Tag Archives: Boston

Parklet: win-win or win-lose?

Near the right side of the photo below is a “parklet,” a seating area which replaces a couple of parking spaces on Somerville Avenue in Somerville, Massachusetts, USA. A parklet may also contain a planting, as this one does. A … Continue reading

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Jim Melcher and America’s Perestroika

Jim Melcher was one of my professors at MIT. He was also was a year-round bicycle commuter and in 1977, one of the first 25 members of the Boston Area Bicycle Coalition, In the 1980s, his activism expanded into issues … Continue reading

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Say what?

Click on the photo for a larger view. Your comments are welcome. This is yet another of Boston”s bike boxes, where bicyclists are expected to advance in a bike lane at the right side of the street, than to prepare … Continue reading

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I get a hug during CyclingSavvy instructor training.

I have operated my bicycle essentially as a driver since 1978, when I read an early edition of John Forester’s book Effective Cycling. Since 1982, I’ve been an Effective Cycling Instructor, then League Cycling Instructor, in the League of American … Continue reading

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Boston expert design

Here’s a video of the intersection of Commonwealth Avenue and St. Mary Street, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, an example of the design expertise which earns Boston its place with the League of American Bicyclists as a Bicycle Friendly City. The video … Continue reading

Posted in Bicycle facilities, Bicycling, Bike box, Bike lanes, Traffic Signals | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Duck Boat crashes

We had a duck boat run into a motor scooter from behind on Saturday, May 7, 2016 in Boston, killing one of the riders. It isn’t clear from the news story why this happened, though I expect that the poor … Continue reading

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Lane Control on Lexington Street

Here’s a video showing a bicycle ride on a constant mile-long upslope, at speeds of 10 to 12 miles per hour (16 to 20 km/h), on a suburban 4-lane speedway with narrow lanes and no shoulders, the most challenging street … Continue reading

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Bike Box at Charlesgate East

This post is about the intersection of Commonwealth Avenue eastbound and Charlesgate East in Boston, Massachusetts, an intersection with a “bike box” — a waiting area for bicyclists downstream of where motorists stop for traffic signals. More generally, this post … Continue reading

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Truck side skirts: reliable way to prevent cyclist fatalities?

No, not reliable, though some are better than others. Some are also supposed to confer an aerodynamic advantage. Some have a smooth surface which can deflect a cyclist. That is still no guarantee that the cyclist will escape serious injury … Continue reading

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Right-turn lane as dual-destination lane?

I’ve had criticism from an unusual side about the video below. The complaint, from another cyclist, was essentially that I was not following the rules of the road, not operating as the driver of a vehicle, by riding straight through … Continue reading

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