<div>Hi,</div>
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<div>I went to a DCR meeting on Tuesday night where they unveiled revised plans for the BU bridge and Craigie Dam bridge. The presentation is available here: <a href="http://www.mass.gov/dcr/projects/pdf/BU%20Craigie%20Follow%20Up.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.mass.gov/dcr/projects/pdf/BU%20Craigie%20Follow%20Up.pdf</a> found at <a href="http://www.mass.gov/dcr/projects/charlesriverbasin.htm" target="_blank">http://www.mass.gov/dcr/projects/charlesriverbasin.htm</a> I thought BCMers might be interested in it.</div>
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<div>I was happy to see the work of the new consultants the DCR brought in to address bicycle and pedestrian issues. I agreed with most of the improvements proposed, like traffic calming by making the BU bridge rotary less wide (although I'll miss drifting around it in the rain in my car). However, there was much criticism voiced by the audience about various things. The consultant representative and DCR politely took the comments and complaints and then clearly explained the reasoning behind their designs. I was the only one who said anything positive about their "share the road" signs and sharrows painted onto lanes vs. other types of bike lanes.</div>
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<div>I wanted to see if there are people on this list who share my view that the only types of bike lanes practical on Boston bridges are either shared use lanes or raised lanes like the one here <a href="http://www.paulhillsdon.com/blog/2008/03/27/richmonds-raised-bike-lane/" target="_blank">http://www.paulhillsdon.com/blog/2008/03/27/richmonds-raised-bike-lane/</a> . If so, it would be nice to let the designers know.</div>
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<div>Another interesting moment at the meeting was when Secretary Fred Salvucci pointed out that we could cheaply test the new traffic patterns on the bridges using sandbags and paint before finalizing the designs. He recounted a story of how the first bike lanes in Cambridge were painted by some college student and they remained on the road. That story has inspired me to consider painting red circles with lines over the bike pictures in the Cambridge door zones, maybe along with graphics depicting a door opening into a cyclist and a warning "door zone: do not ride".</div>
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<div>The whole system seems poorly designed. Why is there a rule against vehicles parking over 1 foot from the curb as opposed to a law about the distance of the driver's side mirror from the curb? Shouldn't there simply be a line marking where car parking ends, a red zone for opening doors, and a bike lane outside of that? Drivers of narrow cars wouldn't have to weave back and forth to squeeze up against the curb, it would be easy to ensure you're parked within the parking zone, and cyclists would not drift too close to doors.</div>
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<div>I'm too lame to actually go out and try re-painting the streets to indicate dangerous door zones, but if anyone wants funding for supplies, I'd be happy to be the sponsor and risk being charged with being an accessory to this <a href="http://www.mass.gov/legis/laws/mgl/266-94.htm">http://www.mass.gov/legis/laws/mgl/266-94.htm</a>. I can deal with cars honking at me for riding at a safe distance from parked cars or road hazards, but I cringe when I see cyclists ride too far to the right. I should try talking to Craig Kelley first to see his opinion on what is the proper process for communicating safe practices to both drivers and cyclists. Or maybe it's easier to wait until someone gets doored and encourage him or her to file a lawsuit against the City of Cambridge. Has anyone been doored in Cambridge recently? Did you have suffer pain or damage to your bicycle that was not reimbursed by the driver?</div>
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