8 new Hubway stations opened in Boston yesterday including four in Jamaica Plain! Now one can pick up a bike at Egleston Square, Hyde Square, Centre Street, the Monument. This will be a huge advantage for my commute as we go into the colder days of fall when I may not be up for peddling all the way to work.
New Docking Station by the Jamaica Plain monument (Photo via JP Bikes Facebook page)
Columbus Avenue is one of the major arterial for bicycles connecting Downtown Boston to the outlying neighborhoods. A few years ago, bike lanes were added to the street and it is a very popular route for local bike commuters. The Southwest Corridor bike path runs parallel and close by Columbus Avenue but it ends at Darmouth Street in Back Bay whereas Columbus Avenue continues into the heart of the city near Park Square.
A cyclist commutes downtown via Columbus Avenue.
I’ve written how the proposed Public Garden cycletrack would create a hub that could be the center of a citywide bicycle network. It would be very easy to connect the Columbus Avenue bike lanes to the Public Garden cycletrack once it’s complete. The main problem is that the bike lanes on Columbus Avenue are painted in such a way that it puts bike riders in the door zone of parked cars. While many inexperienced bike riders are nervous about passing cars, they are much more likely to have a collision with a door suddenly opening from a parked car or a driver pulling out of a space. Having the bike lanes in this position can exacerbate the problem.
The bike lane is too close to the door zone. Perhaps the cobblestone median can be removed to make better use of space on the street.
Luckily, there seems to me an obvious solution. Much of Columbus Avenue has a cobblestone median running down the center. When I first moved to Boston, cars would actually park on this median but it appears that this dangerous practice has been put to an end. If this median were taken up, the through lanes could be shifted into the center of the street, allowing the parking lane to also shift over with the result that between the parked cars and the curb would be the space needed for a buffered cycle lane! I think this would be a great solution because no one (bikers, drivers, or residents) would lose anything and it would create a safer arterial that would encourage more Bostonians to commute downtown by bike.
A few months back, old rules against bicycling on Boston Common were suddenly back in force, leaving bike riders in downtown Boston with no good alternatives. At the time, I suggested the best thing to do would be to convert parts of the overly-wide one-way streets surrounding Boston Common and the Public Garden into segregated on-street bike lanes. I won’t pretend that my blog is all that influential but others have had the same idea.
Next Wednesday, the city will present a proposal for cycletracks around the Public Garden. The presentation takes place September 18, 2013 from 6-8 pm at the Firehouse at 127 Mount Vernon Street. If you care about improving bicycle access in the heart of Boston I suggest you attend this meeting and/or writing your support to the city. The Boston Cyclists Union also has a petition where you can offer your support.
Obviously, I support the cycletracks and think they will be a great improvement. If you read my previous post, you’ll also be aware that the city’s proposal is only a portion of what I’d hoped. The Walking Bostonian posted a great history of how the streets came to be like they are now and analysis of how they could better be used. The key quote is:
The proposed cycletrack is a better use of all this excessive street space than current conditions. But there’s an even better solution: Two-way complete streets. There’s simply no sense in having a high-speed one-way loop around the Public Garden. It’s incredibly irresponsible on the part of BTD. This aggressive engineering of multi-lane one-way streets here, and in adjacent blocks, is ridiculous, reckless and unjust.
While I’m in agreement that complete streets are the ultimate goal to making Boston a safer, more accessible, and equitable city for all types of commuters, I also stand by incremental improvements. My hope is that the cycletracks will be a such a success with bikers new and old (not mention regular motorists and others who may think they’ll be a nuisance) that expansion along Charles Street and to Columbus Avenue and elsewhere around downtown will follow naturally. One way or another the complete streets model will be the ultimate evolution of Boston’s streets.
Bostonians enjoyed easy access for walking, biking, skating, playing and more on the outbound lanes of Huntington Avenue on Sunday, July 14th thanks to the Circle the City Open Streets program. Thanks to Walk Boston, I was able to participate in the event reviving my Boston By Foot Avenue of the Arts walking tour. A small but curious group joined me on the 90 minute walk from the Christian Science Center to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.
After the tour, I met up with my wife and kids to take in more of the activities. My son Peter was drawn to the Super Soccer Stars activities at Northeastern University and happily played soccer with the coaches and rotating cast of children for about three hours. I had little trouble convincing my daughter Kay to be my copilot on a bike ride up and down the Avenue of the Arts. We enjoyed the Boston Cyclist Union’s demonstration cycle tracks, listened to a drum circle, watched dancers, heard a loud synthpop duo, rode alongside marching bands, and got high fives from passersby.
Despite scorching hot weather, it was a fun day out for all the family and something I’d love to see more often. Before I get to the photos, I have two quick, mild criticisms. First, the map and program didn’t seem to have enough helpful detail about the types of activities going on or even a good sense of where to find some things (for example, I think my tour may have had more people if they had a better sense of what it was and where to meet, but I also had this feeling looking for other activities). Second, the stretch of Huntington from Ruggles to Brigham Circle felt like the activity tents were spaced far apart. It’s also a less shady part of the road, unfortunately. It didn’t seem too welcoming to pedestrian activity and I didn’t see many people walking here. Maybe the activities should be grouped together more closely to lend it a better street festival vibe?
Crossposted at my Panorama of the Mountains blog.
You may be familiar with the Cambridge Street Overpass in Allston, one of the few crossings over the MassPike connecting that neighborhood to the rest of the city, and one of the most dangerous. The good news is that the bridge will be redesigned and bicycle and pedestrian facilities are being considered. The bad news is that the plan still prioritizes motor vehicles at the expense of other users with some of the proposed design likely to further cut off access to the neighborhood for those not in cars. Unlike the Casey Arborway project in Jamaica Plain where the plan came together after two years of public meetings and working groups, and the public are still participating in 25% and 75% design meetings, the Cambridge Street Overpass plan has been presented as a 100% design with very little time for public comment and input.
For more details, please read:
Please send an email TODAY to dot.feedback.highway@state.ma.us (include a reference to: Project #606376). The text of my message is below.
Project File No. 606376
Earlier this month, with no warning to the local bicycle community, the City of Boston Parks and Recreation department painted stencils prohibiting bike riders from riding on Boston Common’s pathways. A spokesperson for Parks and Recreation claimed that they were merely replacing signage that had faded away and that this restriction has always been in place, although no one seems to have a living memory of such restrictions being enforced. Others have commented that bicycle riding is a hazard to pedestrians in the park (an idea with some merit that we’ll return to later). All in all, this sudden change of policy is a black eye on the city which had been making great strides in improving conditions for cyclists (a bike czar, new bike lanes, Hubway, et al).
One can imagine the outrage among motorists if one morning they learned they were no longer allowed to drive on James Jackson Storrow’s Embankment, along Frederic Law Olmsted’s Riverway/Jamaicaway, or right through the heart of Olmsted’s Franklin Park (to name three city parks where motor vehicles are currently allowed to travel at high speeds/high volume and are a threat to pedestrian activity). Boston Common is a special park with a long history and it’s very name endorses a shared space. For recreational bicycling, Boston Common is really the only safe space downtown where people of all ages and abilities can enjoy a bike ride.
But the Common is also important for commuter bicycling. It sits at the crossroads among many neighborhoods – the Financial District, Downtown Crossing, Chinatown, Back Bay, and Beacon Hill. Bike riders coming from the Longfellow Bridge and the Charles River bike paths cross the Common to reach downtown offices. Without access to the Common, the options are grim. Boston Common and the Public Garden are surrounded by roads that are geared to heavy automotive traffic – four lanes wide, one way, and not at all welcoming to cyclists. Even the City’s Bike Routes of Boston Map rates the roads surrounding the Common/Garden as “Advanced – Suitable for experienced and traffic-confident riders … Traffic volumes and/or speeds can be high. Intersections might be complex.” Stretches of Tremont St. and Charles St. are rated intermediate, but to be honest as an experienced bike commuter I find these roads just as challenging. With the Common closed to bike traffic, we can expect to see a reduction in bike commuting and increase in motor vehicles.
Detail of “Bike Routes of Boston” Map, where pink = DANGER!!!
As I mentioned, there is some validity to concerns that bicycle traffic through a public park is irritating or even dangerous to other users on foot. I certainly would like to see better behavior on the part of all cyclists. Still, a complete banishment seems extreme, when a more moderate solution is easy to come by. Several of the pathways in Boston Common are very wide and could accommodate both bikes and pedestrians. In fact, other parks in Boston such as the Riverway and Southwest Corridor have bike and walking paths parallel to one another (and I have to mention that people are always walking and jogging on the bike paths, so apparently they feel less threatened by bikes in these parts of town). A little paint on Boston Common pathways can designate where bikes are permitted and where they are prohibited. Enforcement will be a challenge, but that will be a problem with trying to keep bike riders out of Boston Common as well. I like to think positively of human nature that if given a place to ride, the vast majority of bike riders will keep out of the parts of the park that are restricted. Below, I’ve mapped out a route on some of Boston Common’s widest pathways that will make convenient connections for bike commuters on the periphery while maintaining the heart of the park for other recreational uses.
There’s a lot of Common to go around, we can share!
Of course, a better alternative to everyone would be to keep bicycles out of the Common entirely by building protected, two-way bike lanes on the roads surrounding Boston Common and the Public Garden similar to the one enjoyed by Brooklyn bicyclists on Prospect Park West. Bicyclists would have safe and convenient routes around the heart of Boston. Other park users would not have any dangerous encounters with bikes. And by removing one travel lane on roads such as Tremont, Boylston, Charles, and Arlington Streets, the bike paths would have a calming effect on auto traffic reducing speeding, noise, and the risk of people being hit by cars. Ultimately, it would be a huge step in making Boston “a world-class bicycling city by creating safe and inviting conditions for all residents and visitors,” encouraging more bike commuters and reducing the numbers of cars.
On the map below I marked out routes in green on Tremont Street, Boylston Street, Charles Street, Beacon Street, and Arlington Street where Prospect Park West style protected on-street bike paths would run immediately adjacent to the parks.
I’ve also marked in blue three places where “spur” bike paths can connect the downtown Boston routes to other parts of the city and beyond. First, there’s Charles Street, a three-lane wide one-way road that is the main connection to the Longfellow Bridge and from there ultimately Cambridge, Charlestown, and beyond. A short second spur would connect the paths on Beacon and Arlington Streets to the Fiedler Footbridge and to the Charles River bike path, a major bike commuter “highway” to outlying neighborhoods and neighboring communities. Finally, from the corner of Boylston and Charles Streets, a spur that crosses a wide swath of sidewalk to connect to Park Place and ultimately to the bike lanes on Columbus Avenue and onward to the Southwest Corridor. While this would not be a large commitment to on-street bike paths in terms of mileage (1.75 miles for the green paths with an additional 1.25 miles for the blue spur paths), it would be a huge improvement to bike infrastructure in central Boston and something I think would spur a revolutionary change in bike commuting.
Downtown Boston’s protected on-street bike path network. Coming soon?
So what do you think? Are we going to take a step towards Boston future, or are we going to rehash the city’s anti-cycling past?
It occurs to me that I should have called this blog On Your Right. That’s because most of my cycling time I hear courteous cyclists call out “On Your Left!” and that’s how I want to respond. I am a slow cyclist. And I’m happy to be a slow cyclists. Bike riding is exercise and it is certainly good for my health. I am rather plump and don’t want to know what I’d look like if I didn’t ride a bike. But exercise is not the point for me. Bike riding is a way to get from here to there and often the easiest way for me to get around. It’s also a pleasant way to get around. Driving a car is work and I’m always white at the knuckles worrying about things like whether I’m going to get in a crash or where to park. Plus the car seat is really uncomfortable. I end up with a sore back and a sore knee. Taking the subway or bus is better but I end up with sore legs more often from standing on a crowded train/bus than I do from pedaling a bike. And I can make a more direct route from home to work on a bike.
So when it comes down to it, bike riding is easy. People seem to think it’s an athletic endeavor or a chore, but really I do it because I’m too lazy to pursue other means of transportation. Which leads me to this wonderful article by James D. Schwartz: Urban Bicycling is For Lazy People.
I step outside my front door and hop on my bike because I’m too lazy to go downstairs in the parking garage to get the car. I pull my bike up to the front door at my destination because I’m too lazy to drive around looking for a parking spot then having to walk from the car to the building.
I ride my bike instead of taking public transit because I’m too lazy to go to the store to buy bus tickets, and I am far too lazy to dig for loose change under my couch. I am also too lazy to transfer from the bus to the subway to the streetcar, preferring to ride directly to my destination without transfers.
Instead of walking 15 minutes to my destination, I ride my bicycle there in 5. Yes, I ride there because I am too lazy to walk.
I ride my bicycle past dozens of cars at rush hour because I’m too lazy to be stressed out sitting in traffic and too lazy to explain why I’m late all the time.
– See more at: http://www.theurbancountry.com/2013/06/bicycling-is-for-lazy-people.html#sthash.VCBxEtxF.dpuf
So are you a lazy bike rider? Let me know in the comments.
On June 2nd, I participated in the 26th annual Bikes Not Bombs Bike-A-Thon along with my 18-month old daughter who rode in the copilot’s seat. This is the second time I’ve participated in this event, having previously ridden the 2011 ride with my son (who is now too big for the bike seat, too little to ride on his own). I hope to make it an annual tradition as it is really a spectacular event. The rides are pretty laid back with lots of support for volunteers and other riders. I’m particularly impressed by the number of children participating, riding alongside their parents. Groups of teens also raised lots of money and participated in the ride, once again impressing me with all the wonderful things Boston youth can do. The Bike-A-Thon ends with a festival where there are lots of delicious food, music, and fun things to do.
Altogether, this year’s Bike-A-Thon had record 559 registered riders and raised a whopping $162,567 to support the work of Bikes Not Bombs! The ride may be over, but you may still support this worthy cause by visiting our rider page and sponsoring us.
This year, we participated in the 15-mile ride. While the preceding days saw temperatures soaring into the 90s, the ride day temps were a more comfortable low 80s. I sweat an awful lot but at least I didn’t have to worry about the ride being dangerous for my daughter. She enjoyed the cool breezes of Daddy’s exertions, and I looked out for the shady coverage of benevolent trees whenever possible.
The day started at Fazenda coffee shop with my wife Susan & son Peter, and then we were off to Stony Brook station on the Southwest Corridor Park bike path to register for the ride. There was a bit of salmon swimming upstream as we encountered the 25-mile ride heading out as we were riding in. One of the stations at check-in was to have bike mechanics check up on the bikes. I went over to have the saddle on my seat tightened because it was rocking back and forth, only to learn that I also had broken spokes on my bike wheel. The mechanic took them off and told me to take the bike in for further repairs after the ride (which I did at the Bike Not Bombs retail shop the next day).
We set off on the ride, which is something of an adventure since it goes through parts of Boston I rarely visit, particularly West Roxbury and Hyde Park (most of my commutes take me in the opposite direction). It’s nice to see different neighborhoods, and I particularly enjoy riding on the bike path through the Stony Book Reservation (mostly because it’s shaded and downhill). One of the odder moments on the ride, we passed by a house with chickens in the yard and then a boy who must’ve been around four-year old hopped on a bike and started riding down the bike path with us. I would’ve thought him just an enthusiastic biker joining in the ride, except that he was also weeping uncontrollably as he rode. Several riders also heard an adult calling from the house. I caught up with the boy and tried talking with him, but he ignored me. Luckily, a woman on the ride was able to convince him to ride back with her to his house.
The rest break was in a shady picnic grove with lots of snacks and drinks. Kay enjoyed chewing on orange slices. Lots of other riders complimented Kay for being adorable and I enjoyed this so much that I probably spent too much time at the rest area. I think there were only a half-dozen bikes left when we set off again for the second part of the ride. As the riders were more spread out now, the rest of the ride felt more solitary for Kay & I although we sometimes passed or were passed by other riders, particularly families riding with young children on their own bikes. Several fathers pointed out that they started out with the baby in the bike seat and continued riding each year. One even told me about his son falling asleep on his back in the bike seat. “He’s 35 now!”
Time flies, and so did the Bike-A-Thon. Soon we found ourselves rolling back into Jamaica Plain on the “hidden” road between Forest Hills Cemetery and the juvenile detention center (I always forget that it’s back there). Then we zipped through Franklin Park and soon were back on the Southwest Corridor bike path. Peter & Kay were at the finish line cheering for us. We had some delicious food and listened to the groovy marching band before heading home for a well-earned rest.
This weekend I will be riding in the Bikes Not Bombs Bike-A-Thon with my 18-month daughter Kay as my co-pilot.
Bikes Not Bombs is one of my favorite charitable social justice organization because it uses the bicycle as a vehicle for social change. This includes shipping restored bikes to International Programs in Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean where sustainable transportation is vital for economic development. Closer to home, Youth Programs in the Boston area teach bicycle safety and mechanical skills to local teens building self-confidence and personal responsibility. Please make a donation to help the world-changing activities of Bikes Not Bombs. Better yet, come join us for the ride and/or for the post-ride festival at Stony Brook.
A report from US PIRG notes that driving in the US is in decline:
In other bike news, Boston plans to use crash datato help make cycling safer.
And a New York study finds that protected bike lanes are a boon to local businesses.
Have you seen any interesting news about bikes or transportation lately? Let me know in the comments!
