Looking more at the Boston Bike Map, I was amazed to see that Commonwealth Ave between the BU Bridge and Kenmore Square, home to Boston's first major bike lane, is rated as suitable only for "advanced" cyclists.Is this a mistake on the map? Does City Hall think this bike lane is a failure? Because if a bike lane on a straight road with relatively few intersections can't make the road useful for at least intermediate riders, it is hard to imagine how Boston will become the "biking city for all other biking cities to emulate".
I think "advanced" is completely appropriate for the Comm. Ave bike lane. There are always kids roaming into the road, cars swerving into the lane, cars PARKED in the lane, right-hand turns, and the ever-present danger of getting "doored".
ReplyDeleteI feel way safer just taking the real lane than trying to ride alongside traffic.
There are portions of that bike lane which run in between two lanes of traffic. If you're not accostomed to having annoyed motorists drive by you in an aggressive on either side, you could get flustered. I understand the label for that corridor. It is not safe.
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