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West Roxbury against the world: Somebody paying to advertise alleged threat to neighborhood from bicycle conspiracy
By adamg on Tue, 10/15/2019 - 10:29pm
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
lol yeah we control Marty
How much power do you think we have?!
So
You’re saying 40 bike zealots spend more than 4000 drivers?
Locally? Compared to drivers
Locally? Compared to drivers that spend their money at Walmart and BJ's?
Yes.
https://www.citylab.com/solutions/2015/03/the-complete-business-case-for...
https://www.forbes.com/sites/carltonreid/2018/11/16/cyclists-spend-40-mo...
https://www.citylab.com/transportation/2012/12/cyclists-and-pedestrians-...
https://usa.streetsblog.org/2012/03/23/why-bicyclists-are-better-custome...
Even if you ignore the bike
Even if you ignore the bike lanes, I don't understand why some drivers are so outraged by the road diet plan. When I drive, I really HATE driving on 4 lane roads. There's no good lane to be in. One left turning driver blocks the whole left lane, but because there are two lanes in each direction, people think it's ok to double park as much as they want in the right lane because there's another lane to use. You end up having to keep merging back and forth between the lanes. And then if you're turning left either from or onto the street, it's very stressful! You end up having to sit in the left lane and judge the traffic in two oncoming lanes before turning, or if you're coming from a side street, you have to wait for two lanes to clear and make sure you have a gap in the two lanes for the direction you're turning. It's not easy.
With a single lane in each direction, you never have to change lanes. You never have to cross more than one lane when turning. And when you're turning left, you have a left turn pocket to wait in, out of the way of through traffic. Isn't that much less stressful?!
Mass Ave Arlington
SOOOOO much better than the "not enough for four lanes but drivers try anyway" setup that used to be there.
And I'm talking driving it. I also like how much work Cambridge has done to curtail car mayhem, too. It makes driving much less stressful, and biking much safer.
I didn't know that Valpak still existed
They haven't sent me mail in years. Maybe they have dropped Somerville as a market?
no choice but to ride a bike to work
Hi,
I work in the Longwood medical area and I commute each day, all year long. No such thing as bad weather, only wrong clothes.
Car = 45 minutes each way plus $25 to park
T = 1:15 each way plus costs about $12 each day (Commuter Rail)
Bike = 23 minutes each way and almost free.
Saving this time allows me to have dinner with my family too. When I do try to take the T or drive, I often miss my kids bedtimes. I'm not willing to sacrifice it.
So, I don't care about politics, or any of that stuff. My main mode of transit is the bicycle and I can't afford and am not willing to spend as much as many do on transportation, I need better bicycle lanes to make it safer for me and my family. I'm no lobbyist and I wish there was a "powerful bike lobby" but alas, it's just me, a relatively out of shape middle age guy trying to save a few extra bucks and some time by riding my bike to my windowless, crappy office. Do you think I enjoy riding my bike everyday? Well, you're wrong. I'm doing what I have to. Driving is too expensive anyway, road diet or not.
no choice but to ride a bike to work
Hi,
I work in the Longwood medical area and I commute each day, all year long. No such thing as bad weather, only wrong clothes.
Car = 45 minutes each way plus $25 to park
T = 1:15 each way plus costs about $12 each day (Commuter Rail)
Bike = 23 minutes each way and almost free.
Saving this time allows me to have dinner with my family too. When I do try to take the T or drive, I often miss my kids bedtimes. I'm not willing to sacrifice it.
So, I don't care about politics, or any of that stuff. My main mode of transit is the bicycle and I can't afford and am not willing to spend as much as many do on transportation, I need better bicycle lanes to make it safer for me and my family. I'm no lobbyist and I wish there was a "powerful bike lobby" but alas, it's just me, a relatively out of shape middle age guy trying to save a few extra bucks and some time by riding my bike to my windowless, crappy office. Do you think I enjoy riding my bike everyday? Well, you're wrong. I'm doing what I have to. Driving is too expensive anyway, road diet or not.
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