Boston's newest effort to protect parked cars from dings working out great

Pretty dangerous, especially with the fire station and hospital along this stretch. Maybe not as dangerous as a bike running reds though, depends who you ask.

Also from the Twitter thread

By BostonDog
Tue, 10/25/2022 - 1:22pm

"The problem is no green paint!"

Green paint

By HenryAlan 2.0
Wed, 10/26/2022 - 10:52am

Green paving is great, and I do wish Boston would use more of it, but alas, people are still stupid or jerks or what have you. Just this morning, I came across a pedestrian walking on a green colored bike lane in Sullivan Square, right next to a sidewalk. Boston is gonna Boston.

The fact that all of these a

By Homer Bedloe
Tue, 10/25/2022 - 2:06pm

The fact that all of these a-holz find it cheaper/easier to park in a bike lane rather than pay for parking proves that towing and parking fines are waaaaay too low. Maybe the inconvenience of a trip via commuter rail to Worcester to get their heap out of car jail along with a $300 parking fine would be persuasion enough to convince them to act like responsible citizens.

Towing and parking fines

By Kaz
Tue, 10/25/2022 - 2:22pm

They're not low...they're non-existent.

Someone would have to enforce the bike lane for anyone to even know about towing and parking fines.

The more illegal the parking job...

By JustinM
Tue, 10/25/2022 - 2:44pm

... the less likely you are to get a ticket.

Stay ten minutes too long at a meter? Ticket. Valid resident sticker in a resident space, but forgot about street sweeping? Towed. Double park in a busy travel lane, park on the sidewalk, or run over a bunch of flex posts and park in the bike lane? No ticket.

It's not going to happen

By BostonDog
Tue, 10/25/2022 - 3:32pm

But the only way of effectively handling enforcement is to mount cameras on city vehicles and MBTA busses and automatically send tickets.

Yeah, that's not going to happen. But neither is active enforcement.

Is it actually possible to tow a vehicle...

By Friartuck
Tue, 10/25/2022 - 4:21pm

Nestled between these upright bike lane dividers without actually trashing the lane dividers?

Sure

By Kaz
Tue, 10/25/2022 - 4:24pm

Start towing from the front (or rear) of the line of cars.

Try one of these nifty things

By blues_lead
Tue, 10/25/2022 - 5:11pm

Fixing up a keyed car is

By Kinopio
Tue, 10/25/2022 - 7:20pm

Fixing up a keyed car is pretty expensive too. There should be severe consequences for people who break laws and endanger others.

Agreed

By robo
Tue, 10/25/2022 - 10:02pm

All those bikers that run red lights should have severe consequences for their actions. I think this is the first time we agree on something!

Sounds great

By anonhere
Wed, 10/26/2022 - 7:47am

As long as there is enforcement for the cars that run red lights. It happens at about 90% of intersections I travel through.

100% agree

By robo
Wed, 10/26/2022 - 8:11am

All red light runners should be punished to the highest level.

The great part is, you can

By Scratchie
Wed, 10/26/2022 - 10:34am

The great part is, you can say that, even though you don't actually mean it, because it will never actually happen, so you'll never actually have to live with the consequences of your supposed beliefs. I think the kids call it "virtue signaling" these days.

Thanks for telling me how I feel about this topic

By robo
Wed, 10/26/2022 - 10:49am

I was so confused prior to your enlightenment. GTFO!

No charge.

By Scratchie
Wed, 10/26/2022 - 11:04am

No charge.

Lol! Your head is going to explode …

By Lee
Wed, 10/26/2022 - 11:34am

… when the Idaho Stop is formally written into the rules of the road in MA as it is in other states.

But it isn’t yet, Lee

By robo
Wed, 10/26/2022 - 1:20pm

And it never will be.

How about

By SwirlyGrrl
Wed, 10/26/2022 - 6:17pm

The fines should scale to the hazard presented.

Then car fines can be $10,000 and bike fines $10.

And when someone kills a biker because they ran

By robo
Wed, 10/26/2022 - 7:34pm

A red light? Or a biker running a red light that causes additional accidents? Did you think about that? What should we fine motorcycles? $10 too because they can’t really cause anymore damage than a bicycle running a red light.

The entitlement is strong in this one with her e-bike.

Projecting much?

By cinnamngrl
Thu, 10/27/2022 - 9:53am

So do you have some data on secondary causes of car crashes? Sounds like $10 compared to the amount of red lights run and actual damage caused by taxpayer subsidized cars is the correct math.

*

By cinnamngrl
Thu, 10/27/2022 - 9:53am

Show us some data on that Robbie

By spin_o_rama
Thu, 10/27/2022 - 10:28am

https://cdan.nhtsa.gov/SASStoredProcess/guest

Check out Table 29
Crashes, by First Harmful Event, Manner of Collision, and Crash Severity, 2020

Seems like 4.4 million crashes in involving motor vehicles hitting other motor vehicles or fixed objects amounting to 23,000 fatalities. About 44,000 crashes with cyclists amounting to 923 fatalities.

Also worth brushing up on how fault is determined in crash investigations. Sure this is from Illinois but you can apply the base concepts while accepting the subtle differences with MGLS.

Determining who is at fault for a car-bicycle accident is the same as determining fault in all accidents involving vehicles. The person or other entity whose actions (or failure to act appropriately) caused the accident to occur is usually considered at fault. In other words, even if the bicyclist is much more injured than occupants of the car, or the bicyclist is the sole person injured, the injuries have no bearing on the fault. The law looks at behavior that was a causal factor in the crash.

Causal factors can include driving unsafely or not obeying traffic laws. If a car and a bicycle approach an intersection, for example, and the car is facing a yield sign, it should yield to the bicyclist. If it does not, the car’s driver will likely be considered at fault. Bicyclists have many of the same rights that cars do. But conversely, a bicyclist riding outside of a designated bike lane may be considered partially at fault, because safe driving practices recommend staying in a designated lane. Please note that being partially at fault is not bar recovery for a bicyclist, but it could reduce the amount of damages awarded.

https://www.daveabels.com/car-versus-bicycle-accid...

Car drivers do that much more often than bike riders

By HenryAlan 2.0
Wed, 10/26/2022 - 10:55am

This morning's commute, every single time I stopped at a red light, I had to watch 3-5 cars pass through the cross street after my light had already turned green. You can shut right up with this talking point.

robo is just baiting

By cinnamngrl
Wed, 10/26/2022 - 12:56pm

his troll trap

So you think it’s ok that bikes run red lights, but

By robo
Wed, 10/26/2022 - 1:21pm

Not cars? I’ve already said cars should face the same repercussions as bikes running red lights. Not sure what your point is?

Huh? Where did I say that?

By HenryAlan 2.0
Wed, 10/26/2022 - 1:24pm

You really aren't very good at this.

“Car drivers run more red lights than bike”

By robo
Wed, 10/26/2022 - 1:49pm

“I can shut up right now with that talking point”

It’s like listening to a child when they get in trouble - “but they did it too”.

he is good at trolling. He

By cinnamngrl
Wed, 10/26/2022 - 4:34pm

he is good at trolling. He doesn't really care about the subject.

So, your ok with bikes running red lights?

By robo
Wed, 10/26/2022 - 5:10pm

You clearly don’t understand what a troll is too. I think we’ve gone over this before too

Sealioning

By SwirlyGrrl
Wed, 10/26/2022 - 6:15pm

How cute.

Oh honey

By SwirlyGrrl
Wed, 10/26/2022 - 6:15pm

Coursera has lessons in statistics. You need one.

I love how all the bikers refuse to answer my basic question

By robo
Wed, 10/26/2022 - 7:38pm

And instead throw around troll name calling or cars bad, bikes good blah blah. Sounds just like someone that used to be in office. Hmmm

check the receipts, All of

By cinnamngrl
Thu, 10/27/2022 - 9:56am

check the receipts, All of your questions have been answered.

"why is no one answering my bad faith questions?!"

By spin_o_rama
Thu, 10/27/2022 - 10:43am

Curious!

Bad faith question?

By robo
Thu, 10/27/2022 - 10:29pm

Are you bikers so entitled that you’re also delusional? Here, I’ll make it clear as it can be:

Should a biker running a red light be punished along with a vehicle running a red light?

I’m blow away that the bike brigade on here deflect on this basic question. If you respond with anything aside from an answer, you’re deflecting so don’t bother.

again check the records

By cinnamngrl
Fri, 10/28/2022 - 9:18am

Stop asking the same questions over and over. Other pages count.

I can’t decide if …,

By Lee
Fri, 10/28/2022 - 11:48am

… the robo is so desperate for attention that it will say anything it thinks will get a response. Or if it is the clever invention of a better streets activist. It certainly does provide excellent opportunities for the cyclist, pedestrian and respectful motorist community to respond with good information and intelligent informed responses to it’s nonsense.
Who knows.

still waiting

By cinnamngrl
Fri, 10/28/2022 - 9:18am

For the data on secondary caused crashes.

Yes, red light runners should face the full extent of the law

By spin_o_rama
Fri, 10/28/2022 - 12:25pm

Its weird that you seemed to think otherwise.

Now that your question was answered, do you think those fines should stay at the $150 across the board for cyclists/motorists or should it vary depending on the weight and top speed of the vehicles?

Oh and speaking of deflecting, you do often ignore and run away from questions and hard data thats presented to you in good faith. I think on this very thread you've been asked to provide counter data but curiously haven't followed up.

Do the signs get the message across?

By anon
Tue, 10/25/2022 - 3:07pm

What does that sign say? If it's a P with a slash, that technically allows loading, and the legal place to do it would be where the truck double parked, according to the parking arrangements along other protected bike lanes.

If loading is not intended here, where is the nearest spot for a FedEx truck?

As far as flex posts meaning bike lane/no parking, what was the city's intent in this Street View from two years ago, where there were both flex posts and meters? https://goo.gl/maps/iRdZyJy4TaJuMAah6

Double parking

By downtown-anon
Tue, 10/25/2022 - 4:05pm

If you spend any time on Cambridge St you will find that double parking is the rule. More common after 7PM, but it is happening most of the day to some extent. Not too common before 8AM. Stops sometime after 11PM.

The bike lane on Boylston

By anon
Tue, 10/25/2022 - 3:00pm

The bike lane on Boylston Street between Tremont and Washington has no cars in it. However, it left the road with only two car lanes. One of the lanes is perpetually full of trucks and cars unloading. This is legal on parts of the stretch, illegal on others, and one part downstream on Essex allows it outside the PM rush.

One travel lane is not enough to handle the traffic, and it's a perpetual intersection-blocking backup that didn't use to exist.

The city needs to decide how many travel lanes they want, and make sure it functions that way in practice.

There was plenty of traffic there before the bike lanes

By spin_o_rama
Tue, 10/25/2022 - 4:34pm

Sounds like the real issue is a lack of enforcement for illegal parking, which existed on that stretch pre-bike lane.

https://www.google.com/maps/@42.3523024,-71.063649,3a,75y,95.4h,78.79t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s2vHx5CcMVvO1_iO6IehBqQ!2e0!5s20140601T000000!7i13312!8i6656

Oh and I was also intentionally rear ended here when all we had was 3 car lanes and a sharrow. The protection here was drastically needed.

“ The bike lane on Boylston

By Lee
Tue, 10/25/2022 - 5:00pm

“ The bike lane on Boylston Street between Tremont and Washington has no cars in it.”

When? I see them there regularly. Its an extremely dangerous place for cyclists to have to pull out into traffic to get around these dirtbag drivers because the street curves and drivers like to speed here to catch the green or yellow light at the next intersection. They like to run the red light here too so they can keep barreling down Essex.

No parking is illegal (in the

By Rwgfy
Tue, 10/25/2022 - 3:06pm

No parking is illegal (in the city of Boston)

You guys, this is OK

By Scratchie
Tue, 10/25/2022 - 4:30pm

They're just running in for a minute.

Hat Trick!

By Lecil
Tue, 10/25/2022 - 5:08pm

That Honda is in a bike lane right next to a no parking sign AND a fire plug!

Parking in front of fire plug

By downtown-anon
Tue, 10/25/2022 - 5:20pm

Pre bike lane this was pretty common. Main motivation is there is ATM at Bank of America there.

The fire plug directly across the street also frequently has cars parked in front of it. Sometime it is a truck from the firehouse because the truck won't fit in the lot - the truck does give the hydrant about 6 inches clearance. More often it is a car just stopping in at the liquor store.

People who drive to an ATM

By Kinopio
Tue, 10/25/2022 - 7:23pm

People who drive to an ATM should be banished to the suburbs.

Not often

By Will LaTulippe
Tue, 10/25/2022 - 7:55pm

I see fit to give you the benefit, but right? What person not on foot is well-served by that machine?

The Brighton Ave BoA was always a culprit, especially because there was nominal space in front of it with a hydrant! The Comm Ave one is much easier for direct vehicular access, although one would also be forced on a good outbound detour if they're not headed that way in the first place.

Anyway, if you have a car, and your credit is such (expletive) that you're in such dire need of cash as to make an emergency urban stop for some, then you're doing money wrong.

congestion charge

By scollaysq
Wed, 10/26/2022 - 5:15pm

Why can't they impose a fee to drive your car downtown? Like London did. It might help if the T worked, but still. I'd pay it.

Because

By Will LaTulippe
Thu, 10/27/2022 - 11:10am

You'll never see an elected official on a bicycle.

That there's no congestion charge is one of the few effective examples of a "laws for thee and none for me" proposal getting rightly stuck back up the (expletive) of those who suggested it.

Boston's newest effort to protect parked cars from dings working out great

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