Tag Archives: Massachusetts

Massachusetts traffic law, the nation’s most disorganized and confusing

A major revision of Massachusetts traffic law has been overdue for decades.  It is the most disorganized and unreadable body of traffic law of any state and the only one not based on the Uniform Vehicle Code. In preparing comments … Continue reading

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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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Motordom and the Mohawk Trail

Relentless promotion, political and business manipulation by “motordom” (follow the money…) have been held largely responsible for the triumph of motoring in  the USA in the early 20th Century. Peter Norton’s book Fighting Traffic is the best-known work making this … 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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The “Dutch Reach”

I have sent the following message to Dr. Michael Charney, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, promoter of the “Dutch Reach”. The “Dutch Reach” is motorists’ opening the driver’s side door with the opposite hand, so they must look back for bicyclists riding … 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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