By adamg on Fri., 5/11/2018 - 4:40 pm

Turlach MacDonagh was kind of amazed to see a Hubway user riding down Storrow Drive this afternoon (no, they're not supposed to do that).
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girl has balls, respect
By butthead
Fri, 05/11/2018 - 8:26pm
girl has balls, respect
Lightweight
By MrDines
Fri, 05/11/2018 - 8:35pm
This is nothing compared to the True Genius who was riding along the Riverway on a bike, no helmet, and talking on a cellphone. I encountered the daredevil on the curve after the intersection with Brookline Ave where drivers start really picking up speed.
Oh well.
Pfft
By Roman
Sat, 05/12/2018 - 2:49pm
Texting with both hands is where it's at. That Riverway amateur should study with some of the true masters who ride along the Mass Ave bridge during the evening rush when the sun has already set.
But... but...
By UHub-fan
Fri, 05/11/2018 - 8:52pm
YOU'RE ALLOWED TO USE THE FULL LANE!!1!
Yes
By SwirlyGrrl
Sat, 05/12/2018 - 3:25pm
Cyclists are allowed to use the full lane.
Your point is???
C'mon Adam, "not supposed to"?
By anon
Fri, 05/11/2018 - 9:03pm
Yip, it's dumb to ride a bicycle on Storrow. But it's legal. Storrow isn't a limited access highway, and it doesn't have signs at every entrance prohibiting bicycling.
Given the closeness of the two autos going the same direction -- nobody is moving very quickly in that photo.
Who said anything about road rules?
By adamg
Fri, 05/11/2018 - 11:16pm
When you rent a Hubway bike, you're not supposed to take it on a highway.
That's the point
By Ari O
Sat, 05/12/2018 - 12:15am
Storrow isn't a highway. You're not supposed to take it on the Pike, or I-93, or Route 1, or I guess the Sumner/Callahan tunnels (but I'm not sure they're officially signed limited access) which are the only highways within striking distance on Hubway which are designated as limited access.
Storrow certainly isn't. It's not bike-friendly by any means, but not bike-illegal, either.
slow down
By Leadfoot
Sun, 05/13/2018 - 2:24pm
Why respect non-existent rules that Adam makes up when existing ones like a 40mph speed limit (and lower in some short stretches with side streets) are regularly exceeded by about 10-12mph by automobilists? Why aren't they considered dangerous scofflaws, as they have destructive capacity orders of magnitude greater than cyclists and the legal obligation to follow traffic rules that actually exist?
Because the police won't take the risks (can't really blame them) to enforce the law here, so drivers don't give a flying eff about being stool samples.
Not that many cyclists do either, but they aren't a big threat. Try riding a bike into someone's house and setting the bike ablaze.
"Given the closeness of the
By Nick G
Sat, 05/12/2018 - 9:14am
"Given the closeness of the two autos going the same direction -- nobody is moving very quickly in that photo."
You should drive on Storrow more often.. *smirk*
That's probably the following distance for 40 MPH :)
Wrong
By anon
Fri, 05/11/2018 - 11:27pm
Biking down Storrow Drive is legal. There are no signs forbidding bicycles and until the state post them state 33police have no power to stop it.
2 no bike signs near Kenmore
By shawnp
Sat, 05/12/2018 - 12:06pm
There are 2 no ped, bike or horses signs on the Storrow ramps near Kenmore. One near Charlesgate East, the other on Charlesgate West. Regardless on whether or not it's legal, the signs are there.
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.350472,-71.092931,3a,75y,352.85h,91.9t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sWi3pxiRXmbMTwVxXKcfcTg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.350136,-71.0920137,3a,75y,350.97h,85.93t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s-VGEjl8z5U7fUBXGeKRi6w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
re: 2 no bike signs near Kenmore
By anon
Sat, 05/12/2018 - 5:17pm
The first link you posted is of Do Not Enter signs at the outlet of the Charlesgate exit ramps. Yes, there's also a no ped/bike/horse sign below one of the Do Not Enter signs, but since one would only violate those signs by going the wrong way up a one-way exit ramp, traveling head-on towards vehicles exiting Storrow, it doesn't strike me as particularly objectionable or noteworthy. It seems sensible (and moot for this conversation, since - whatever her other flawed decisions - the cyclist wasn't going the wrong way on Storrow; she was traveling in the same direction as the cars with whom she was sharing the road).
The second link is surprising. It's presence would seem to be contrary to established law on the use of Storrow. Perhaps its addition was an uninformed oversight on the part of whomever (sensibly) posted the No Trucks sign below which the no ped/bike/horse is posted.
A Google Maps experiment
By Ian Whiting
Tue, 07/24/2018 - 4:16pm
In Google Maps, if you pick a starting location on Storrow Drive and a destination somewhere else (say the Mass Ave bridge going to MIT), you can generate a bike route that keeps you on Storrow Drive. Initially it will divert you onto the bike path (which Google Maps likes to do if it can) but you can pull the route back onto Storrow Drive and it will hold. By comparison, you can't do the same thing to try to generate a bike route that will put you on I-95. No matter how hard you try to pull the route onto I-95, it will recalculate the route with wacky loop-the-loops and bend over backwards to keep you off I-95. Google Maps knows where bikes can go and where they can't.
Honestly, it doesn't really
By Finagle
Sun, 05/13/2018 - 1:34pm
Honestly, it doesn't really matter much to the extreme pro-biking crowd. They'll just argue the law is stupid and unecessary and harms the ability of bikers to be "safe" by doing whatever they feel is "safe", or not slowing them down, or whatever goalpost-moving reply they can come up with this time.
Digging for confirmation
By Ian Whiting
Tue, 07/24/2018 - 3:45pm
I e-mailed these pictures to the Boston Transportation Department and am waiting for a reply. I said that my understanding is that Storrow Drive is legal for bicycles and I want to know if these signs represent a new local ordinance (and if we can expect more such signs) or if perhaps they are just meant to keep bikes off those particular ramps, and not Storrow Drive itself. I will share my findings as soon as they respond.
Response received, but still unclear
By Ian Whiting
Wed, 07/25/2018 - 1:31pm
I got a response from the BTD. They said that Storrow Drive is outside the city's jurisdiction. Storrow Drive is maintained by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. But the signs in question are posted on the local Boston streets so I don't know if the DCR would have anything to do with them. In any case, only one of those signs has any relevance because the other (as previously pointed out) would require driving the wrong way up a one-way ramp in order to run afoul of the sign. Since there are no other bicycle prohibition signs posted at any other entrance ramps, I'm going to assume that biking on Storrow Drive is perfectly legal and just keep in mind that I can't take that particular on-ramp at Beacon and Charlesgate.
Hey, I tried.
When authorities have to post signs
By anon
Sat, 05/12/2018 - 10:55am
prohibiting bike riding on Storrow Drive, something is seriously wrong; common-sense should rear it's ugly head well before that.
Nothing wrong at all
By SwirlyGrrl
Sat, 05/12/2018 - 3:33pm
There are these people called "tourists" and this thing called "google maps". Combine them with a Hubway, and it might be a good idea to put those signs up to prevent strays.
If it is even illegal to be on Storrow with a bike - I've been hearing both sides argue this for years.
Of course, it might help if there were signs in the area directing cyclists to the appropriate facilities.
Common sense when it comes to
By Leadfoot
Sun, 05/13/2018 - 2:30pm
Common sense when it comes to cycling is replete with advice advocating dangerous behavior.
Why? Most people have no idea how to cycle legally, properly, and safely and revert to childhood instructions. So, no thank you.
If I took motorist advice I'd have been killed by one decades ago, and they'd never even get an increase in their insurance.
Common sense
By Ian Whiting
Tue, 07/24/2018 - 3:50pm
"Common sense" used to inform us that the earth is flat. The law is clear--if the state wants to prohibit bikes on a road, they have to put up signs. Biking on Storrow Drive is just fine if you're confident and well-trained, like...like...well drivers. I wouldn't want a newbie nervous Nellie driver on Storrow Drive anymore than a scared newbie cyclist weaving around and not knowing what they're doing.
I see what's wrong here
By blues_lead
Sat, 05/12/2018 - 12:07pm
That seat is way too low
Gotta love the faux outrage on this thread
By spin_o_rama
Sat, 05/12/2018 - 1:47pm
Honestly, aside from the headphones, others have pointed out that shes allowed to bike there and isn't required to wear a helmet, so whats the big deal?
Shes putting her safety at risk, sure. But its such selective faux outrage over this single image, we could post pictures/videos of the countless safety issues motorists in Boston subject others to and the response would be crickets.
Its an easy target to dunk on and feel superior.
Wrong
By Roman
Sat, 05/12/2018 - 2:54pm
Not only is she putting her own safety at risk, she's also screwing all the drivers who now have to divert their attention away from their direction of travel, waste time going slower than they might otherwise, and are now at higher risk of being in a car accident trying to avoid hitting her by swerving into the next lane or having to stop suddenly if she does something stupid.
I might add that this holds true for all cyclists who are using the full lane and/or swerving in and out of the shoulder or bike lane as they see fit without yielding to traffic in the lane they swerve into.
Odd scenarios
By spin_o_rama
Sat, 05/12/2018 - 9:58pm
How fast are people going on Storrow that it would be that much of a risk? Those are some very outlandish situations you conjured up but it really sounds like a solid argument for slowing down traffic on Storrow, if a little bicycle could cause that much havok, which it of course can't and didn't.
But heres a better question. Where are you finding all these cyclists who have zero concern for self-preservation? Cause I'm not seeing them around town, defying physics like you've described too. Like do you think we hop on our bikes, looking to get hit? Yeah I know you see some do risky things, again, do you think they lack self preservation? Hell I bet some are adrenaline junkies that love the thrill but again, do you think they are trying to get killed?
Lets try another complaint, cyclists using the full lane. I often do this, I've yet to see it cause a dangerous safety situation for motorists. Swerving is a fun word you use, as if we can turn on a dime 90 degrees and change direction. You seem to have some issues with physics, which is rather telling in how you've framed most of your argument.
There are drivers in this town who would very much
By UHub-fan
Mon, 05/14/2018 - 6:35am
like to not kill you.
We find it very very frustrating that you are oblivious to our desires.
This is why...
By Ian Whiting
Tue, 07/24/2018 - 3:34pm
...we take the lane. We're much less likely to get hit when we're right in with the traffic. Wanna see a cyclist run a huge risk of getting hit? Put him all the way at the right edge, right up against the curb and/or parked cars, and invite the otherwise nice folks in the travel lane to squeeze by him. The odds of a collision go up dramatically that way.
Don't put me in with that crowd
By Ian Whiting
Wed, 07/25/2018 - 9:37am
Don't equate full lane cyclists with those that swerve in and out. These are cyclists with two very different skill sets. The full lane cyclists are predictable--they go in a straight line, signal lane changes, make eye contact with drivers, and follow the traffic laws. They are visible from pretty far back and give car drivers plenty of time to decide what they want to do. It's the curb-huggers who pose the greatest risk for accidents because they're the ones most likely to swerve into the traffic lane. Their far-right position also invites unsafe passing by motorists who think they can "thread the needle." My problem with the woman in the picture isn't that she's on Storrow Drive; it's that she seems to be all the way at the right edge. On that road, you either hold the middle of the lane or forget it.
Waste time going slower than they might otherwise? Maintaining traffic flow is one thing, but allowing car drivers to go as fast as they want, unimpeded forever and ever, isn't high on anyone's priority list. We are delayed routinely by school buses, crossing pedestrians, construction and emergency vehicles, left-turning vehicles, parallel parkers, etc. The law informs you essentially to suck it up and proceed in a safe and responsible manner until you can pass safely and at a reasonable speed.
It Also Stems From Laziness
By Elmer
Sat, 05/12/2018 - 3:19pm
It takes a little more effort to pay attention to bicyclists on the road. For example, checking the bike lanes to make sure you don't turn in front of someone.
Yes, there's that Massachusetts law about not overtaking a bicycle when you're about to turn, but it's too much trouble for some drivers to worry about.
It would be easier for them if bicycles and pedestrians were not allowed anywhere, so that's what they want.
Of course it would be easier
By Roman
Sat, 05/12/2018 - 3:44pm
if bicycles were not allowed to go in places [i]where they are harder to see[/i].
It's a self-evident fact that it's a whole hell of a lot harder to refrain from running people over when they quickly move in and out of somewhere where they are both vulnerable to being run over [i]and[/i] hard to spot by virtue of simultaneously being small and moving fast relative to their size and changing direction quickly.
Automobiles move fast but they're big, don't change direction rapidly, and don't fit where you can't see them. Pedestrians are small but move slowly and tend not to jump in and out of your blind spot. When they jump out from behind a parked car or other obstruction is when they tend to have problems.
What I don't understand is why when faced with these facts, the automatic response from the bike crowd is to place all of the responsibility for their safety on motorists and categorically refuse to accept any responsibility for their own safety. But then in the same breath blame pedestrians whenever they nearly get run over by cyclists on the sidewalk or in a crosswalk.
There's a word for when it's everyone else's fault whenever something bad happens, regardless of who caused it. The word is narcissism.
Easier?
By SwirlyGrrl
Sat, 05/12/2018 - 4:44pm
Or lazier?
Again, when you drive it is your responsibility to look for people and things and not hit them.
If that's too hard, slow down or don't drive.
Lazier my big fat ass
By Roman
Sat, 05/12/2018 - 5:54pm
When you go out in public it is your responsibility to not deliberately place your life in danger and then blame the other guy for not knowing ahead of time that you were going to wig out so that he could alter his perfectly reasonable and lawful behavior enable your crazy.
I love it when people get
By anon
Sat, 05/12/2018 - 7:40pm
I love it when people get judgey about other people doing things efficiently, and calling them "lazy".
Efficiently Mowing Down Bicyclists And Pedestrians?
By Elmer
Sat, 05/12/2018 - 10:56pm
[sup]âŸâŸâŸâŸâŸâŸâŸâŸâŸâŸ( like the hit-and-run trucker who killed Dr. Anita Kurmann? )[/sup]
Keep flogging the dead horse
By Roman
Sun, 05/13/2018 - 12:19pm
Anita Kurmann violated the first four cardinal rules of the road whether you're in a car, on foot, or on a bicycle:
1. Watch out for big trucks
2. Be aware of what they're doing
3. Anticipate what they might do next
4. Don't loiter alongside them
It's tragic, it's horrible, but it's still 100% her fault. No amount of yelling and screaming and accusations is going to change the fact that it was her mistake that cost her her life.
Your Post Is False, Ignorant, And Disgusting — She Was A Docto
By Elmer
Sun, 05/13/2018 - 12:30pm
Doesn't matter
By Roman
Tue, 05/15/2018 - 5:03pm
what she was. On that day she was careless and unlucky enough for that to matter.
Tell me Elmer, do you only have to modes: disgust and adoration, with nothing in between? Critters: adorable; motorists disgusting...do I have that right?
You are despicable
By SwirlyGrrl
Sun, 05/13/2018 - 12:49pm
In a just universe, you will someday need the services of a person such as the one whose murder you just mansplained and fuckfacesplained away so casually.
Lets hope nobody helps you when you do.
Fuck off and die.
Ah...
By Roman
Tue, 05/15/2018 - 5:04pm
but then it would be 100% my fault if I got run over by a truck after sneaking into its blindspot, so no tears shed by the likes of you...yes?
Not 100% her fault, only
By Fred, The White...
Sun, 05/13/2018 - 3:59pm
Not 100% her fault, only partly her fault.
The driver had JUST passed her and knew she was there on the right.
And this dubious "common sense" tells cyclists to keep to the right even when it is dangerous. It is a learned skill to stay behind or to the left of trucks and buses slowing down, and possibly turning right.
Many accidents are the result of several concurrent minor mistakes.
As the truck driver has a license demanding higher skills and responsibility, and the driver also blew it, I think 100% her fault is a piss-poor assessment.
OK
By Roman
Tue, 05/15/2018 - 5:10pm
[quote]It is a learned skill to stay behind or to the left of trucks and buses slowing down, and possibly turning right.[/quote]
Yes...it's a skill my dad tought me when I was around seven and old enough to understand what he was saying when was driving a car and making conversation with his kid. The corpus of basic life skills and behaviors you're taught early in life [i]are[/i] "common sense."
You're 100% wrong
By anon
Sun, 05/13/2018 - 6:33pm
And there is video to prove it.
But you knew that.
Nope
By Roman
Tue, 05/15/2018 - 5:05pm
Saw the exact same video you did. I just didn't automatically "know" that it was the trucker's fault even before I found out about the accident.
D.A. Pretzel logic.
By cinnamngrl
Wed, 05/23/2018 - 3:30pm
Crash analysis was biased. Blamed Anita for her legal choices like passing on the right, and decided that because the truck passed a safety inspection it doesn’t have to yield to crossing traffic. Is it normal for truck to weave to the left before turning right? Yes. Does that give you the right of way? No. Outright lied about previously passing Anita on Mass ave.
Report
By anon
Wed, 05/23/2018 - 3:52pm
Is this report online somewhere? I'd like to read it.
http://lmgtfy.com/?iie=1&q
By cinnamngrl
Sat, 05/26/2018 - 4:53pm
http://lmgtfy.com/?iie=1&q=anita+kurmann+accident+...
I beat the heck out of cyclists a lot here at UHub
By UHub-fan
Mon, 05/14/2018 - 6:48am
Even right here in this thread.
But I've seen the video of that accident, and I am at a loss to understand how any sane person can see that as exclusively the cyclist's fault. Hell, I were in a car, I would have called that truck driver a maniac for that maneuver at that speed.
Bike lanes don't help
By Ian Whiting
Thu, 07/26/2018 - 5:57am
Her death was tragic, but what I took away from it is a confirmation of a basic truth: Bike lanes don't solve the problem. If she had been biking in the normal travel lane and in line with the traffic, this never would have happened. This intersection has now been reconfigured so that bikes can approach the intersection via a separated bike lane. This doesn't solve the problem either and in fact could worsen things if someone is riding in that lane and decides that they need to move over to the travel lane. The separation posts make that more difficult. Since that side of the road is wide enough for three lanes, the only solution that makes sense is to take out the bike lane, make the right-most lane a right turn only lane, and make the middle lane a right turn and straight through lane. Then if you're on a bike and want to go straight, you get in that middle travel lane and stay away from the right turn only lane.
Ironically at the start of the video, you can see the traffic stopped at the red light and right at the head of the middle travel lane is...a cyclist!! Positioned correctly at the front and to the left side of the middle lane and who waits for the red light to turn green before proceeding. Much of what you need to know about safe urban cycling is in that 3-minute video.
Yikes
By SalSal
Sun, 05/13/2018 - 10:36pm
I once came upon a bicyclist in the driver's lane when I was driving down Memorial Drive. I like to allow enough space for a bicyclist to fall over without hitting my car, but those river-road lanes are too narrow for both a bike and a car. It was infuriating to be put in an unsafe position when she could have used the bike lane.
Did you know
By blues_lead
Sun, 05/13/2018 - 11:12pm
That Memorial Drive has two lanes in each direction? Did you also know that your vehicle comes equipped with brakes, so that you won't be in an unsafe position?
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