Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

  • Shop
  • Subscribe to BMG
  • Contact
  • Log In
  • Front Page
  • All Posts
  • About
  • Rules
  • Events
  • Register on BMG

Is Boston getting serious about bicycles?

October 13, 2007 By Trickle up

Is this for real? It’s a promising start.

Please share widely!
fb-share-icon
Tweet
0
0

Filed Under: User Tagged With: bicycles, cycling, streets, traffic, transit

Comments

  1. stomv says

    October 13, 2007 at 4:04 pm

    It would be oh-so-nice if they had sessions where they specifically invited transportation board chairmen [or all members if they had enough room] from cities and towns nearby.  Boston can do things to encourage cycling within the city, but encouraging cycling commuters — which involves getting folks from Cambridge, Quincy, Newton, Brookline, Somerville, Waltham, Watertown, etc to ride to work in Boston even some of the time requires working with the towns that are adjacent to Boston, and the towns adjacent to those towns.

    <

    p>
    Get a few towns on board, and you’ll be able to create bicycle networks that are as seemless as roads when the cyclist crosses the town line, instead of having bike lanes simply evaporate, etc.

    • 25-cats says

      October 14, 2007 at 8:40 am

      Though, speaking as a regular bicyclist living in Brighton, Cambridge and Brookline are considerably ahead of Boston at the moment.  Brookline just recently put a bike lane on Beacon Street (westbound–eastbound is still scary)  Cambridge also has far more bike lanes, some even in their own car-free areas, such as part of Vassar St.

      • stomv says

        October 14, 2007 at 1:25 pm

        • The Beacon St bike lane is heterogeneous.  Loosely speaking, it runs toward Coolidge Corner.  Cleveland Circle to St Marys St (the line with Boston) has bike lines on both sides of Beacon St, but never on both sides of Beacon St at the same time.

        <

        p>
        It’s worth noting that it enters Boston on both sides — near Kenmore Square [Audubon Circle] in the Fens and Cleveland Circle out past Washington Square.  In both cases Boston could easily continue the bicycle lane so there’s continuity.  Will they?  Seems to me they’d be more likely to do so if they’d incorporate Boston metro in their meetings and in their general philosophy.

        <

        p>
        * The Harvard St bike lane is also heterogeneous.  It’s sometimes on one side of the road, sometimes the other, sometimes both, sometimes neither.  It also starts/ends abruptly at the Boston line a block from Pizzeria Uno’s [the road becomes Harvard Ave].  Interestingly, the part of Harvard Ave on the other side of Comm Ave has tons of “U” bike racks, and is wide enough for a bike lane but there isn’t one there.  It’s another opportunity for Boston to “continue” the work from the town line, providing more continuity.  The reverse is that Brookline has an opportunity to add more bike racks on Harvard St to match the large number on Harvard Ave and reach “continuity”.  I can tell you that more bike racks will be installed on Harvard St within the next 6 weeks, on both sides of Beacon.

        <

        p>
        * Brookline is also just getting started in really working on getting more kids to bicycle to school.  We’re getting more racks at the schools [same project as above], and we’re working on comprehensive plans to have more “bike routes” which are combinations of bike lanes, bike paths, and safe mixed-use streets.  This will take a long time; it’s a process not an event.  Because Brookline has almost a dozen schools [if one includes privates], increasing the number of kids riding to/from school will increase cycling throughout the town, though obviously more in North Brookline.

        <

        p>
        * AFAIK, Brookline has no bike shops, although the Landrys on Comm Ave pays Brookline property taxes because the building straddles the line.  I’d love for a shop — even just a repair shop — to show up in Coolidge Corner, or even in the “no mans land” between Coolidge Corner and Brookline Village.

        <

        p>
        * There are a number of Brookline Town Meeting members who are cyclists — people who regularly use bicycles as a means of effective transportation.  I can think of at least six off of the top of my head.  That’s not many, but it does mean that cycling is often considered in conjunction with lots of other issues, from DPW [bike lanes, racks, etc] to schools [safe routes, racks, etc] to parks [bike paths, ramps, etc].

        <

        p>

        As a side note, it’s my understanding that the road work on Comm Ave near BU is coming with bike lanes.  They’ve already installed dozens of “U” racks up and down the inbound side between the BU West T stop and Kenmore Square.  Apparently though, the bicycle-friendly design [and lots of ped friendly improvements] weren’t initially planned and were fought for by Jeff Rosenblum and Livable Streets.  This was, of course, before Mayor Menino’s bicycle eureka.  If so, great for them, and great for us.  Hopefully projects to be designed will incorporate these rather inexpensive designs to allow access to the transportation network by all people, and to encourage transportation that doesn’t result in air or noise pollution and is far less likely to kill anybody.  Time will tell I suppose.

Recommended Posts

  • No posts liked yet.

Recent User Posts

Predictions Open Thread

December 22, 2022 By jconway

This is why I love Joe Biden

December 21, 2022 By fredrichlariccia

Garland’s Word

December 19, 2022 By terrymcginty

Some Parting Thoughts

December 19, 2022 By jconway

Beware the latest grift

December 16, 2022 By fredrichlariccia

Thank you, Blue Mass Group!

December 15, 2022 By methuenprogressive

Recent Comments

  • blueeyes on Beware the latest griftSo where to, then??
  • Christopher on Some Parting ThoughtsI've enjoyed our discussions as well (but we have yet to…
  • Christopher on Beware the latest griftI can't imagine anyone of our ilk not already on Twitter…
  • blueeyes on Beware the latest griftI will miss this site. Where are people going? Twitter?…
  • chrismatth on This site (will be disabled on) December 31, 2022I joined BMG late - 13 years ago next month and three da…
  • SomervilleTom on Geopolitics of FusionEVERY un-designed, un-built, and un-tested technology is…
  • Charley on the MTA on This site (will be disabled on) December 31, 2022That’s a great idea, and I’ll be there on Sunday. It’s a…

Archive

@bluemassgroup on Twitter

#mapoli

mainenewshound mainenewshound @mainenewshound ·
42m

📛Your Today's shopping list
eggs
products made with eggs
gasoline
products made with gasoline
products delivered by trucks
(PRICES HIKING Massive egg Fire at US supplier "Gas prices are surging this month')
#mepolitics #maine #mapoli #mapoli #nhpolitics #breaking #massachusetts

Reply on Twitter 1620011269641375746 Retweet on Twitter 1620011269641375746 Like on Twitter 1620011269641375746 Twitter 1620011269641375746
legislataapp Legislata @legislataapp ·
3h

Tweet summary for MA State House for 2023-01-29: 87 tweets from 30 legislators. Top words: police, housing, boston, senjehlen, repdaverogers, samvmontano, mikeconnollyma, morning, violence, 15. #mapoli

Reply on Twitter 1619970379933523968 Retweet on Twitter 1619970379933523968 Like on Twitter 1619970379933523968 Twitter 1619970379933523968
bostonianrap Bostonian Rap @bostonianrap ·
5h

How much time have you spent in #Cambridge, Massachusetts? If I had not commented on the Sayed Faisal case, would you have done it? Be honest, @rasheednwalters. #mapoli

Rasheed N. Walters @rasheednwalters

In the People’s Republic of #CambridgeMA politicians, comrade citizens, and far left activists expect a officer to not defend themselves against a man charging at them with a Kukri Knife which is akin to a machete. These people are insane! They all wanted that officer to die!

Reply on Twitter 1619943006064500736 Retweet on Twitter 1619943006064500736 Like on Twitter 1619943006064500736 Twitter 1619943006064500736
bostonianrap Bostonian Rap @bostonianrap ·
6h

I will say this for the @JimLyonsMA crowd - They are quick to weigh in on the events that others first highlight, without adding insight or offering any solutions. Isn’t that right, @rasheednwalters? 😉

#mapoli

Rasheed N. Walters @rasheednwalters

Walters: Left quick to make assumptions about Cambridge cops. #bospoli #mapoli https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/01/28/walters-left-quick-to-make-assumptions-about-cambridge-cops/

Reply on Twitter 1619935991204319235 Retweet on Twitter 1619935991204319235 Like on Twitter 1619935991204319235 Twitter 1619935991204319235
ronaldvining Ron Vining @ronaldvining ·
6h

🇺🇸🐘📢 MUST WATCH! Candidate for MA GOP Chair, #RonVining, to host 3rd "Fireside Chat" with #MassGOP State Committee Members about "The #Future" of #MaGOP State Party via @YouTube.
https://www.magopchair.com/ron-vining-to-host-final-fireside-chat-with-massgop-state-committee-about-the-future
#RonVining, #MApoli, #MassGOPchair, #Republican, #GOP, #Vision, #Strategy

Reply on Twitter 1619931435988848640 Retweet on Twitter 1619931435988848640 Like on Twitter 1619931435988848640 Twitter 1619931435988848640
ronaldvining Ron Vining @ronaldvining ·
6h

🇺🇸🐘📢 MUST WATCH! Candidate for MA GOP Chair, #RonVining, to host 3rd "Fireside Chat" with #MassGOP State Committee Members about "The #Future" of #MaGOP State Party via @YouTube.
https://www.magopchair.com/ron-vining-to-host-final-fireside-chat-with-massgop-state-committee-about-the-future/
#RonVining, #MApoli, #MassGOPchair, #Republican, #GOP, #Vision, #Strategy

Reply on Twitter 1619931377373446146 Retweet on Twitter 1619931377373446146 Like on Twitter 1619931377373446146 Twitter 1619931377373446146
Load More

From our sponsors




Google Calendar







Search

Archives

  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter




Copyright © 2023 Owned and operated by BMG Media Empire LLC. Read the terms of use. Some rights reserved.