[*BCM*] My thoughts

[Basil Sharpe]

It's not just Boston that needs more awareness to Cyclist.  So do areas
such as Medford and Malden.    On the March 07 ride and as we got to
Harvard Square, I heard a few folks suggest that the CM ride go to
Medford instead of the usual ride to Cambridge Brookline etc.   I can
tell you first hand after riding home from Beverly to Medford for the
past 4 plus years, it's these close proximity towns to Boston drivers
who could also stand to learn a thing or two regarding bicycles.   Time
and Time again people in this Medford Malden area respond to Bicycles as
if they are for kids and belong on the sidewalk.  In fact, a Medford cop
told me this once.   I know Crit Mass can't do everything but I just
want to float the idea to going to Medford because I think Medford
people need in a far more desperate way than Cambridge or Brookline
people do to be exposed to Crit Mass.  Cambridge people are far more
accepting to bicycles than Medford people are.  And Medford is in very
close proximity to Boston.  A ride here could be a good thing.   I've
just found that people in Cambridge and Brookline are more accepting to
cyclists than Medford people are.    To go to Medford with a crit mass
ride would just spread the idea that much more and could be very
rewarding.

Basil

 

 

________________________________

From: bostoncriticalmass-bounces at bostoncriticalmass.org
[mailto:bostoncriticalmass-bounces at bostoncriticalmass.org] On Behalf Of
Ian Thistle
Sent: Thursday, April 05, 2007 1:03 PM
To: list at bostoncriticalmass.org
Subject: [*BCM*] My thoughts

 

So I have been stewing over the last day and here are some points I'd
like to bring up for discussion.

First, I offer my sincerest condolences to the family and friends of the
young man who died.  I didn't know him personally but it seems like I
easily could have.  I'm not sure if his name has been officially
released, so I'm not going to say it, but he was a friend of friends of
mine.  It's a terrible tragedy that I'm sure will stick with us for a
long time. 

What I'm upset about is this:  Anyone who rides frequently in Boston
could have told you that the area where he was hit is very dangerous.
One of the first responses on this list called it a "highway," and I
agree.  People drive very fast and the road is needlessly narrow.  You
always have to watch out for Northeastern / MassArt / SMFA students
crossing the street without warning and yet it's the quickest route from
downtown to Mission Hill, Brookline Village, and so on.   

Sometimes it unfortunately takes a tragedy for things to change.  I'd
have hope that the area would be improved, except the area of Cambridge
St where Kirsten Malone was killed three years ago (if I remember
correctly) is still just as dangerous as it was the day she died.
Similarly, anyone could have told you that area was really dangerous
before she was killed. 

Now, MassBike does some good things, but for a cycling advocacy group,
they haven't done much to make things better for cyclists in the city
(at least that I can tell in the four and a half years I've lived here).
One of their major recent victories was securing $40 million of funds
for bike paths (link here)
<http://www.massbike.org/projects/federal_bikepath_funding.htm> .  Most
of these are in the rest of the state, and the ones that are in the
Boston area aren't ones I will ever ride, nor do most of my biking
friends.  I don't want to stereotype, but they seem to mainly be for
"weekend warriors" rather than commuters.  No matter who rides them,
bike paths are in my opinion counter to the safety of cyclists, since
they get overwhelmed by joggers and rollerbladers and they reinforce the
idea to drivers that cyclists belong off the road.  

I don't want to pin it all on MassBike, as I fully support a lot of the
things they are doing.  I guess what I'm mostly looking for is some way
to get my voice heard, as a cyclist on the streets of Boston who sees
the city as needlessly forboding to cyclists. 

Lastly, I wanted to voice to everyone that while being scared to ride is
a natural and understandable reaction to this death, that they shouldn't
stop riding.  Fewer bikes on the streets makes it harder for everyone
still riding, not to mention increasing pollution and lowering personal
health. 

Be safe,
Ian



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