[SBC] [BULK] Ramifications of the new bike lane on Beacon St, Somerville

[Stephen Winslow]

Jim:

Thank you for your comments.. I am also forwarding your e-mail to the Somerville Bicycle Advisory Committee so that the Committee can review the comments at its next meeting and forward any proposed revisions in the City's Bicycle regulations to our Traffic Commission. Beacon Street is the street most highly used by bicyclists in Somerville. Though there is room for improvement in these regulations, the Bicycle Advisory Committee has strongly endorsed the Beacon Street bike lanes.  

First of all I note that the Bicycle Advisory Committee and the City's Traffic & Parking Department have been working closely to ensure that the bike lanes meet basic engineering standards. Where the bike lane, parking lane and travel lane do not meet minimum widths, we're not installing the lanes. Since this is retrofit with an existing center line which varies from the exact center, there will be some stretches that have a bike lane on one-side and some that have no bike lanes at all. We plan to remedy this situation when Beacon Street is reconstructed in about three years.. 

The Bicycle Advisory Committee is aware of the internal debate in the bicycle community about "bike lanes" or "no bike lanes". On the street system in Boston area studies have shown that "dooring" is one of the most significant dangers to bicyclists (and there were very few if any bicycle lanes at the time of that study).. A study by the City of Cambridge indicated that bike lanes on Hampshire Street (which is the extension of Beacon Street) encouraged bicylists to on average travel farther from the door zone..  Based on this information, the City believes it is reasonably implementing bicycle lanes on Beacon Street. The City has supported the "Bicycle Bill of Rights and Responsibilities" that would clearly make it illegal for motorists to open their doors without yielding to bicylists.  

RESPONDING TO YOUR CONCERNS ABOUT THE DIFFERENT ORDINANCES: 

	1. In Somerville a cyclist must ride in the bike lane except in certain explicit circumstances while Cambridge has no such requirement: 

WINSLOW: THE EXPLICIT CIRCUMSTANCES ALLOWING BICYCLE TRAVEL IN THE REGULAR LANE INCLUDE PASSING A SLOWER MOVING BICYCLIST AND AVOIDING A HAZARD. GIVEN THE RISKS OF AN OPENING CAR DOOR BICYCLISTS TRAVELING IN THE MOTOR VEHICLE LANE TO AVOID AN OPENING CAR DOOR, OR EVEN A PARKED VEHICLE WHERE PASSENGERS ARE PRESENT, SHOULD REASONABLY BE CONSIDERED TO BE AVOIDING A HAZARD. I KNOW WITHIN BICYCLE ADVOCACY CIRCLES RESTRICTING BICYCLES TO BICYCLE LANES IS VIEWED UNFAVORABLY. I AM SURE THAT THE BICYCLE ADVISORY WILL BE INTERESTED IN DEVELOPING REVISED LANGUAGE.   

	2. Somerville law explicitly says a motorist should merge into the bike lane to make a right turn while Cambridge does not allow this.

WINSLOW: AT THE INTERSECTIONS WITH TRAFFIC CONTROLS (WASHINGTON AND PARK STREET) THE BIKE LANES HAVE BEEN DASHED TO INDICATE THE TRANSITION ZONE FOR RIGHT TURNING VEHICLES. THIS IS ONE METHOD ALLOWED BY THE MUTCD TO DESIGNATE TURN ZONES. THESE ARE BUS ZONES OR LOADING ZONES WHERE RIGHT TURNING VEHICLES SHOULD BE ABLE TO WAIT PRIOR TO SAFELY TURNING RIGHT. I DO NOT THINK THE INTENT OF THIS RULE IS TO GIVE THE MOTORISTS TURNING FROM THE TRAVEL LANE THE RIGHT TO "CUT-OFF" BICYCLISTS (ALSO KNOWN AS A "RIGHT-HOOK"). MOTORISTS ENTERING THE BICYCLE LANE TO TURN RIGHT MUST FIRST YIELD TO BICYCLISTS BEFORE MAKING THAT TURN. A BICYCLIST BEHIND THE MOTORIST WHO HAS PROPERLY ENTERED THE BIKE LANE TO TURN MUST THEN YIELD TO THE MOTORIST. THIS COULD BE BETTER CLARIFIED BUT IS CONSISTENT WITH HOW ALL TURNING VEHICLES SHOULD INTERACT. 

	3. Cambridge has stated that it interprets it's traffic ordinances such that mopeds and motor scooters are not allowed in the bike lanes in Cambridge.  To my knowledge Somerville is mum on the issue thus defaulting to MGL which allows mopeds and motor scooters to travel in bike lanes.

WINSLOW: THE SOMERVILLE ORDINANCE IS CLEAR THAT BIKE LANES ARE EXCLUSIVELY FOR NON-MOTORIZED VEHICLES:

Section 13-6 Exclusive Operation in Designated Lanes and Paths
Non-motorized modes of transportation conveyances shall have exclusive use and right of-
way in designated bicycle lanes on ways controlled by the Traffic Commission.

WINSLOW: REGARDING ENFORCEMENT: IN MY 4 YEARS ON DEALING WITH BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN ISSUES I HAVE NEVER HAD A COMPLAINT THAT THE SOMERVILLE POLICE HAVE HARASSED BICYCLISTS... THEY HAVE ACTUALLY EXPRESSED FRUSTRATION AT THEIR INABILITY TO EFFECTIVELY ENFORCE RULES AGAINST BICYCLISTS WHO BLANTLY VIOLATE THE LAW AND HAVE BEEN SUPPORTIVE OF THE BICYLISTS BILL OF RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITY... 

REGARDING EDUCATION: THE BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE HAS DONE EDUCATION IN THE PAST USING ITS SOMERVILLE BY BICYCLE BROCHURE. WE'LL DISCUSS NEW EFFORTS AT OUR NEXT MEETING.

THANKS FOR YOUR INPUT.. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO FURTHER DISCUSS THIS WITH THE BICYCLE COMMITTEE, I CAN ASK THAT YOUR CONCERNS BE ADDED TO THE AGENDA. 

RIDE SAFELY.. 

Stephen Winslow
Senior Planner
City of Somerville
93 Highland Avenue
Somerville MA 02143
617-625-6600 x2519