and pedestrian-speed traffic (which includes kids on bikes with training wheels randomly veering around). Is it analogous to drivers hating on cyclists on roadways? Not really, and certainly not across the board. In Boston and other congested areas, the speed of traffic is such that cyclists are just part of the flow: hate on cyclists in that context, and you might as well hate on taxis, delivery trucks, and that rich prick in the Audi. In rural areas, bikes work in the mix for a different reason, i.e., that rural areas are already used to mixed traffic in the form of cars, bikes, horses, tractors, vintage automobiles that can't go above 30 mph, etc. It's in the suburbs where drivers are used to nothing but motor vehicle traffic, and don't generally deal well with anything else (whether that's right or wrong is the subject of another discussion). On an interstate? Of course cyclists shouldn't be there; the speed differential is just too big.

Now, to make an analogy with so-called bike paths or "rail trails", that's analogous to a cyclist on a high-speed limited access road. It can be done in some cases (for example, Route 6 on the outer Cape, speed limit in the 40s and 50s, generally good sight lines and a large shoulder). There's always an inherent danger because of the speed differential. If the cyclist were, in addition, to ride unpredictably, stop at random, block through traffic, cross traffic, hold a conversation on a cell phone, etc., you'd call that suicidal. But that's commonplace behavior on rail trails and so-called "bike paths", and I don't see any hope of changing it, because people feel entitled to do it, and honestly probably get their mad on at cyclists who are trying to pass by. As nice as some of them can be, the last place I ever want to ride is on a rail trail -- they're an accident waiting to happen.

But when I call out "on your left!", that doesn't mean jump to your left and end up in front of me, or freak out and jump off the trail/path and act like I intentionally almost hit you. And I don't mean "you" specifically.

Now, I ride Hubway in Cambridge/Boston and have yet to see parents pushing strollers, kids on scooters, clusters of walkers, dogs on leashes, in the bike lanes. Perhaps you are more "in the know" to make the strange statement that "every" bike-lane in our country is dealing with these issues?

(edit: this misunderstanding is my fault, because I did indeed say "bike lanes" in my original post, but I was thinking not about paint-separated lanes, but paths that are separated from motor vehicle traffic. So, paths like the ones in Southwest Corridor Park, the Esplanade, rail trails, etc.)

We're talking about rail trails here, not "bike-lanes", so quite possibly I am more "in the know". I have, in fact, never seen "parents pushing strollers, kids on scooters, clusters of walkers, dogs on leashes, in the bike lanes". I have seen a motorcycle whose rider was being a complete nozzle, thinking that he'd use the bike lane (which had plenty of cyclists in it) to ease his way ahead of backed-up traffic. Bad move if you don't know the infrastructure. He was just picking up speed when he came to the head of the line and the pedestrian crosswalk, just as a pedestrian started to step out from behind a panel truck. Pedestrian jumps back, rookie on the bike makes a rookie mistake and lays the bike down. Pedestrian calls rookie out for the dumbfuck he is, the rookie looks around for someone to help him lift his bike before a cop comes, hilarity ensues. It was great. But no strollers.

We should all be stating as a policy that the DCRCity of Boston has no responsibility or intent of providing "safe" winter biking opportunities on any of our linear paths or sidewalks.

If you don't believe that weight creates potholes, go drive any well-used section of road, such as 128 around Lexington and Waltham. There are pronounced ruts in the road that eventually become long potholes. Don't try and say that frost created those.

I ride on the bike path every day and yes, I know the hazards of some of the crossings, but the idea of riding on the street NEXT to the bike path makes no sense whatsoever. Ride defensively and keep your wits about you, and meantime don't forget to enjoy one of the most pleasant bike paths in the city.