People in West Roxbury - and Roslindale - who get those blue ValPak envelopes filled with coupons this week got at least one "coupon" that advertises an alleged conspiracy by the "bicycle lobby" and people from outside the neighborhood to destroy West Roxbury by forcing bike lanes onto Centre Street, and down the throats of the good citizens of that leafy neighborhood.
The "coupons" do not indicate who paid for them and do not mention that the city ignored calls to do something about pedestrian problems along the windy four-lane road until a West Roxbury resident walking in a Centre Street crosswalk died after being hit by a motorist who said she was blinded by the sun - at the same intersection where another West Roxbury resident suffered a traumatic brain injury three years earlier when he was hit by a motorist who sped by another driver who had stopped to let him walk across the street.
After an emotional meeting at the West Roxbury Elks Club following Marilyn Wentworth's death, city planners began looking at a proposal to essentially narrow Centre Street to three lanes - one travel lane in each direction and a turning lane in the middle, with pedestrian islands at several intersections.
The proposal would allow for dedicated bike lanes - the street does not currently have any. At a raucous meeting at Holy Name School, some people who do not live in West Roxbury, including the owner of a Jamaica Plain bicycle shop, supported the plan. However, the bulk of bicyclists - or parents of bicyclists - who rose to support the idea gave West Roxbury addresses, and discussed how they tried to avoid Centre Street because it is so dangerous.
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Comments
I am not expecting any
By Murkin
Tue, 10/15/2019 - 10:52pm
I am not expecting any comments on this story until after the Democratic Presidential Debate is over tonight.
Tough Neighborhood
By anon
Tue, 10/15/2019 - 11:13pm
You know you’re in West Roxbury when the guy mugging you pulls out a butter knife.
Tough neighborhood? No, nice neighborhood
By Roztonian
Wed, 10/16/2019 - 8:52am
Not sure what angle you are going after but West Roxbury is a nice neighborhood. Not a lot of muggings because people are working hard, and neighbors looking out for one another (ya know, neighborhood stuff). But make no mistake, there are PLENTY of tough people from West Roxbury. No need to have a knife to be tough.
I'm sure you are a suburban transplant so you wouldn't know but keep trolling.
Neighborhoods that have
By anon
Wed, 10/16/2019 - 12:31pm
Neighborhoods that have muggings also have hard working people that look out for one anathor. They just don't live in a Ward that decides elections and gets nice things like WR.
high voter turnouts ward(s) decide electrons - yyyyep
By Roztonian
Wed, 10/16/2019 - 1:59pm
"a ward that decides elections" - oh you mean where people vote? Yes, WR does have one of the highest voter turnouts - and thereby does help to decide elections - that's sort of how it works.
"gets nice things" - like what? This should be interesting.
Next time, when talking about muggings and West Roxbury - try to know something about either one (preferably both).
yikes.
I think you're missing the
By jkarn
Wed, 10/16/2019 - 3:19pm
I think you're missing the sarcasm here. Cut down on the Red Bull intake.
as oppose to what
By redbaron
Wed, 10/16/2019 - 2:15pm
Mattapan or Roxbury where the real tough guys are from, oops can't say that might be racist.
or like the little maggots who are beating up bikers on the southwest corridor.
Off topic
By SwirlyGrrl
Wed, 10/16/2019 - 3:03pm
And racist.
Swrily Bird
By redbaron
Wed, 10/16/2019 - 4:01pm
Talk to your buddy that made the comment about using Butter Knife
Deflection
By SwirlyGrrl
Wed, 10/16/2019 - 7:48pm
... and whataboutism.
You are responsible for what comes out of your keyboard.
Good to see
By Brian Riccio
Sat, 10/19/2019 - 11:28am
things haven't changed much around here!
.
By GenericUsername
Wed, 09/15/2021 - 4:31pm
.
The funny thing is that this
By dvg
Tue, 10/15/2019 - 11:58pm
The funny thing is that this flier may encourage more pro bike lane people to show up at the next meeting to defend the proposal. I would do just that if I lived in West Roxbury!
Is that legal? I thought
By Muerl
Wed, 10/16/2019 - 12:11am
Is that legal? I thought that political speech required a "paid for by" notice?
I mean, this also makes me wonder how cheep it is to make up lies and send them to people via ValPak.
It's All A Waste
By BlackKat
Wed, 10/16/2019 - 4:56am
I did not think anyone did anything with those but toss them directly into the trash. I'm surprised then that someone did in fact open them to discover said slimy notice.
Road Diet? Isn’t that one of
By thomas
Wed, 10/16/2019 - 12:39am
Road Diet? Isn’t that one of those hipster creep vegan things ? Ain’t nobody gonna force ME to diet especially not some freewheeling bikers who think THEY own the road !
Well,
By perruptor
Wed, 10/16/2019 - 6:13am
If you've got a bike lane down your throat, some kind of diet is clearly indicated.
Centre Street is too
By Barbs
Wed, 10/16/2019 - 5:54am
Centre Street is too dangerous for a bike lane. They recognize that fact, acknowledge it - yet will shove a bike lane onto it anyway so people from the suburbs can bike commute to the city. These bikers provide nothing in return to these cities and towns that bend over backwards to provide them with designated lanes. They don't pay taxes there, they don't shop there, they don't work there. Stop the insanity. Some roads shouldn't have bike lanes. Put them on the side roads if necessary but leave Main Street for the people who actually live, work and shop there.
Bravo
By fungwah
Wed, 10/16/2019 - 8:57am
A pitch-perfect rendition of a clueless motorist. Top-notch satire - my hat's off to you!
The economic impacts are well documented Barb
By spin_o_rama
Wed, 10/16/2019 - 9:07am
https://www.citylab.com/solutions/2015/03/the-comp...
https://www.forbes.com/sites/carltonreid/2018/11/1...
https://www.citylab.com/transportation/2012/12/cyc...
https://usa.streetsblog.org/2012/03/23/why-bicycli...
But unfortunately denial of reality when presented with data seems to be a hallmark for anti-safe road zealot. Like what are you even fighting, this isn't just about bike lanes, its about road safety.
We pay taxes, we travel to other neighborhoods to shop and spend money and we work all over the city.
Some roads shouldn't have bike lanes, I agree. But something tells me you'd oppose bike lanes on side streets once the topic of removing parking comes up, so lets dispense with the idea that this is an honest argument.
Hey, Spin..
By whyaduck
Wed, 10/16/2019 - 9:28am
have you chatted with some of the business owners on Center St.? There is a reason why they do not wish to having parking spaces removed. Can you guess why?
Let us talk a bit about road safety. As I said to Fung's post, do you wish to have a system that works for everyone, including car drivers (because something tells me that you'd oppose anything that would help their commutes) and cyclists or are you in a take no prisoners frame of mind from reading some of your past posts?
Mind you, before you bash me as an "anti-safe road zealot", I have spent many years, in the past, riding a bike, commuting actually, into the city from the burbs. I see the value in many different forms of commuter transportation and look for solutions within a well reasoned and inclusive discussion.
Except...
By DOT Worker
Wed, 10/16/2019 - 9:45am
You can fit a heck of a lot more bicycles (10+) in the space that would have occupied just one car. If adequate bicycle parking is provided, more than likely local businesses will see an upswing of pass-through-traffic. As many drivers quickly become frustrated when they 'cant find a parking space', and either keep circling the block, or continue on to another location. With bikes, it is far simpler.
The economical benefits of providing bicycle access are well proven elsewhere. Consider reading some of Swirly's links.
How do the Bike riders
By redbaron
Wed, 10/16/2019 - 4:03pm
carry their groceries home in the rain.
In bags
By BostonDog
Wed, 10/16/2019 - 4:05pm
Just like how they carry groceries when it's not raining.
You've never seen the Dutch
By anon
Wed, 10/16/2019 - 4:58pm
You've never seen the Dutch ride a bike have you? I've seen them move couches on a bike.
Backpacks work wonders.
By DTP
Wed, 10/16/2019 - 6:21pm
Backpacks work wonders.
Also, many people who ride bikes also travel by other means. When I commuted by bike I still drove to the grocery store.
Sure
By SwirlyGrrl
Wed, 10/16/2019 - 7:50pm
I have a bike trailer. In the summer it tows a cooler and I put the groceries in there. In winter it carries two Ikea bins. Waterproof either way.
What I do
By eekanotloggedin
Thu, 10/17/2019 - 9:33am
I have waterproof panniers. But it rarely rains enough around here for my stuff to be completely soaked riding a mile or so from any of the various grocery stores near me, so I don't usually bother to close them up all the way unless it's pouring. On one of my bikes I just have rear baskets, and the groceries barely get wet in the couple minutes I'm outside. If I were walking, I would have the stuff in open tote-type bags, and it would take me 15 minutes or so to get home rather than 2, so my stuff would get wetter.
I've got a rack on the side
By Matt
Thu, 10/17/2019 - 12:55pm
I've got a rack on the side of my bike with a pannier. The food goes in that. I don't need a 4000lb metal rain coat.
How do you get food from the store to your car and from your car to your house when it rains?
I mean, its like anti-bike bingo with comments so far
By spin_o_rama
Wed, 10/16/2019 - 9:48am
And of course, this more about just bike lanes and I have constantly advocated for the wider range of transit options for commuters and citizens, you aren't paying enough attention.
Reducing car travel lanes and parking is a matter of convenience for motorists, sticking with the status quo is a safety issue for others. Again another reactionary talking point that pits pedestrians, cycling and other mobility advocates to fight over the crumbs left over from car infra. Sorry, car infra has been rammed down the throats of communities for decades, balancing that out while improving safety for others isn't an assault on business.
Can I guess why businesses don't want to lose free 2 hour parking? Gee I just can't imagine it being about convenience and entitlement, also its 16 out of 221 spots being removed. Perhaps market rates are in order for the high demand of parking here.
Also are we talking about parking or commutes now? Because commute times in the linked articles is shown to grow no more than 1.8 minutes along this corridor. If the concern is about traffic congestion, well then again we can institute market rate congestion pricing.
Spin I thought you were from Brighton
By redbaron
Wed, 10/16/2019 - 4:39pm
or Newton why do you care about the Parkway Area. Do you have a bike shop, Bikes not Bombs in JP????
Do you not get out and explore other neighborhoods?
By spin_o_rama
Wed, 10/16/2019 - 5:07pm
But let me answer your question directly, why do I care about the Parkway Area?
Simple, I have empathy for the victims of road violence and car-centric road design, so any efforts to curb that in my neighborhood, other neighborhoods or other communities is well worth support. Its not just about where I live, work, ride, walk and drive, its about others too.
I do not have a bike shop, I choose to travel to different ones in different neighborhoods when I feel like exploring and stimulating local neighborhood economies, Bikes Not Bombs being one of them.
Simple question for you Red, if West Roxbury wants safe streets but not through road diets, how do they get safe streets?
First,
By perruptor
Wed, 10/16/2019 - 7:27pm
First, we kill all the
lawyerspedestrians and cyclists.Parking
By BostonDog
Wed, 10/16/2019 - 11:01am
I remember when they were redoing Mass Ave in East Arlington. My barber (who's awesome) told every customer how angry he was at the loss of spaces along. He said he feared it would put him out of business.
The project happened regardless and now years later he can't keep up with all the customers he has. Now he complains about how he never gets a rest.
I would listen to business owners but weight their views with other locals and experienced traffic engineers. People greatly exaggerate the need for parking, particularly business owners.
The City's proposal removes
By cden4
Wed, 10/16/2019 - 11:04am
The City's proposal removes 16 out of 221 parking spaces. Many of these are too close to crosswalks and removing them will improve visibility of people crossing the street. If you haven't noticed, pedestrians keep getting killed by cars here.
Oh
By BostonDog
Wed, 10/16/2019 - 11:13am
If you haven't noticed, my car was rated as one of the safest and I'm in a hurry so don't do anything which might possibly slow me down. Also, I don't know anyone who was killed by a car personally so it can't really be a problem.
Sincerely,
A typical Masshole driver
PS. I have an important job and/or kids so only listen to me.
"There is a reason why they
By Trevor C.
Wed, 10/16/2019 - 11:37am
"There is a reason why they do not wish to having parking spaces removed. Can you guess why?"
Is it because they don't understand that people on bicycles also buy things?
If bike lanes are such a good thing
By anon
Wed, 10/16/2019 - 5:52pm
Then why are the ones I see on a daily basis during my commute so devoid of cyclists?
"The productivity of the system is measured by throughput"
By spin_o_rama
Thu, 10/17/2019 - 12:28pm
https://usa.streetsblog.org/2016/04/01/why-bike-la...
lol so people from far flung
By anon
Wed, 10/16/2019 - 9:27am
lol so people from far flung suburbs will bike straight through, never stopping for coffee, stuff at CVS, using a bank, etc, because lord knows stopping your bike and hopping in for an errand is really tough...... but LOCAL people definitely drive everywhere, because there's so much parking, and it's so convenient to go very short distances in your car in the traffic of centre street, so they're stopping at every tom dick and harry's on their way to travel four blocks from home to work.....
dude, what
If only!
By Anon
Wed, 10/16/2019 - 9:39am
Oh, if only all those suburbanites would ride their bikes into the city instead of driving!
I'm not sure how I feel about all the Centre St. changes, but if a bike lane there somehow encouraged people to stop using the neighborhood as a cut-through from the suburbs to the city, I would be all for it.
Yeah, I really look forward
By hollydollydoo
Wed, 10/16/2019 - 11:39pm
Yeah, I really look forward to biking everywhere, especially from December-June, when it's snowing,raining or just plain too *&)(*&)&) cold. That's six months out of the year.
Too cold? Bundle up.
By DTP
Thu, 10/17/2019 - 8:42am
Too cold? Bundle up.
I commuted by bike all through the winter of 2015. It wasn't that hard, you just wear warm clothes.
Literally no one is asking
By MattyC
Thu, 10/17/2019 - 10:19am
Literally no one is asking you to get on a bike, princess.
I don't need a 4000lb jacket.
By Matt
Thu, 10/17/2019 - 1:03pm
I don't need a 4000lb jacket. People ski outside in winter for fun, it's very much possible to comfortably bike year round.
“These bikersâ€
By Mark-
Wed, 10/16/2019 - 9:46am
I drive, I bike, I walk, I take the bus. I’m a person, not a “biker.†But when I’m on Centre St., I’m usually in a car and I’m not too happy about it. The street parking spaces are a pain to use as are the four lanes of traffic because you constantly have to weave to avoid the cars that are double-parked or attempting to squeeze into a rare open space. The curb bumpers from the last redesign are a pain that force buses to stop in the travel lanes. Nothing is good for bicyclists who have to share a narrow car lane with all the weavers, parkers, and buses.
I much prefer the off-street parking and there should be more of it. As a driver, I’d like to see the dedicated turn lanes and a lot less street parking. Going from 4 lanes to 2 (plus a turn lane) would be a much smoother ride, like Belgrade Ave. As for bikes, look around you in other neighborhoods. JP, Allston, even Dorchester and Roslindale are a lot more bike-friendly than WR, and the result is a lot more cycling, safer roads for everyone, busier bus routes, and businesses doing just fine.
Centre street was not created to have 4 lanes
By cinnamngrl
Wed, 10/16/2019 - 9:47am
It was 2 driving lanes and 2 street car lanes. Those street cars allowed people to move quickly through WRox without a car. Back then WRox had a higher population but less cars. The street has devolved into a safety hazard. These changes serve local residents. The parking spaces that will be removed are too close to the intersections to be safe even in the current configuration.
You mean 6 lanes....don't
By anon
Wed, 10/16/2019 - 11:28am
You mean 6 lanes....don't forget about the free for life parking on both sides of the street that car owners feel entitled to. And yes, I am a car owner.
So the road Diet 7 Lanes
By redbaron
Wed, 10/16/2019 - 4:11pm
2 Parking lanes for business owners and customers that help our vibrant economy
2 Driving Lanes
1 Turn Left Lane
2 Bike lanes for outsiders driving through that add NOTHING to the Parkway Area's economy
You seem to have a boner for
By anon
Wed, 10/16/2019 - 5:03pm
You seem to have a boner for "OUTSIDERS." Let's just get this out there...WR isn't a destination spot. It has banks, pizza shops and nail salons. It closes up at 8pm. The "outsiders" you're worried about aren't coming.
WR has always been known to not like outsiders...I'll just leave that there.
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