streetsmarts.bostonbiker.orgStreet Smarts | John Allen's thoughts about bicycling in the Boston area

Street Smarts John Allen's thoughts about bicycling in the Boston areaHome About Bicycle industry lobby’s database missates length of cycle track Correspondence with Anne Lusk about the Western Avenue Cycle Track History of the Western Avenue Cycle Track, with Sources The Boston Green Belt Bikeway ride, 1971 Western Avenue Cycle Track: Errors in the Boston Cycle Safety Report Winter on the Western Avenue Cycle Track ← Older posts Where bicycles are prohibited in Massachusetts Posted on August 16, 2023 by jsallen Tweet The main issue you will confront if you get into a dispute with police over bicycle prohibitions is whether the prohibition is supported by law. Often it is not. Example: the ramp from Commonwealth Avenue to Route 128 northbound and Norumbega Road in Weston. The No Bicycles etc. sign is placed at its entrance (well, actually slightly past the entrance so you don’t see it till too late) but also too early because it applies only to the entrance to Route 128. Note the limitations expressed in CMR 9.08 and MGL 85 11B — limited-access or express state highway where signs have been posted. If there is no sign where you entered, you shouldn’t be cited. I recall years ago having an official document listing what actually are state highways — they are all numbered highways, but actually only a few of them. If you went to the State House Library or inquired of MassDOT, you could get that info. 700 CMR 7.02 and 7.06 establish that bicycles are not permitted on specific Ways that are part of state highways: Way is defined as the Turnpike, the Metropolitan Highway System, tunnels, a service or rest area, that is located on property owned or controlled and under the jurisdiction of the Department, and includes the areas appurtenant to said way that are necessary for the operation, construction and maintenance of the way (4) Prohibited Entry to or Use of a Way. The Department prohibits the following vehicles from entering or using a way: (d) Propelled by Muscle Power. A vehicle propelled by muscle power, including without limitation a bicycle or a vehicle drawn by a horse or other animal, or a motorized bicycle or moped Posted in Advocacy , Laws , Uncategorized | Comments Off on Where bicycles are prohibited in Massachusetts Seen in Lexington Posted on August 30, 2019 by jsallen Tweet I have not yet ridden on the stretch of Massachusetts Avenue where bike lanes have been placed to the right of parked cars. I missed that opportunity when my bicycle had a flat tire and I couldn’t fix the inner tube — so I Ubered up to Ride Studio Café to buy and install a new tube. On the way home, I did catch some photos, below with captions. Ghost bike on the Minuteman Path south of Seasons Four Garden Center driveway. A bicyclist died here in the spring of 2019. Another bicyclist had pulled out to pass and the two collided head-on. The path has been repaved, nice work there although it would be better if the grass shoulders were level with the asphalt. The step at the edge can throw a bicyclist down. Pile of hardened concrete in the bike lane on Massachusetts Avenue south of Seasons Four driveway, very sloppy work by a contractor. Door-zone bike lane, 859 Massachusetts Avenue. This carries the implication that the door zone is the safest place to ride. It is not. 859 Massachusetts Avenue in 2017. There was no bike lane stripe. Signs as seen from a driver’s position in the right-turn lane from Massachusetts Avenue to Pleasant Street. Ths same signs as seen from the sidewalk. Placing one sign to hide another is contrary to standards. Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Seen in Lexington What is the authority for this sign? Posted on August 3, 2019 by jsallen Tweet Sign on the Shining Sea Path The sign in this photo, which I have copied from a Facebook post , is well-intentioned, but it arouses very mixed feelings in me. I have no sympathy for people who ride at unsafe speeds around other path users, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SD9u01lVxe8 . There was a death on the Minuteman path in Lexington, Massachusetts this year resulting from reckless speed and unsafe passing. But when the path is totally empty as shown in the photo, are people to be prevented from riding at a speed which allows them to get any significant fitness benefit, or getting where they want to go when they want to? This is the Shining Sea Path — line of text at the bottom of the sign saysFriendsofFalmouthbBkeways.org . The alternative is Woods Hole Road, which is not an attractive ride — hilly, not very wide, lots of motor traffic. Is the 15 mph speed limit supported by law and so enforceable? The southern section of the Shining Sea path, which this appears to be, is controlled by the Town of Falmouth and I found no ordinance establishing a speed limit on it. The speed limit rule in Mass. General Laws applies only to motor vehicles — https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXIV/Chapter90/Section17 . One other thing in the photo is troubling and senselessly restrictive: the solid yellow line in the middle of the path, indicating no passing (and contradicting the keep right/pass left” sign). Pedestrians use this path, also bicyclists traveling at various speeds. Passing is unavoidable. A long, straight stretch like the one shown should be a passing zone with a dashed yellow line, or none. See https://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/htm/2009/part9/part9c.htm Audible signal before passing is in the law. Moving off the path when stopped is required for courtesy and also covered, see https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXIV/Chapter85/Section11B . But all of the signs except the speed limit sign are nonstandard, that is, they are regulatory signs not tested for effectiveness or approved for use. Pretending that things are law when they aren’t is not right — warning signs (yellow, diamond-shaped) can convey the same message without raising that issue. Senseless and unenforceable restrictions also are not right. These issues could come up in the event of a crash on the path, and could hold a bicyclist at fault, for example, passing safely when someone darts out into the path and there is a collision. But on the other hand, the Friends of Falmouth Bikeways, a private organization, has no authority to post regulatory signs on a public way. So, is there any? Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged bicycle , Cambridge , collision , crash , Falmouth , Massachusetts , Minuteman , Minuteman Commuter Bikeway , safety , shining Sea path , sign , speed limit | 1 Comment Dummer yet Posted on May 28, 2019 by jsallen Tweet Let’s take a look at the intersection of Essex Street with Dummer Street in Brookline over the years, with the aid of Google Street Views. Essex Street leads south from Commonwealth Avenue opposite the Boston University Bridge — see Google map . In 2007, Essex Street had parking on the west side, which resulted in wrong-way dooring conflicts with (then illegal) contraflow bicycle traffic. In order to prevent motor traffic from using Essex Street as a cut-through, it was one-way for one block south of Dummer Street, with no exception for bicyclists. That was unfortunate, as Essex Street was plenty wide for a contraflow bike lane for the one block where it was now one-way. We are looking south along Essex Street in the Google Street View below. Dummer Street goes off to the right. By August 2009, the parking had been switched to the east side of Essex street (view from the opposite direction, to show parking signs). Contraflow bicycle travel was still illegal. The situation remained unchanged in July, 2011. This is a view from the north. I described conditions then in an earlier post . By August 2013, as shown in the next two Street Views, a contraflow bike lane had been delineated, as shown in the next two Street Views. At last! Shortly thereafter, a bike lane was striped up to the corner, encouraging bicyclists to keep to the right of right-turning motor...