Bike lanes for bikes

There has been a lot of hoopla about the new bike lanes on the 3/4 of a mile of Comm Ave between Allston and Kenmore Sq and they are a welcome addition to the city. Now it looks like we need some traffic enforcement. Predictability is one of the most important factors for safe roads for both drivers and bicyclists to be able to anticipate what will happen on the road. Cars parked in the bike lane force the bikes to swerve in and out of traffic - a situation that could be more dangerous than having no bike lane at all. So hopefully drivers will learn - with help from some parking tickets, if needed - that bike lanes are for bikes, not cars.

5 comments:

  1. I don't see any bicycles stenciled onto the pavement, like in most bike lanes...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous9:59 AM

    I think they are still painting, and there still is to be signage installed (for example, there are some arrows in part of the bike lanes, but not the whole strip).

    Also, in a few weeks, when students move in, that whole block will have people parking in the bike lanes in front of Warren towers (the building in the pictures). it should be brutal. They really should have cut in a place for some parking or for delivery trucks, both of which will be constantly parked there during the school year.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous12:56 PM

    New York City fines drivers $115 for parking in a bike lane. Clearly, Boston needs some disincentive like a fine of this amount to keep bike lanes clear.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Bike lanes are nice, and large fines are nice too, but the real problem is people getting immediate road-rage when a bike is "in my way"

    ReplyDelete
  5. When I'm Mayor we'll re-classify every city street as a bike path. Then, we'll allow car drivers the privilege of using the bike paths for their cars.

    ReplyDelete